Deadlifts are one of the main exercises I use in any weight training programme I perform with clients. I use them as they work the posterior chain very effectively which has a multitude of benefits from helping to correct postural problems such as anterior pelvic tilt, reducing any future risk of back pain as well as developing serious strength in the lower back, hamstrings and glutes. Some people think of a deadlift as a dangerous/risky move to perform although when performed correctly it is in fact a very safe movement. There is no risk of you ending up pinned under a bar or falling over with a bar on top of you, you are pulling the weight up in front of you so if you feel like you can’t lift it you can actually just drop it to the floor. It is also very good in that you only need a barbell and some weight to perform it meaning you don’t have to be at a gym with all of the latest equipment to perform it.
The main point I would stress to anybody first beginning to perform the deadlift is to ensure that your posture is correct throughout the lift, by this I mean that you are ,maintaining a neutral spine throughout. To test this with clients I get them to use a straight bar (if checking at home you can perform the same movement with a broom handle) and hold it against their back as shown in the picture below.
The client should begin the movement ensuring they have 3 points of contact on the bar: 1. The back of their head 2. Between their shoulder blades 3. The base of their spine (coccyx) I would then ask the client to perform a hip hinge movement, ensuring they push their bum backwards and are hinging at the hips while maintaining their 3 points of contact with the bar to ensure their posture is maintained throughout the movement. They should finish the movement in the below position.
Once a client has shown consistency in performing this movement I would progress them onto either light weighted deadlifts or use their hands as a visual cue for when to engage different parts of the movement as shown below.
The cues for this movement I give are that the client performs a similar movement to a leg press until their hands are at knee level and then they perform a hip hinge movement as they did in the previous exercise. They are then asked to reverse the movements on the way back down, meaning they first perform a hip hinge until their hands are at around knee level and then bend their knees as in a leg press.
One final cue I like to make to clients is to ensure that the bar remains as close to their legs as possible (as shown below), ideally remaining in contact throughout the entire lift. This means keeping the lats engaged to hold the shoulders down and back. I encourage maintaining the contact between the bar and the legs as this is the most efficient path for the bar to travel through the range of movement performed.
When progressing the weight used in the deadlift you should be cautious to only increase the weight as much as you can maintain good form for as pushing the weight too high too quickly can lead to rounding of the spine during the lift putting a lot of pressure on the vertebral discs which can lead to injuries setting back your progress. It is better to progress slowly and continue to make progress over time than to try to progress too quickly and end up being set back for an extended period of time. As an example of how much progress can be made while using small increments increasing the weight by just 2.5kg a week for one year would lead to an increase of 130kg in your deadlift over that year. This steady progress should also help you minimise the risk of any set backs due to injury. If however you do increase the weight being used and your back begins to round you should reduce the weight back down as it is probably too heavy and you are risking injuring yourself.
Grip modifications The two most common grips used when deadlifting are the double overhand and the mixed grips. The double overhand grip is the most commonly used by beginners as it feels the most natural to begin with. The double overhand grip is also the best for developing grip strength so I would recommend using this grip until grip strength is the limiting factor in the movement. At the point where grip strength is the limiting factor I would recommend using the mixed grip (shown below) as this allows for an all round stronger grip on the bar allowing the individual to lift a higher weight without the need for external aids such as straps. The reason I would suggest using the mixed grip more sporadically is that it can lead to some imbalances within the body. Imbalances are something you definitely want to avoid to help with avoiding injury. Also increasing your grip strength as much as possible will lead to a higher weight being lifted in the deadlift due to improving you’re weakest link in the movement.
Equipment commonly used Belt- a weightlifting belt is a common piece of equipment used by many people whose commonly perform deadlifts as it allows a solid wall for the individual to brace the abs against better stabilising the lower back. I personally would not recommend a weightlifting belt unless you are looking to compete in powerlifting. As you will learn to better brace your abs and lower back if not wearing a weightlifting belt. Straps- weightlifting straps are something I personally use. They should in my opinion be used as infrequently as possible though, to allow your grip strength to develop as much as possible. I do however agree that they can be beneficial when used after an individuals grip is the limiting factor in achieving the desired number of repetitions, but the hamstrings, lower back and glutes can continue to perform more repetitions. To make sure these muscles do the amount of work needed to ensure continual progress is made I agree that straps can be beneficial but are definitely not essential. You should be looking to strengthen your grip rather than accommodating for a weak grip.
Footwear Footwear is where people begin to feel some confusion with deadlifting, most people starting out on lifting weight or even just deadlifting will probably have witnessed people wearing an array of different types of footwear. If they have watched worlds strongest man competitions they will have probably seen a lot of pairs of converse shoes and in the gym probably seen a lot of people deadlifting in just their socks. Both of these options are based on the amount of force you are producing through the movement, you want as much of this force as possible to be transferred through to the lift. A soft sole such as on running trainers is designed to take impact out of movements such as running to help to protect your joints, this means that you lose some of the force you produce through the compression of the shoes sole. Ideally you also want shoe to be flat as this again allows for even force displacement and production during the lift. This is why converse are a common choice as the sole is both flat and hard meaning all force produced is translated into the movement. I personally deadlift in just socks as this also allows for all force produced to be put into moving the weight. If my client is not lifting a heavy weight (such as if deadlifting as part of a circuit routine) then I would say running trainers are fine but with clients who are looking to increase strength and are therefore lifting closer to their 1 rep maximum I always suggest that they remove their running shoes and perform the movement barefoot.
Below is a video to demonstrate the basic deadlift technique from a 45 degree angle and then a side profile after that to help demonstrate the technique further.
Key points to take away • It is important to maintain a neutral spine while performing the deadlift to help you to avoid injury. • Weightlifting belts and straps should be used as infrequently as possible to allow the individuals weakest components of the lift to be developed. • Technique should be consistently good before increasing the weight used. • When lifting a weight that you do not feel is l I would recommend wearing shoes with flat hard soles or even lifting in just socks.
That is everything for this post about correct deadlift technique and tips to help increase the weight you are lifting over time. As always if you have any questions feel free to get in contact with me through the details listed on my website.