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Deadlift

Hip hinge for the back with a barbell.

How to do it

1 of 4

Bar over midfoot

  1. Starting position

    Stand hip-width with the bar over midfoot, bend your knees until your shins meet the bar, and grip outside your legs.

  2. The movement

    Push the floor away and extend your hips and knees until upright, then hinge, bend your knees, and set the bar down.

Most common mistake

Don't round your back as the bar leaves the floor, brace your core and keep your back steady as your hips and knees extend.

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Muscle group
Back
Equipment
Barbell
Where
Gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The deadlift trains almost the whole back of your body. Your glutes, hamstrings and the muscles along your lower back do most of the work as your hips extend, and the front of your thighs helps mostly as the bar leaves the floor. Your upper back and lats keep the bar close, your forearms hold on and your abs keep your trunk braced. With a wide stance, as in the sumo deadlift, the front and inside of your thighs do more and your torso stays more upright.

Common mistakes

  • The bar drifts away from your body. The further forward the bar hangs, the heavier it gets for your back. Keep it so close that it almost scrapes your shins and thighs, as if pushing it back into your legs with straight arms.
  • You jerk the bar off the floor. A jerk costs you your position before the lift has even started. Take the slack out first: tighten your arms and back until the bar is about to leave the floor, then push away with your legs.
  • You lean back at the top. The lift is finished when you stand tall with your hips and knees straight. Leaning back adds nothing and puts needless load on your lower back. Stand tall, squeeze your glutes and stop there.

Variations and alternatives

  • The Romanian deadlift starts from the top, puts more work on your hamstrings and uses lighter weights.
  • The sumo deadlift, with a wide stance, suits you if a narrow stance makes the starting position hard to reach.
  • The dumbbell deadlift is an easier way to learn the movement and works at home.
  • The rack pull starts from supports just below the knees and trains the top part of the lift.

Sets and reps

The deadlift is usually trained with low reps. For strength, 3 to 5 reps per set is common, often over 2 to 5 sets with two to four minutes' rest. To build muscle, 5 to 8 reps works. Above 8, form tends to break down with fatigue, so leave endurance work to other exercises. The guide to sets and reps explains how to choose.

Set the bar down fully between reps and reset, especially as a beginner. Warm up with a few lighter sets first, as the guide to warming up shows. Then add weight in small steps and write down every set. That is the heart of progressive overload.

Also called

  • conventional deadlift

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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