Barbell Deadlift

What you'll gain

• Builds total-body pulling strength led by the back, glutes, and hamstrings.

• Trains the hinge pattern that protects the back in everyday lifting.

• Develops grip, core bracing, and full-body tension under heavy load.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Stand with feet hip-width apart, the bar over mid-foot, and shins about an inch from the bar.

2. 2

   Hinge down and grip the bar just outside the knees with a flat back and chest tall.

3. 3

   Pull the slack out of the bar, brace your core, and take a big breath into your stomach.

4. 4

   Push the floor away with your legs while keeping the bar dragging close to your shins.

5. 5

   Stand fully tall by squeezing the glutes and locking out the hips and knees together.

6. 6

   Lower the bar by hinging at the hips first, then bending the knees once it passes them.

Common Mistakes

• Rounding the lower back on the lift-off, which puts the spine in a weak position under heavy load.

• Yanking the bar off the floor without pulling the slack first, leading to a jerky pull and missed reps.

• Letting the bar drift away from the shins, which lengthens the lever arm and crushes the lower back.

• Hyperextending at the top instead of finishing with a tight glute squeeze and stacked rib cage.

About This Exercise

The barbell deadlift is the heaviest lift most people will ever perform. The lifter pulls the bar from the floor to a standing lockout in a single hinge pattern, training the lower back, mid-back, glutes, and hamstrings together under maximum load. It's the lift powerlifters compete in, athletes use to build pulling strength, and lifelong gymgoers return to as the truest test of full-body strength. For any strength app or coaching product, the deadlift is non-negotiable inventory. Users expect to see it in every pull-day flow, every strength program, and every powerlifting track. Use this clip as a hero piece for hinge education, programming examples, and the foundational pulling tutorial in your library.

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