Trap-bar deadlift
Full guide coming soon
Deadlift (Barbell)
The barbell deadlift lifts a loaded bar from the floor to your hips by extending your hips and knees together. It trains the hamstrings, glutes and lower back together, and it lets you train the whole hinge pattern with heavy loads.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Barbell + Weight plates
- hamstrings
- glutes
- lower back
Left: start position. Right: end position. Orange: the muscles that work.
How to do the deadlift
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and the bar over the middle of your feet.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees until you can grip the bar just outside your legs.
- Flatten your back, take a big breath and brace your abs. Pull the slack out of the bar so it feels tight before it moves.Breathe
- Push the floor away with your legs and keep the bar close to your shins and thighs as it rises.
- When the bar passes your knees, drive your hips forward until you stand tall.
- Lock out by squeezing your glutes. Do not lean back at the top.
- Lower the bar by pushing your hips back first, then bend your knees once the bar passes them.
Breathing. Take a big breath into your belly and brace before you pull the slack out. Hold it while you lift and breathe out at the top or after you set the bar down.
Tips
- Wear flat, firm shoes or lift in socks, so you can feel your whole foot press into the floor.
- Learn the hinge with a light load or a kettlebell before you add weight to the bar.
Muscles worked
The deadlift works mainly the hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
| Muscle | Role |
|---|---|
| Hamstrings | Extend the hip with the glutes and work hard while the bar is below the knees. |
| Glutes | Main hip extensors. They drive the hips forward and finish the lockout at the top. |
| Lower back | Hold your spine flat under load from the floor to lockout, so the force goes from your hips to the bar. |
| Quads (also works) | Straighten the knees as the bar leaves the floor. |
| Lats (also works) | Keep the bar close to your legs, so it does not drift forward. |
| Forearms (also works) | Hold the bar. Grip is often the first thing to fail on heavy sets. |
Sets, reps and rest
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner (first weeks) | 3 | 6-10 reps | 2 min |
| Build muscle | 3 | 8-10 reps | 2 min |
| Get stronger | 4 | 4-6 reps | 3 min |
| General fitness | 3 | 6-10 reps | 2 min |
| Fat loss (with more daily activity) | 3 | 6-10 reps | 2 min |
These numbers come from the same rules as the Oh My Coach app, with this exercise as the first main lift of the day. Use a load that leaves 1 to 3 reps in reserve. When you reach the top of the range in every set, add a little load or move to the harder version (double progression). What is double progression?
Common mistakes
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Rounding the back
Why it matters: A rounded back changes how the load is shared and makes the lift harder to control at heavy weights.
Fix: Pull the slack out with a flat back before the bar leaves the floor. Lower the weight if your back keeps rounding.
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Bar drifting away from the legs
Why it matters: A bar out in front is harder to lift and puts more load on the lower back.
Fix: Start with the bar over mid-foot and think about dragging it up your legs.
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Hips shooting up first
Why it matters: The legs stop helping, and the lift turns into a stiff-leg pull with the back doing more of the work.
Fix: Push the floor away so your hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.
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Leaning back at the top
Why it matters: The lockout comes from the lower back arching, not from the glutes.
Fix: Stand tall and squeeze your glutes. Stop when your hips are fully extended.
Make it easier or harder
This exercise gets harder with load. When every set reaches the top of the rep range with good form, add the smallest weight step you have. To make it easier, use less load or a shorter range of motion while you learn the movement.
Versions of this exercise
Kettlebell deadlift
Full guide coming soon
Alternatives
Same main muscle and the same movement pattern first, from the same rules as the app's swap list.
Trap-bar deadlift
Same movement pattern
Full guide coming soon
Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)
Same movement pattern
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
Same movement pattern
What you need
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Take care if
This exercise loads the lower back. If your lower back hurts, stop. Options that do not load the lower back in the same way: Single-leg Romanian deadlift, Barbell hip thrust. For pain that does not go away, see a doctor or a physiotherapist.
If your lower back hurts during the lift, stop. Try a lighter load, a trap bar deadlift or a hip thrust.
Compared with
Questions
What muscles does the deadlift work?
The deadlift works the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, with the quads, lats, traps and forearms helping. In an EMG study, the barbell deadlift gave higher hamstring activity than the hex bar deadlift and the hip thrust. The hip thrust gave the highest glute activity.
Conventional or sumo deadlift?
Both are good. In an EMG study, the sumo deadlift showed more quad activity, while the conventional deadlift showed more calf activity. Pick the style that fits your body and lets you keep a flat back.
Is the deadlift a core exercise?
It works the core hard, because your trunk must stay still under a heavy load. A position stand on core training notes that lifts such as squats and deadlifts can activate the core as much as, or more than, exercises on unstable surfaces.
How do I make the deadlift easier to learn?
Start with a trap bar or kettlebell deadlift, or lift the barbell from blocks so it starts higher. These shorten the range and make it easier to keep your back flat.