If the squat is the king of the exercise kingdom, then the deadlift would be Prince William (if you’re not familiar with the British Monarchy, then please feel free to ignore my analogy). These two exercises do more in terms of overall muscle growth than any other exercises on the planet. That said, they’re both extremely taxing on the body. When deadlifting, it’s of paramount importance that you use proper form. If you don’t use proper form when performing this potentially dangerous movement, then please don’t do it at all.
Proper Deadlift Form
In the purest sense, a deadlift is the movement which involves pulling a barbell from the floor to a rest at around hip height. Let’s look at this in more detail.
Distance From The Bar
Approach the bar, and stop when your legs are about 1 inch (3cm) away from it. Your feet should be sticking underneath the bar. As you pull up the bar, remember to try to keep the bar 1 inch away from your legs until you clear your knees. As you progress to heavier weights, this will become harder to do, and can sometimes result in scraped knees.
Distance From The Bar
Stance
You should stand with your feet shoulder length apart, and have your feet pointing forward, or just slightly outwards (less than 10 degrees). Bend down into a squatting position, with your butt sticking out and your back slightly arched. The Bar will be just ahead of your shins in the starting position.
Grip
There are two grip styles that you can use during the deadlift; the over hand, and the alternating grip. The over hand grip involves both hands being placed on the bar in the same way, with your palms facing towards the floor/you. This grip seems great until you try it with heavier weights. It becomes increasingly difficult to lift the bar using this method because the bar always wants to slip out of your hands. One way to avoid this is by using lifting straps, however, I prefer to use the alternating hand grip.
Alternating Hand-Grip
The alternating hand grip (also known as “over and under”) involves placing one hand in the supinated position (palm facing away the ceiling) and the other in the pronated (palm facing towards the floor/you). This “locks” in the bar so it’s much easier to lift without the sensation of the bar wanting to get away from you.
The Movement
From the squat position, push straight up using only your legs to pull up the bar. Another great way to imagine it is to push your legs right through the floor. It’s very important than you keep your back perfectly straight through the entire movement, do not round or flatten it at all. Keep you arms locked throughout the entire deadlift, and lock your knees at the top of the movement.
Your butt should rise at the same rate as your shoulders. If you’re butt raises faster than your upper body, you risk injuring your lower back, and you won’t be lifting with only your legs at the end of the movement. If you’re finding this happening to you, you need to adjust your starting position.
Tips For Keeping Form
As you go through the movement, it helps to keep your eyes focused straight ahead, or slightly higher than your head. By concentrating on keeping your chin high, your body will be more likely to follow proper form.
Finish the movement by returning to the floor slowly in the same way you got to the top.
Things You MUST Avoid
- Do not try to lift heavy if you’re just starting out. Start light and concentrate on mastering your technique. Only once you’ve got some experience using the proper deadlift form should your progress to using heavier weights.
- Do not let your knees move laterally at all during the movement. This is a great way to injure your knees.
- Do not move your feet at all during the lift.
- Do not lean forward or back at all. Keep the weight as close to you as possible throughout the entire lift, while following a straight line up.
- Do not jerk the bar at any point in the movement. The entire motion should be as smooth as possible.
- Last, and certainly not least, do not round your back!
Happy Lifting!
