Deadlift
Lifting a barbell from the floor by hinging at the hips — the fundamental full-body strength lift for the posterior chain.
Also called: barbell deadlift, conventional deadlift
Illustrations: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co)
Setup
Bar over the middle of your feet, feet hip-width. Hinge down and grip just outside the legs. Shins touch the bar, back flat, chest up.
How to do the Deadlift
- Take the slack out of the bar, brace, then push the floor away with your legs.
- Bar stays in contact with the legs the whole way up.
- Hips and shoulders rise together — no hips shooting up first.
- Finish tall with glutes squeezed; do not lean back.
- Lower by hinging the hips back first, then bending the knees.
Deadlift muscles worked
The Deadlift works the hamstrings, glutes, back and core.
Common Deadlift mistakes
- Rounding the lower back to reach the bar.
- Jerking the bar off the floor instead of pushing through the legs.
- Letting the bar drift away from the body.
Scale it
Easier: Romanian deadlift with dumbbells, or pull from an elevated surface.
Harder: Add load gradually — the deadlift rewards patience and clean positions.
Pairs well with
Back Squat
The barbell squat — the heaviest-loadable lower-body strength lift, building quads, glutes, and trunk strength together.
Kettlebell Swing
A powerful hip-snap projecting the kettlebell to chest height — explosive posterior-chain power and conditioning in one movement.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
The glute bridge on one leg — doubles the load on the working glute and exposes side-to-side differences.
Bird Dog
Extending opposite arm and leg from all-fours with a still trunk — back-friendly core stability and hip-extension control.