Barbell Deadlift

Form Cues

1. 1

   Stand with the bar over your mid-foot, feet hip-width apart.

2. 2

   Hinge down and grip the bar just outside your legs (double overhand or mixed).

3. 3

   Pull slack out of the bar by engaging lats — 'protect your armpits.'

4. 4

   Take a deep breath, brace hard, and push the floor away rather than pull the bar up.

5. 5

   Keep the bar in contact with your legs as it passes your knees.

6. 6

   Lock out by squeezing glutes and driving hips forward — don't hyperextend.

Common Mistakes

• ●

  Bar drifting away from the body — keep it dragging up your shins.

• ●

  Jerking the bar off the floor — build tension before pulling.

• ●

  Rounding the lower back — brace harder and reduce load if needed.

• ●

  Hyperextending at lockout — stand tall, not leaning back.