Barbell Deadlift
The classic pull from the floor — the definitive hip hinge that loads the back, glutes, and hamstrings harder than any other lift.
How to do it
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, the bar over mid-foot and your shins about an inch from the bar.
- Hinge down and grab the bar just outside your knees with a flat back and your chest up.
- Pull the slack out of the bar, brace your core and take a deep breath into your belly.
- Push the floor away with your legs, keeping the bar close to your shins.
- Stand up fully, squeezing your glutes as your hips and knees extend together.
- Lower the bar by pushing your hips back first, then bending your knees once the bar passes them.
Key technique cue
Take out the slack and push the floor away — bar slides up the shins, back flat.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Rounding the lower back at the start, which puts the spine in a weak position under heavy load.
- ✕ Jerking the bar off the floor without pulling the slack out first, leading to a jerky lift and missed reps.
- ✕ Letting the bar drift away from the shins, which lengthens the lever arm and overloads the lower back.
- ✕ Hyperextending at the top instead of finishing with a hard glute squeeze and a stacked ribcage.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds full-body pulling strength led by the back, glutes and hamstrings.
- ✓ Trains the hinge pattern that protects your back in everyday lifting.
- ✓ Develops grip, core bracing and full-body tension under heavy load.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 -
Step 3 You are here - Barbell Deadlift
- Trap Bar Deadlift
- Sumo Deadlift
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Step 4
About the exercise
The barbell deadlift is the heaviest lift most people will ever perform. The lifter pulls the bar from the floor to lockout in a single hinging movement, training the lower back, mid-back, glutes and hamstrings together under maximal load. It's a competition lift for powerlifters, an athlete's tool for building pulling strength and the lift experienced gym-goers return to as the true test of full-body strength. The deadlift is a must-have in every pull day, every strength program and every powerlifting track, and the foundation for learning the hip hinge.
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