Deadlift – Everything You Need to Know About Deadlifting

Dead­lif­ting, also known as the dead­lift, is a must-have in any trai­ning plan. This exer­cise engages nearly all major muscle groups, impro­ves posture, and streng­thens func­tional strength—from core to leg muscles. However, as effec­tive as the exer­cise is, it is also highly deman­ding: precise tech­ni­que is essen­tial to avoid inju­ries and achieve optimal results. In our article, we’ll guide you through the correct tech­ni­que, show you how to avoid common mista­kes, and help you get the most out of your trai­ning.

What is deadlifiting?

The concept is straight­for­ward: you lift a heavy, sta­tio­nary weight (dead weight) off the ground (lift), stand upright, and then lower the weight back down in a con­trol­led manner. Sounds simple, right? In reality, you’re trai­ning almost your entire body. The key muscle groups tar­ge­ted include:

• Quad­ri­ceps and ham­strings,
• Gluteal muscles,
• Neck and shoulder muscles,
• Core muscles (back and abs),
• Hand and forearm muscles.

Tunturi Olympic Weight Set 140 kg

CHF 699.00

Go to shop

With this exer­cise, you gain more than just strength. Dead­lif­ting not only helps you build muscle and increase strength but also impro­ves your posture and sta­bi­lity. If you’re looking for a ver­sa­tile and effec­tive exer­cise, the dead­lift is the perfect choice. However, as men­tio­ned earlier, proper tech­ni­que is crucial. That’s why we’re brea­king down the correct exe­cu­tion for you step by step.

Step-by-step instructions for deadlifting

Before start­ing with dead­lifts, it’s important to have the right equip­ment. Ideally, use an Olympic barbell (20 kilo­grams) and weight plates that ensure the barbell is at the correct height. Beg­in­ners can start with lighter weight plates to prac­tice proper tech­ni­que. The total weight should be chal­len­ging but not over­whel­ming. For men without prior expe­ri­ence, 40 to 60 kilo­grams is a good start­ing point, while women can begin with 30 to 40 kilo­grams. The key is to focus on precise exe­cu­tion as a beg­in­ner before incre­asing the load.

Tunturi Olympia Barbell Bar 220 cm, 18 kg, Ø 50 mm

CHF 199.00

Go to shop

Der right position

The stance is the foun­da­tion of proper tech­ni­que. Approach the barbell without rolling it. The bar should be posi­tio­ned directly over the middle of your feet. Stand shoulder-width apart and slightly turn your feet outward to gain more sta­bi­lity. Ensure your weight is evenly dis­tri­bu­ted across your entire foot, allo­wing for a secure stance throug­hout the exer­cise.

The starting position

Slightly bend your knees so that your shins touch the barbell without going into a deep squat. Keep your back straight and your hips slightly pushed back. Grip the bar with an over­hand grip, with both palms facing your body, and posi­tion your hands outside your knees. Pull your should­ers back and down, extend your chest forward, and look straight ahead to sta­bi­lize your cer­vical spine.

© photology1971 — stock.adobe.com

The upward movement

Engage your core muscles – par­ti­cu­larly your abdomen and lower back – to sta­bi­lize your spine during the move­ment. Take a deep breath and begin the upward move­ment. Press your feet firmly into the floor and pull the bar tightly along your body as you lift it. Keep your back straight at all times, and fully extend your arms. Once you have fully exten­ded your hips and are stan­ding upright, the first part of the move­ment is com­plete. Pay special atten­tion to: Avoid arching your lower back or over­ex­ten­ding back­ward at the top of the move­ment. Keep your core stable and main­tain tension throug­hout your body.

© Fla­mingo Images — stock.adobe.com

Controlled weaning

Push your hips back and lower your should­ers to carefully lower the barbell. Let the bar glide closely along your body while keeping your back straight. Tension in your core should be main­tai­ned throug­hout the entire move­ment. Lower the bar com­ple­tely to the ground and rebuild the tension for each repe­ti­tion.

© splitov27 — stock.adobe.com

Correct Deadlift: How to Avoid Mistakes and Injuries

To avoid putting too much strain on your inter­ver­te­bral discs, ensure that your back remains neutral throug­hout the exer­cise. A neutral back means main­tai­ning the natural curve of the spine – with its slight arch – without roun­ding or over­ex­ten­ding. Acti­vate your abdo­mi­nal and back muscles, keep your gaze forward, and slightly extend your chest forward to ensure a stable posture. The hips should be con­trol­led forward during the upward move­ment without over­ex­ten­ding the back. Another crucial point is the contact between the bar and your body. The bar should stay close to your body throug­hout the entire move­ment to mini­mize strain on the lower back. Light pres­sure on the shins is normal but should not cause pain. Also, avoid leaning back­ward in the final posi­tion, as this unneces­s­a­rily stres­ses the spine.

Tunturi Bumper Plate 50 mm Rubber Covered 10 kg

CHF 69.90

Go to shop

Deadlift – One Exercise, Many Variations

In addi­tion to the classic version, there are various varia­ti­ons such as the Sumo Dead­lift, Roma­nian Dead­lift, or Deficit Dead­lift. These allow you to target dif­fe­rent muscle groups or adjust the tech­ni­que to meet your indi­vi­dual needs. The choice of the right varia­tion depends enti­rely on your goals. Do you want to empha­size certain muscles, address tech­ni­cal weak­ne­s­ses, or enhance your overall per­for­mance? Each varia­tion has its bene­fits and can be fle­xi­bly inte­gra­ted into your trai­ning plan. Below, we’ll intro­duce the key exer­cise varia­ti­ons and their spe­ci­fic use cases.

Sumo-Deadlift

With a wide stance and extern­ally rotated feet, the Sumo Dead­lift reduces the range of motion and shifts the load more onto the leg muscles. The lower back is less stres­sed, making this varia­tion ideal for indi­vi­du­als who want to train with a focus on pro­tec­ting the hips or lower back. The altered leverage also allows for lifting heavier weights.

© Mdv Edwards — stock.adobe.com

Stiff Leg Deadlift

In the Stiff Leg Dead­lift, the legs remain almost straight, and the hips take on most of the work. This varia­tion pri­ma­rily targets the lower back, with less strain on the leg muscles. It requi­res very precise tech­ni­que to avoid unneces­sary stress on the spine.

Romanian Deadlift

This varia­tion focuses on hip exten­sion and the upper body. The knees remain slightly bent, and the move­ment mainly comes from the hips. As a result, the ham­strings and lower back are inten­sely engaged, while the quad­ri­ceps are less stres­sed. The Roma­nian Dead­lift is par­ti­cu­larly effec­tive for streng­thening the pos­te­rior chain and impro­ving hip mobi­lity.

Von Ever­ki­ne­tic — http://everkinetic.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11976337

Deficit Deadlift

In this varia­tion, you start from an ele­va­ted posi­tion, such as stan­ding on a plat­form. This increa­ses the range of motion and places greater demands on the muscles. The Deficit Dead­lift is excel­lent for impro­ving strength and explo­si­ve­ness from the start­ing posi­tion.

Guide: Deadlift Execution Without a Barbell

The classic barbell is the best choice for lear­ning the dead­lift tech­ni­que cor­rectly and ensu­ring maximum sta­bi­lity. If it’s not available, there are alter­na­ti­ves that allow for similar move­ment pat­terns. These include:

Dumbbells

Place two dumb­bells in front of you and grip them with an over­hand grip. Perform the move­ment as descri­bed in the classic ins­truc­tions, keeping the dumb­bells close to your body. This varia­tion targets the same muscle groups but is less sta­bi­li­zing since the weights are sepa­rate.

© Drobot Dean — stock.adobe.com

Kettlebells

Use one or two kett­le­bells. In the so-called “Suit­case Dead­lift,” hold the kett­le­bells at your sides and perform the move­ment as usual. This varia­tion is espe­ci­ally good for beg­in­ners, as it is easier to main­tain balance. However, the exer­cise can also be per­for­med in a manner similar to the classic dead­lift.

© New Africa — stock.adobe.com

Trap bar

The trap bar, a hexa­go­nal barbell frame, allows for a more ergo­no­mic grip posi­tion. You stand inside the trap bar and lift the weight using handles at the sides of your body. Many find this varia­tion more com­for­ta­ble, as it reduces strain on the back and places more focus on the leg muscles. However, it is recom­men­ded to learn the tech­ni­que with the classic barbell before swit­ching to the trap bar.

© Via­ches­lav Yakob­chuk — stock.adobe.com

How to Integrate Deadlift into Your Training

When per­forming dead­lifts, you should not train to failure, as this can be coun­ter­pro­duc­tive for muscle growth and increa­ses the risk of injury. Proper load and clean tech­ni­que should take prio­rity. If you want to work on your maximum strength, it is recom­men­ded to perform one to five repe­ti­ti­ons at 80 to 100 percent of your 1RM (one-rep max). For muscle growth, six to twelve repe­ti­ti­ons at 60 to 80 percent of your 1RM are ideal. Start by incor­po­ra­ting dead­lifts once a week, and later increase the fre­quency to two ses­si­ons to enhance the trai­ning effect. Choose the weight and number of repe­ti­ti­ons so that at the end of each set, you could still theo­re­ti­cally com­plete one to three more clean reps. If you notice that your posture suffers or your tech­ni­que becomes sloppy, either reduce the weight or the number of repe­ti­ti­ons. Pro­gress can only be made with proper exe­cu­tion – safety and pre­cis­ion are key.