How to deadlift

Alongside squats, deadlifts are one of the most effective compound exercises for building power, strength and muscle in the whole body. Although it can be difficult to pick up, once you’ve perfected your form, you’ll be able to progressively overload the exercise and reach your fitness goals with this effective exercise.

The deadlift works muscles across the whole body, including the biceps, core, upper back, lower back and legs. Due to the large amount of knee flexion (bending) required in the deadlift, the posterior chain (back) of the body is a particular target.

Because deadlifts are so complex, it’s important to learn the correct form and technique before you attempt to perform this exercise. The risk of injury is high with poor form.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to performing deadlifts so you can perfect your form, avoid injuries and make maximum progress:

1. Load a barbell according to your desired weight.
2. Stand behind the barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Hinge at the hips and bend down to grab the bar with an overhand grip, around hip-width apart or just wider.
4. Contract your lats to squeeze your shoulders together, take a deep breath in, and stand up, driving through your heels and bringing the bar up to thigh height. Keep the bar close to your body throughout. Before you lift the bar off the ground, pull it up slightly to remove the slack from the bar.
5. Pause for a second before lowering the bar back down to the ground under control.
6. Repeat for as many reps or sets as specified in your training program.

It is important to build your strength training program before introducing deadlifts. You might also want to consider working with a trainer initially to ensure correct form.