The deadlift is a full-body pulling movement: you grip the barbell on the floor and lift it by extending the hips and knees until standing fully upright, then lower it back down with control. It's the third competition lift in powerlifting and works the entire posterior chain — hamstrings, glutes, and lower back — together with grip strength and the upper back.
Technique: the bar starts on the floor over the middle of the foot; the lifter bends down to grip it with the hips lower than the shoulders and the back flat (neutral), then initiates the pull by pushing the floor away through the legs while keeping the bar close to the shins and thighs throughout. The bar travels in as straight a vertical line as possible, and the hips and shoulders rise together rather than the hips shooting up first. Lockout is reached by standing fully upright and driving the hips through, without leaning back excessively. How far the hips sit relative to the shoulders at the setup varies between lifters and styles (conventional vs. sumo).
Common technical errors: letting the bar drift away from the body, which increases the leverage the lower back has to work against; rounding the upper or lower back under load; the hips rising faster than the shoulders out of the floor, turning the pull into something closer to a stiff-leg deadlift or good morning; and hyperextending the lower back by leaning back too far at the top instead of simply standing tall.
Technique: the bar starts on the floor over the middle of the foot; the lifter bends down to grip it with the hips lower than the shoulders and the back flat (neutral), then initiates the pull by pushing the floor away through the legs while keeping the bar close to the shins and thighs throughout. The bar travels in as straight a vertical line as possible, and the hips and shoulders rise together rather than the hips shooting up first. Lockout is reached by standing fully upright and driving the hips through, without leaning back excessively. How far the hips sit relative to the shoulders at the setup varies between lifters and styles (conventional vs. sumo).
Common technical errors: letting the bar drift away from the body, which increases the leverage the lower back has to work against; rounding the upper or lower back under load; the hips rising faster than the shoulders out of the floor, turning the pull into something closer to a stiff-leg deadlift or good morning; and hyperextending the lower back by leaning back too far at the top instead of simply standing tall.