Deadlift: How-To Guide, Form Tips & Video

Video: deadlift

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Deadlift Overview

The deadlift is a lift where you pull a bar off the floor. You stand up with a heavy bar in your hands. It builds your hamstrings and glutes. Your hamstrings run down the back of your thighs. Your glutes are your butt muscles. It also works your lower back, traps, and forearms. You need a barbell and some weight plates. The deadlift is one of the best full body lifts. It builds a strong back, hips, and grip. It teaches you to lift heavy things safely. This lift is for people past the beginner stage. It fits on pull days or leg days. Learn the form well before you go heavy.

What Is The Point of the Deadlift?

The deadlift builds total-body strength by working your biggest muscle groups at once. It makes you stronger for daily activities and builds serious muscle.

How To Do The Deadlift

  1. Stand with your mid-foot under the bar. Set your feet hip-width apart.
  2. The bar should sit about an inch from your shins.
  3. Bend at your hips and knees. Grip the bar just outside your legs.
  4. Use an overhand grip. Drop your hips until your shins touch the bar.
  5. Lift your chest. Keep your back flat. Set your shoulders over the bar.
  6. Pull the slack out of the bar. Squeeze your grip and take tension.
  7. Take a deep breath into your belly. Brace your core hard.
  8. Push the floor away with your feet. Stand the bar straight up.
  9. Keep the bar close to your legs the whole way.
  10. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Lower with control. Do 3 to 6 reps.

Deadlift Form Tips

  1. Keep the bar close to your legs. Let it graze them the whole way.
  2. Keep your back flat the whole time. Never let it round.
  3. Lift your chest and set your shoulders over the bar. Do not slump.
  4. Push the floor away with your feet. Do not just yank with your back.
  5. Brace your core hard before you pull. Hold the air as you lift.
  6. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Do not lean back past straight.
  7. Keep your arms straight. They are just hooks, not pullers.
  8. Keep your neck in line with your spine. Do not crane up.
  9. Lower the bar with control. Do not drop it or round your back.
  10. Take tension out of the bar first. Then pull smooth, not jerky.

Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Deadlift

  1. Rounding your back. This puts your spine at risk. Keep your chest up and back flat.
  2. Letting the bar drift away. This strains your low back. Keep it close to your legs.
  3. Yanking the bar off the floor. This is jerky and risky. Pull the slack out first.
  4. Going too heavy too soon. Your back rounds to help. Build up slowly.
  5. Squatting the weight up. This is not a squat. Push your hips back and hinge.
  6. Leaning way back at the top. This crunches your low back. Just stand tall.
  7. Holding your breath the whole set. This spikes your pressure. Brace, lift, then breathe out.
  8. Looking up hard. This bends your neck too far. Keep your eyes down and forward.
  9. Bending your arms to pull. This can hurt your elbows. Keep your arms straight.
  10. Dropping the bar with a loose back. This can hurt you. Lower with control.
  11. Starting with the bar too far out. This pulls you forward. Keep it over your mid-foot.

Deadlift Workout Tips

  1. Feel your hips and hamstrings drive the lift. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
  2. Push the floor away with your feet. This cue makes the pull feel strong.
  3. Lower with control for about 2 seconds. A clean drop keeps you safe.
  4. Do 3 or 4 sets of 3 to 6 reps. This range builds real strength.
  5. Add weight in small jumps. Do not chase big numbers with bad form.
  6. Do the deadlift early on pull day. Save your energy for the big lift.
  7. Use a mixed grip or straps for heavy sets. Do not let grip end the set.
  8. Chalk your hands to hold the bar. A firm grip keeps the bar steady.
  9. Film your set from the side. Check that your back stays flat.
  10. Do not ego lift. Control beats swinging every time.
  11. Warm up your hips and back first. A few light pulls prime the motion.
  12. Set the bar over your mid-foot. This keeps you balanced.
  13. Reset between reps if you are new. A calm start beats a rushed one.
  14. Rest two to three minutes between heavy sets. Strength needs full rest.
  15. Be patient. A strong deadlift takes steady months of work.

Train Hamstrings With Your AI Trainer

  1. Go to the iOS App Store and search "GetFit AI: AI Fitness Trainer" or tap the button below to do the deadlift exercise on the app
  2. Download the app 📲
  3. Complete the quiz to build a custom AI workout plan 🤖
  4. Choose a trainer or build a custom plan targeting your hamstrings and glutes 💪
  5. Stay consistent, chat with your AI trainer anytime, and compete with friends to stay motivated 🏆

Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator for the Deadlift Exercise

Average Deadlift standards by male, female, weight, age and height

Use this calculator to estimate a smart starting weight and one rep max for the Deadlift. Treat it as your starting line. Your GetFit AI trainer fine-tunes the exact weights as you train.

Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
How is this calculated?

Estimates start from a percentage of your body weight for this movement pattern and equipment, adjusted for gender, age, and height. One rep max is projected from the 8-rep weight using the Epley formula. Every lifter is different, so use these as a conservative starting point, not a target.

Beginner8 reps 45 lbs
1 Rep Max55 lbs
Intermediate8 reps 55 lbs
1 Rep Max70 lbs
Advanced8 reps 70 lbs
1 Rep Max90 lbs

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