Optimize your deadlift
Much like the squat, the deadlift is another pillar of the foundational compound movements that recruit many different muscle groups and is one of the most optimal lifts to perform to improve strength. While a fantastic movement to perform during all phases of one’s training cycle, the deadlift often attracts negative attention for the potential danger it may cause to the lifter. This should not be a deterrence from deadlifting, but rather a cause to adequately perform proper technique, hence maintaining safety during the movement and demystifying the narrative that deadlifting is always going to harm the person who is performing it. Here, we will examine evidence-based ways to optimize deadlift technique while maintaining safety and maximizing progress.
Unlike the squat, which can be manipulated in ways to bias both anterior and posterior chain strength, the conventional deadlift is primarily used to target posterior chain strength. Both colloquially and in scientific literature, the “posterior chain” is mainly thought of as the muscles that are located in the back portion of the body. According to EMG studies, the main posterior chain muscle groups that are targeted during the deadlift are not only the gluteal muscles and hamstrings, but also the spinal erectors, latissimus dorsi, calves, and upper trapezius (Hanen et al., 2025). Other EMG studies do, however, show that there is quadriceps activity, particularly during the early concentric phase, and elbow flexor (biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis) activity throughout the entire movement (Pratt et al., 2020; Martín-Fuentes et al., 2020). This shows that despite the primary benefits to the posterior chain, the compound nature and intensity of the deadlift recruits all relevant muscles in order to execute the movement. Now, let’s start by discussing proper form and set-up technique.
As previously discussed in other posts, I like to analyze proper form with a bottom-up approach. When initiating a traditional deadlift, it is important to note that the feet should be roughly hip-width apart from each other. This is going to be more narrow than how the feet are positioned during a squat. Two large reasons for this are that a narrow stance shortens the vertical distance that the barbell must travel during a lift, hence making it more biomechanically efficient, and that a narrow stance results in a 5–10° increase in vertical trunk positioning, placing greater load through the hip extensors, namely the glutes and hamstrings (Escamilla et al., 2000). Once the feet are properly positioned, the next most important step is to begin the hinge motion until you are comfortably able to grab the barbell. Simply put, the hinge is different from a squat because the movement is primarily coming from the hips, not the knees. The knees are going to bend, but only to a certain extent after the hips are unable to hinge back any further. To put it sequentially:
Slightly bend the knees.
Begin to push your hips backward until you feel a stretch in your glutes and hamstrings.
Concurrently, ensure that you are maintaining a neutral spine during this process and that no excess bending is occurring in the low back (Michaud et al., 2021).
Once you can no longer hinge your hips back anymore, allow your knees to bend only so you are able to comfortably grab the barbell. During this, ensure there is still tension through the glutes and hamstrings.
Once you find yourself in the end position where you have adequately hinged enough to grab the barbell, the most important step is to next ensure that there is virtually no space in between the barbell and shins and that your shoulders are directly over the bar. This is going to minimize excess torque that is placed on the low back and will allow you to pull through your hips during the lift (Armstrong et al., 2024).
Prior to actually lifting the barbell, 2 crucial steps that must be performed involve engaging both the abdominal muscles and the latissimus dorsi muscle groups. Similar to the squat, a core brace is crucial in order to maintain spinal stability and neuromuscular drive during the lift. Tips to ensure an adequate abdominal brace include “bracing like somebody is going to punch you in the stomach” and maintaining this position throughout the entire movement (Hackett and Chow, 2013). Engaging the lats is equally as important during the movement in order to maintain a close bar position, keep a rigid trunk, and transmit force via the thoracolumbar fascia (Price et al., 2024; Bogduk et al., 1998). In order to properly recruit the lats, two cues that I regularly rely on are to:
Squeeze your arms against your sides like you’re holding newspapers underneath your arms.
Pull your shoulder blades down and back in an attempt to “unweight” the bar as much as possible prior to the actual lift.
These steps also help to improve force generation through a phenomenon known as “irradiation” or “CAP” (Concurrent Activation Potentiation) in scientific literature. This states that the voluntary contraction of a muscle remote to the prime mover will enhance overall force production in the prime mover (Ebben, 2006). Once these steps are complete, you are ready to lift the barbell.
As the lift is being initiated and tension is being maintained throughout the core and lats, drive through your hips as you begin to pull the barbell upwards during the concentric phase. Again, there shouldn’t be any space in between the barbell and your shins during this time, either. Press through the heels of your feet as your hips extend forward until eventually reaching the “lock-out” phase of the movement. The lock-out phase occurs when your hips and knees have fully extended and you are standing upright. EMG studies show that your hamstrings and upper trapezius muscles are most active during this time (Escamilla et al., 2002). While there is no ideal time to maintain the lock-out phase, in my opinion, it is best to only hold it for a second or two before entering the eccentric phase of the movement. It is crucial to avoid hyperextending your spine backward during this phase, as it could cause undue stress on the spine.
A common mistake that many make after attaining the lock-out phase of the deadlift is completely skipping the entire eccentric portion of the lift by letting go of the weight and losing all muscle tension. DO NOT DO THIS. It is during the eccentric portion of all lifts when most strength and hypertrophy gains occur. Instead, begin to hinge your hips backward as you did initially. Ensure that there is little-to-no space in between the barbell and your thighs/shins as the weight pulls you downward back toward the floor. Maintain tension in the lats, core, and hip extensors while keeping a neutral lower spine throughout the entire process. Once the barbell is fully on the floor, the lift is completed.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Daniel P., Justin B. Davidson, and Steven L. Fischer. “Determining Whether Biomechanical Variables That Describe Common ‘Safe Lifting’ Cues Are Associated with Low Back Loads.” Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, vol. 75, 2024, article 102867. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102867.
Bogduk, Nikolai, Garth Johnson, and Deborah Spalding. “The Morphology and Biomechanics of Latissimus Dorsi.” Clinical Biomechanics, vol. 13, no. 6, 1998, pp. 377–385. doi:10.1016/S0268-0033(98)00102-8.
Ebben, William P. “A Brief Review of Concurrent Activation Potentiation: Theoretical and Practical Constructs.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 20, no. 4, 2006, pp. 985–991. doi:10.1519/R-19375.1.
Escamilla, Rafael F., Anthony C. Francisco, Andrew V. Kayes, Kevin P. Speer, and Claude T. Moorman III. “An Electromyographic Analysis of Sumo and Conventional Style Deadlifts.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol. 34, no. 4, 2002, pp. 682–688. doi:10.1097/00005768-200204000-00019.
Escamilla, Rafael F., et al. “A Three-Dimensional Biomechanical Analysis of Sumo and Conventional Style Deadlifts.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol. 32, no. 7, 2000, pp. 1265–1275. doi:10.1097/00005768-200007000-00013.
Hackett, Daniel A., and Chin-Moi Chow. “The Valsalva Maneuver: Its Effect on Intra-Abdominal Pressure and Safety Issues during Resistance Exercise.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 27, no. 8, 2013, pp. 2338–2345. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e31827de07d.
Hanen, N. C., et al. “Biomechanical Analysis of Conventional and Sumo Deadlift.” Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, vol. 13, 2025, article 1597209. doi:10.3389/fbioe.2025.1597209.
Martín-Fuentes, Isabel, José M. Oliva-Lozano, and José M. Muyor. “Electromyographic Activity in Deadlift Exercise and Its Variants: A Systematic Review.” PLOS ONE, vol. 15, no. 2, 2020, article e0229507. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229507.
Michaud, Florian, Manuel Pérez Soto, Urbano Lugrís, and Javier Cuadrado. “Lower Back Injury Prevention and Sensitization of Hip Hinge with Neutral Spine Using Wearable Sensors during Lifting Exercises.” Sensors, vol. 21, no. 16, 2021, article 5487. doi:10.3390/s21165487.
Pratt, Jedd, et al. “Forearm Electromyographic Activity during the Deadlift Exercise Is Affected by Grip Type and Sex.” Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, vol. 53, 2020, article 102428. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2020.102428.
Price, Declan, Karen A. Ginn, Mark Halaki, Victor Kwasi, and Darren Reed. “Do Maximal Isometric Trunk Tasks Produce Maximum Activity in Latissimus Dorsi?” Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, vol. 79, 2024, article 102933. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102933.