How To Deadlift

Want to build strength and gain muscle throughout your body with one exercise? Read on.

Ah, just the words make me happy. The grind and the battle mixed with the sheer absoluteness of it. You can either pick that thing up, or you can’t. Period. For that reason, the deadlift is one of the best measures of pure strength. Do it right, do it well, do it frequently, and you’ll be like everyone I know who can pull a lot: strong and jacked.

Interested yet? Yeah, I thought so. But before we get you pulling 500 lbs you have to start with the basics. Below I’ll outline how you deadlift from start to finish so that you know how to set up, grip the bar, get tight, pull the bar, and set it down. Ready? Let’s go.

The Set Up

The one question people ask all the time is, “how far apart do my feet go?” Well here’s the answer. Take an approach step like you’re about to jump, but don’t take off. Look down at your feet. That’s how far apart your feet should be. This is the perfect barometer of stance width because this is where you body wants to push from. From here put your feet under the bar far enough so you can see your shoe laces, but don’t touch your shins on the bar. Get too close and you’ll do a helluva job scraping the front of your legs on the way up.

Gripping The Bar

Now that your feet are set, what do we do with our hands, Ricky Bobby? I want you to put your hands out and grab the bar a thumbs length in on the knurling. This is ideal for anyone to pull. Hands too close, you lose balance. Hands too far you lose leverage. So this is a great medium to be in.

Additionally, until you’re strong (and you’re not yet, so stop kidding yourself) only use a double over hand grip. I repeat, ONLY USE A DOUBLE OVER HAND GRIP. I’m not going to explain why, just do it and save yourself the headaches of worrying about snatch grips, etc.

With your hands spaced properly, grab the bar as hard as you can, like it’s the only thing you can hold onto to keep from falling into Sarlacc Pit. Yeah that’s a Star Wars reference, but you didn’t beat me on the 100 reps challenge so shut up.

“The Pull before the Pull”

With your hands wrapped around the bar I want you to execute “the pull before the pull.” Take a deep breath and pull your chest up while pulling your hips back. This will lock your back into proper position and take the slack out of the bar. Your hips should be slightly above your knees, and your shoulders right over the bar. Do not squat down! A deadlift is not a squat with the bar in your hands, it’s a deadlift. Set up properly so you can pull with your hips. Once you hit the “spot”, you’ll know it (…that’s what she said). The bar will feel like the bar is ready to go up. That’s when you pull.

The Pull

Once you pull yourself to a tight position I want you to drive your feet (especially your heels) into the floor as hard as you can. Pushing with your feet is the most important part of this lift. Don’t pull from your back, drive with your feet. While you push with your feet think about separating your chest from your heels. What that means is push your chest up and your heels down. Lock it out at the top by squeezing your butt, not leaning back. That’s the top of the deadlift. The lower back sway you see people do is two things: 1) stupid and 2) unnecessary. So just leave it alone.

Putting it Back Down

From the locked out position, I want you to reach your hips back as far as you can. While you do this I want you to think of three things:

1. Shave your legs with the bar
2. Push your chin forward
3. Push your butt back as far as possible

This will keep the bar close to you and help you maintain your arch. Once you hit a reasonable depth your hamstrings will tell you. From there, sit back and bend your knees until you place the bar on the floor. There’s another way you can do it, but this guy would get in trouble for it. Check out the video as I’ll show you anyway.

And, in a nutshell, that’s the deadlift, and it’s awesome. It’s without a doubt the best lift around for developing strength and size. But don’t be an idiot about how you do it. Make sure you’re tight, make sure your technique is locked in, and progress slowly. This lift will help you gain muscle in places you didn’t even know you had. Yeah, it’s that big time. Work hard, practice, and before long, be strong and jacked.

To help get you strong and jacked, 1R would also recommend the following supplements:

1. Optimum Nutrition AmiNO Energy - This preworkout supplement contains vital amino acids and beta alanine to get you ready for any workout that may come your way
2. Cytosport Creatine - By increasing your body's ATP production creatine will help you become more explosive, more powerful, and more athletic when taken before or after workouts
3. BSN True Mass – A post workout recovery product with 6 different protein sources will ensure that you’re maximizing your workouts