Deadlift form: tips for proper technique and safety

Practical Playbook

1. 1

   Set your hips at the right height

   The starting hip height determines your leverage. With the bar over midfoot and shins touching, lift your chest until your shins are vertical. Don't drop your hips lower; that turns the deadlift into a squat. Your shoulders should be slightly in front of the bar.

2. 2

   How do you keep the bar path straight?

   If the bar swings away from your legs, something's off. The bar should maintain contact from shin to thigh throughout the pull. Start with the bar close and focus on pushing the floor away. A straight bar path reduces wasted energy and risk of injury.

3. 3

   Brace your core before every rep

   Before each rep, take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core as if you're about to be punched. This stiffness transfers force efficiently and prevents your spine from rounding under load. Exhale only after completing the rep.

4. 4

   Finish with glutes, not lower back

   Lockout isn't a lean-back contest. Drive your hips forward by squeezing your glutes until you're standing tall. Over extending pushes the bar forward and loads your lower back unnecessarily. Keep it simple: stand up straight.

Common Mistakes

• Mistake

  You let your lower back round as the bar passes your knees.

  Why

  That rounding shifts the load from your hamstrings and glutes to your spinal discs. Over time it's a fast track to a herniated disc, not a stronger back.

  Fix

  Film a set from the side. If your back loses its arch as the bar nears knee height, stop pulling and reset. Think about pushing the floor away instead of lifting the bar.

• Mistake

  You start with the bar too far forward, over your toes instead of midfoot.

  Why

  When the bar drifts forward, your hips rise first and your lower back has to do all the work. Your quads can't help because the leverage is wrong, and you'll miss reps that should be easy.

  Fix

  Set the bar one inch from your shins before you bend down. When you grip it, your shoulders should be directly over the bar, not behind it.

• Mistake

  You yank the bar off the floor instead of pulling it smoothly.

  Why

  Jerking breaks the tension in your hamstrings and makes the bar wobble. You lose energy that could go into the lift, and it increases your risk of pulling a hamstring or disc.

  Fix

  Take the slack out of the bar first. Pull your chest up and push your hips back until you feel tension in your hamstrings, then drive through the floor. That first inch should be silent.

• Mistake

  You hyperextend your lower back at the top of the rep.

  Why

  Leaning back with your shoulders past your hips doesn't lock out the weight better, it just compresses your lumbar spine. The judges in a meet won't give you credit for it, and your back won't thank you.

  Fix

  Stand tall with your hips under your shoulders. The lockout is done when your hips and knees are straight. Don't search for an extra 'squeeze' at the top.

• Mistake

  You skip bracing and just breathe before the pull.

  Why

  Without a braced core, your torso acts like a wet noodle. The force leaks out of your midsection and your spine takes the hit. Every heavy deadlift should feel like you're about to get punched in the gut.

  Fix

  Take a deep breath into your belly (not your chest), hold it, and tighten your abs as if someone's about to hit you. Keep that tightness until you set the bar down.

Frequently asked questions

From the Dorsi blog

Sources we drew from

1. 1

   The Sticking Point in the Bench Press, the Squat, and the Deadlift: Similarities and Differences, and Their Significance for Research and PracticePeer-reviewed

   Justin Kompf & Ognjen Arandjelović · 2016 · Sports Medicine

   Since it was first observed, and especially so in recent years, the phenomenon of the so-called "sticking point" in resistance training has attracted a substantial amount of sports and exercise science research.

2. 2

   Region‐dependent hamstrings activity in Nordic hamstring exercise and stiff‐leg deadlift defined with high‐density electromyographyPeer-reviewed

   András Hegyi et al. · 2017 · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports

   Recent studies suggest region-specific metabolic activity in hamstring muscles during injury prevention exercises, but the neural representation of this phenomenon is unknown.

3. 3

   Classification of deadlift biomechanics with wearable inertial measurement unitsPeer-reviewed

   Martin O’Reilly et al. · 2017 · Journal of Biomechanics

   Classification of deadlift biomechanics with wearable inertial measurement units

4. 4

   Real-time Deadlift Form Analysis Using Support Vector Machine Algorithm and Kinect V2 SensorPeer-reviewed

   Marianne M. Sejera et al. · 2023 · Unknown

   We developed a real-time program utilizing the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm in conjunction with the Microsoft Kinect V2 sensor to analyze the proper execution of the conventional deadlift exercise.

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