The Deadlift
Creative title, huh?
In last week’s post, I mentioned that there are 5 exercises that every trainee should be able to perform to some degree.
If you missed it, here they are;
#1: Deadlift
#2: Squat
#3: Pushup/Bench Press
#4: Pullup
#5: Overhead Press
If I had to choose the most important movement out of those 5, it would be the deadlift.
I have a certain love affair with the deadlift. And that’s partially because it is the one I am best at!
But in all seriousness, there is not much the deadlift can’t accomplish.
It builds muscle.
It increases your strength (in all the right places)
It burns fat
It improves posture
It doubles as “cardio” (don’t believe me? Do a 12-repetition set, put your hand on your chest and get back to me)
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
How is it able to do so much?
The Benefits- Explained
The deadlift forces you to use virtually every muscle in your body (with the exception of the chest). This makes it an amazing “bang for your buck” exercise.
The more muscle that you can stimulate at one time, the better off you are in terms of adding lean mass and boosting your metabolism (a.k.a burn fat). This is essentially what I tell people when they ask me what the big deal is with deadlifts.
If they care to hear me further (because they see my excitement building), they hear the following…
And while it forces you to use a lot of muscles, the deadlift primarily develops the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, back). This is incredibly important because most of us are under-developed back there and over-developed on the front side. This imbalance wrecks our posture and causes us to have those days where you say,
“Man, my shoulder is acting up.”
I actually consider the deadlift to be a top movement for the core. It’s classified as an “anti-flexion” movement because if you don’t engage your core and keep your back in a solid position, you will fold in half like a cheap camping chair.
This is why it is so great for your posture, because we tend to sit in flexion all day long. The deadlift trains us to stop doing that without you having to think about it!
Oh, did you say you have low-back pain?
Because the deadlift requires a good hip hinge (more on this later), you become a beast at dissociating what it feels like to move your hips versus your lower back. This will allow you to do a lot of other great movements (think squats) to the best of your ability and avoid tearing up your low back.
If you are an athlete, the ability to generate power with your hips (and not your low back) is paramount, no matter the sport.
A stronger posterior chain not only helps prevent injury, but a well-developed back and butt just look good, regardless of gender. I can think of no better exercise that builds a better butt.
For you guys, only the pullup stands a chance of developing a better “V” shaped torso.
Ok, so I know you are now PUMPED to start deadlifting like a maniac, but hold on just a bit.
While I very rarely see deadlifts done in the general population, it is even rarer when I see them done with any semblance of good technique.
Therefore, the next portion of this post will deal with everything I know up to this point in my career of how to perform a proper deadlift.
The Nuts and Bolts
Before I even get into technique, we need to first discuss what a proper progression continuum looks like for the deadlift.
The biggest issue that I see with deadlifts has nothing to do with specific technique points. The problem is people do them before they are ready!
There are very few people that can walk up to a loaded barbell and start repping out deads without a hitch on their first try.
There needs to be a buildup to deadlifting with a barbell off the floor, and it starts with mastering the hip hinge.
The hip hinge is the number one skill that you can learn in the weight-room. As I mentioned earlier, the better you are able to use your hips, the better you will be able to do everything in life, whether you are performing a set of squats or picking something up off the floor.
Better moving hips = less pain, better performance, and a better-looking physique (especially the booty)
I have outlined each of the progressions that I use, as well as specify where you should be starting.
The Progressions
Glute Bridge
Hip Thrust
Tall-Kneeling Hip Hinge
Half-Kneeling Hip Hinge
Hip Hinge to Wall
Hip Hinge with Dowel Horizontal
Hip Hinge with Dowel Vertical
Glute Bridge
This doesn’t seem like a movement that’s very applicable to the deadlift, but this is the most regressed version of a hip hinge that I know.
The reason it comes first (as well as the hip thrust) is due to the fact that you are acting AGAINST gravity. In other words, you are in control.
The glute bridge is a basic exercise for activating the glutes and teaching proper hip extension. The key is to go slow and work on extending the hips and not your lower back.
The cue that I like to use is to focus on tilting your pelvis to your chin as you come up.
At the top, you should feel your butt contract.
Over time, I have gravitated toward keeping the toes up throughout to get a better drive through the heels, essentially getting all the stress on the glutes and not the hamstrings. If you feel it too much in the shins when you do this, just keep the feet flat.
Hip Thrust
After you have mastered a proper glute bridge, it’s time to kick up the range-of-motion. Your hips are going to be working through more of a complete hinge, but we are still acting against gravity.
The hip thrust carries a lot of similarities to the glute bridge, except now I want you to focus more on bracing your core (pretend someone is getting ready to sock you in the gut). A greater ROM leaves more room for error, specifically in the way of hyper-extending the lower back at the top and taking all the stress off the glutes.
Again, focus on a good posterior tilt of the pelvis as you come up and contract your glutes as hard as you can at the finish.
When you go back down, lightly tap your butt to the floor before going into the next rep.
This is an exercise that you can add load to and use as a part of your main strength work, but we will talk about that more in a future post. For the purposes of this post, we are going to stick with bodyweight and focus on good hip movement and glute activation.
Tall-Kneeling Hip Hinge
Ok, now we are upright and getting ready to replicate more of what the hips should look like in an actual deadlift.
Being on both knees provides stability, allowing you to focus on just your hips.
This progression is all about keeping your chest up. You are not just sitting back!
If you are having trouble, simply throw a dowel on your back and give yourself a reference point for where your torso should be positioned throughout.
Half-Kneeling Hip Hinge
I actually just learned this drill a few months ago, but I have been using it consistently in my own programming ever since.
Being in a half-kneeling stance forces you to sit your hips back, while giving you a great stretch on the front hamstring.
When you hinge back up, contract your glute. You will feel a great stretch in the back-leg hip flexor when you do this correctly!
This position is going to be more unstable than being on both knees, so make sure you are sitting straight back and not tilting side-to-side.
When you feel comfortable with doing this with your own bodyweight, put a weight in front of you and pick it up after you sit back. This will give you some practice actually lifting a weight off the ground without having to think too much.
Hip Hinge to Wall
It’s time to stand up and get serious!
If someone already has a solid base of stability and no major asymmetries in their mobility, I will usually start them off here.
The wall provides a great reference point for what it feels like to truly sit your hips back.
Other than that, this one is pretty straightforward.
Hip Hinge with Dowel Horizontal
Due to the fact that most of us sit in a slouched posture all day, it can be tough to have any awareness of what “keeping the chest up” really means.
For people who struggle with that, I have found no better solution than this drill. It’s not so much a progression, as it is a specific troubleshooting exercise.
You will have no choice but to keep your chest up on this one. I can bet that you will also feel a good stretch through the front shoulders and pecs.
Standing Hip Hinge
This final progression gets us in a conventional deadlift stance, while giving us the least “help”.
If you are able to do this well, you are ready to progress on to actually doing some loaded deadlift variations.
If you want a reference point for your upper back and head position, feel free to use a dowel lengthwise along your spine, getting 3 points of contact at the head, upper back, and lower back.
Go ahead and review those progressions and see where you think you will be able to start. When in doubt, start with a more regressed version than you think you are capable. It’s amazing how the most mundane of movements can feel like a world of hurt when they are actually done with precise technique.
Beyond the Hip Hinge
Alright, so you now have a good understanding of how to use your hips properly in various bodyweight positions.
Now, it is time for the fun stuff…deadlifting!
Granted, I’m not the biggest fan of learning the deadlift by going straight to a barbell on the floor.
While you may have good hip control now, it still hasn’t been put to test under load.
Being able to handle an anterior load places a lot of stress on the lower-back, so it is important to be able to master the deadlift variations that are center-of-gravity friendly first. These will continue to teach a good deadlift pattern, while giving your lower back the opportunity to “warm up” for a full-out conventional deadlift.
I like the following progression;
Kettlebell Deadlift
Trap-Bar Deadlift
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Rack Pull
I will go into detail on each movement and how to do it right.
Kettlebell Deadlift
I am a big fan of using the kettlebell for deadlifts because the load is right within your center-of-gravity. This places minimal stress on the low back.
If you already have a decent amount of experience deadlifting, you probably have surpassed the loads that kettlebells can offer that will actually force an adaptation for you. In this case, see further progressions.
However, if you are new to deadlifting (and don’t have massively internally rotated shoulders), or want to clean up your technique, the kettlebell is a great starting point.
Cues to Keep in Mind:
#1: Make sure to always set the weight down right in line with your heels. It’s easy to start letting it creep up toward the toes as you get fatigued and not even realize. When in doubt, push the hips back further than you think they should go.
#2: As you come down, slide your hands along your inside thighs (near the groin). This will ensure that you get your hips in the proper position.
#3: Crush the handle. In other words, grip the kettlebell as hard as possible. This will engage your shoulders and lats for a strong pull.
Trap-Bar Deadlift
Unless you go to a pretty well-equipped gym, you aren’t going to find a trap-bar lying around.
However, if you have access to one, this is a great way to progress up to full deadlifts. They also provide a very solid alternative to conventional deadlifts, if you want to make it more of your go-to deadlift variation.
The benefit of the trap-bar is the fact that it rests within your center-of-gravity, much like the kettlebell. This prevents a lot of the shear stress on the lumbar spine that is present during a normal deadlift.
The wider grip that needs to be taken can “open up” the shoulders more and prevent a lot of the internal rotation that can occur during a kettlebell deadlift.
Plus, you can load a trap-bar up with some pretty good weight!
If you are new to the trap-bar, it may feel a little awkward at first, but you will get used to it quick.
Cues to Keep in Mind:
#1: With a trap-bar, it can be slightly more difficult to achieve full hip extension at the top. So focus on thrusting those hips forward and squeezing the glutes at the top (and, of course, not letting your lower-back hyper-extend)
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Outside of barbell rows, I haven’t found a better exercise to improve my actual deadlift performance.
This variation places more stress on the hamstrings, due to a lesser knee bend. Other than that, it’s just a shorter range-of-motion deadlift. It does a great job of teaching a powerful hip extension because the descent is shorters, allowing you to keep everything locked and loaded.
Think about if you were curling 2 dumbbells and paused ¾ of the way up. You could perform the last ¼ of the curl much faster than if you had to curl them all the way from the start.
I like to teach this before full deadlifts because it gets someone’s feet wet with an anterior load.
Cues to Keep in Mind:
#1: Snap the hips up. I had a few clients in the past call these “Bend and Snaps” from Legally Blonde. It’s funny, but kind of true.
Rack Pull
Our final deadlift progression lands us in a power rack. We are now going to get a barbell in our hands!
The power rack will allow you to set the pins at different ranges-of-motion.
Due to the ROM manipulation, I like to do these to build someone up into doing a full range-of-motion deadlift. I start with the pins just below knee level, progress down to mid-shin, and then pull from the floor.
Because the ROM is smaller, you can also use rack pulls to pull loads appreciably heavier than you would otherwise be able to conventionally. This is a good option if you have a sticking point that you are having trouble getting past.
I didn’t shoot a video for these, but if you are aren’t picturing it well, just imagine a full deadlift (seen below) done off of an elevated bar, instead of the floor.
The Deadlift
Thought we would never get here?
I know it’s been a little while, but progressing properly to full deadlifts is crucial. There is no point in doing an exercise that you aren’t prepared to handle, even if you have been lifting for a few years (that doesn’t mean your technique is great).
Speaking of technique, that is what we are going to discuss next.
And first things first, you may have read about the deadlift on other sites and been inundated with a bajillion cues and focus points.
It doesn’t need to be that complicated! The deadlift is a technically-demanding lift, but when you start thinking too much, it can be just as bad as if you weren’t thinking at all.
The Set-Up
Alright, so the barbell is on the floor. Let’s get to work.
#1: Step all the way up to the bar
If you are 6 inches or a foot away from the bar, you are only doing a disservice to your lumbar. The further the bar is from you, the more stress that will be funneled through your low back. Your shins should be touching the bar, that’s how close you need to be.
#2: Set your feet about hip-width apart
If you go too wide, you end up getting into more of a sumo deadlift stance and getting more hip stress than we are looking for. I want you to recruit your glutes as much as possible, and a hip-width stance will achieve this.
#3: Use an overhand grip
Get your pinkies just inside the smooth rings on the barbell.
You will commonly see deadlifters use a mixed-grip (one hand overhand, one hand underhand…it keeps the bar in your hands better), but if you are just learning the deadlift or have not yet reached a point where you have plateaued for a significant period, stick with both hands overhand.
And grip that barbell as tight as you can!
#4: Hinge the hips and get your torso slightly arched
Since you have mastered your hip hinge at this point, we are simply going to employ the mechanics learned there and sit the hips back. The knees will have a slight bend, but remember, this isn’t a squat. The knee bend is what differentiates a hip-dominant pattern (deadlift) from a quad-dominant pattern (squat).
Your shoulder blades should be locked down and back, as if you are trying to tuck them into your back pocket. Doing this will naturally get the chest in a solid position and prevent your back from rounding and shooting vertebral discs across the gym.
The Pull
Once you are in a proper set-up, it’s time to rip that baby off the ground.
#1: Drive your feet through the floor
I heard this cue recently and really like it.
Essentially, you want to apply as much force as you can through the floor as you begin the pull. This will create a lot of tension and aid in keeping you “tight” as you come up.
#2: Pull the bar along your shins
We set-up on top of the bar for a reason; I want you to keep that bar moving right along your shins the whole way up.
If the bar happens to scrape your shins, that’s ok. You are now stronger for that.
#3: Thrust the hips at the top
As with all of our prior deadlift progressions, you need to extend the hips at the top and squeeze the heck out of your glutes. This is extremely important, because if you don’t do this, most of the benefits of the movement are lost.
The Return
While the movement is called a deadlift, the return back to the floor is just as important. You need to hinge the hips and let that bar go down UNDER CONTROL back along your shins.
If you just let the bar come crashing back down without any tightness, you place your body at a high risk of hurting…badly. So keep the tension you have created to this point and fight that bar on the way down.
There are 2 ways you can go about performing repetitions with the deadlift;
#1: You can set it down after each rep and come up without the bar to “reset” yourself .
#2: You can perform continuous reps
Both ways are fine, but if you are fairly new to the lift, I highly recommend going with route #1. This turns a set 8 (for example) into 8 sets of 1. It takes away any potential momentum that you can generate through slamming the bar on the floor.
I actually recommend this method even to the most advanced of deadlifters. It is a great reinforcer of solid technique, plus it is quite a bit harder. It doesn’t need to be the only way you deadlift, but it is good to incorporate from time-to-time, especially if you are doing speed-work with the deadlift.
If you perform continuous reps, just make sure to stay controlled and not rely on the rebound from the bar bouncing off the floor (think of someone bench pressing and allowing the bar to bounce off their chest to get each rep…it’s so pretty and safe-looking).
Those are the basics that you need to know in order to perform a correct deadlift. Keep in mind, the progressions that were discussed in the beginning are the KEY to ensuring that your deadlift form doesn’t need a ton of tweaking by the time you actually get to the barbell.
If it seems too difficult or you are constantly needing to be corrected, you probably did not spend enough time on the buildup exercises. Go back to them and get those perfect first!
Programming the Deadlift
There is one hard and fast rule that I abide by with respect to programming the deadlift;
Whatever training session it occurs on in your weekly split, make sure to do it first!
The deadlift is exhausting and the last thing we want is for you to do them when you are already physically and mentally fatigued.
Some lifters like to do squats before deadlifts, but I have never found it necessary to jam them together on the same day.
The only other thing I would recommend to a mass audience is to keep the reps within 12 (preferably 10). When you start going higher than that, it becomes quite the task to keep your technique as solid as it needs to be. I personally don’t go any higher than 6-8.
Think quality over quantity with the deadlift.
If fat-loss is your goal, you can still go heavy (8-10 reps) and be just fine. The deadlift is a fat-burner due to the amount of muscle it stimulates at one time and the subsequent metabolic effect. You have to be challenged by the weight to get the most out of them.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it. A brain-dump on the deadlift.
I hope that helps you in your deadlifting quest, whether you are just getting ready to try them out or want to break a plateau. It truly is one of the most effective movements that you can do, so you owe it to your body to do them on a consistent basis.
Please let me know if you have any questions. This will be far from the last post I write on this lift, but I wanted this post to serve as a solid foundation for everything to come.
Next week, I am going to discuss the squat. Should be fun!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Be your best,
Kasey, CSCS
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Fred L
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kaseyesser
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