Deadlift: form, muscles and how to build up safely
A deadlift is a strength exercise where you lift a barbell off the floor until you're standing tall, arms straight. You push your feet into the floor, keep your back straight and keep the bar close to your legs. Really, it's just the safe way to pick something heavy up off the ground.
Below you'll find which muscles you train, how to do it step by step and which mistakes to avoid. My advice before you start: go light. Technique comes before weight.
Updated: 2026-11-05
What is the deadlift?
The deadlift is one of the nine foundational movements of CrossFit. It's also one of the three lifts in powerlifting competitions. You pick the bar up from the floor and stand up. That's all it is, and yet there's a lot going on.
The whole movement is about your hips. Coaches call it the hip hinge. You bend forward from your hips with a straight back, and you come back up by driving your hips forward. Once you get that, you'll lift smarter outside the gym too.
So what's the deadlift good for? Here are the five biggest benefits:
- Strength: you get stronger in your legs, glutes and back.
- Muscle: for building muscle, it's every bit as good as the squat.
- Your back: done well and built up slowly, it can actually make your back stronger. Muscles, tendons and ligaments adapt to the load you give them.
- Sport: sprinting and jumping are also about driving your hips forward hard.
- Later in life: you keep being able to lift things off the floor as you get older.
Which muscles does the deadlift work?
Almost everything joins in. Your legs push, your trunk keeps everything still and your upper back keeps the bar close to your body.
| Area | Muscles | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Legs | front of the thigh (quads), back of the thigh (hamstrings), glutes, calves | push you away from the floor and straighten your knees and hips |
| Trunk | spinal erectors (the muscles alongside your spine), abs, obliques | brace without moving, so your back stays still and solid |
| Upper back | lats (the wide back muscles), the muscles between your shoulder blades, traps | keep your shoulders in place and the bar against you |
Most of the work happens along the back of your body: glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors. Coaches call this the posterior chain, which simply means the muscles running down the back of you. That's why the deadlift is such a good exercise if you sit a lot.
How to deadlift, step by step
I'm describing the conventional deadlift here. That's the standard version, with your feet roughly hip-width apart. First you set up:
- Feet: place them about hip-width apart, right under your hips. The bar sits over the middle of your foot.
- Grip: bend at your hips and knees until your shins touch the bar. Grab it just outside your legs, both hands the same width.
- Position: your shoulders sit just in front of the bar. Shoulders higher than your hips, hips higher than your knees.
- Tension: chest up, back in its natural curve, belly tight. Pull your shoulder blades slightly back and down. Your arms stay straight. They don't pull.
Then the lift itself:
- Take a big breath in and brace your belly.
- Push your feet into the floor, with your weight on your heels and mid-foot. Press the bar away from the floor. Don't yank it.
- Keep the bar against your legs. It travels up in a straight line.
- Up to your knees, your hips and shoulders rise at the same speed. Your back keeps the same angle.
- Once the bar passes your knees, drive your hips forward until you're standing tall. Hips and knees fully straight, shoulders over your hips, eyes forward.
Going down is the reverse. Hips back first, sliding the bar down your legs until it's past your knees. Only then do you bend your knees. Start with your knees and the bar has to go around them. That's where it goes wrong.
Feel your back rounding or your position falling apart? Stop and let the bar go. With rubber bumper plates it can just drop to the floor. One rep is never worth your back.
Common deadlift mistakes
Almost every mistake comes down to the same thing: the bar drifts away from your body, or your back takes over the work from your legs. Here's how to spot them and how to fix them.
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Rounded lower back | your back is vulnerable and you lose strength | chest up, belly tight, less weight; work on your hamstring flexibility |
| Weight on your toes | glutes and hamstrings do less | put your weight on your heels and mid-foot |
| Starting like a squat | hips too low, shoulders behind the bar | hips a bit higher, shoulders just in front of the bar |
| Bar away from your legs | more strain on your lower back | squeeze your lats and keep the bar against you |
| Hips shoot up first | you yank the bar and your lower back does the work | press away calmly, chest and hips rise together |
| Knees first on the way down | the bar has to go around your knees | hips back first, then bend your knees |
Deadlifts for beginners: how to build up
You don't need to start with a loaded bar. Learn the movement first, then add weight. Here's how I'd approach it:
- Start with a PVC pipe or an empty bar. That way you can focus purely on your position.
- Lower slowly. A handy drill is the tempo deadlift: three to five seconds down, one second up.
- Warm up properly. Start general, with bodyweight squats, lunges, push-ups and shoulder circles. Then go specific, with a light Romanian deadlift.
- Only add weight when every rep looks the same.
- Going heavy about once a week is plenty. If you like, add one lighter session with low reps. Be patient.
How heavy should you start? That's different for everyone. A good starting weight is light enough to hold your position, and heavy enough that you can feel you're working.
Deadlifting as a woman works exactly the same way. Same technique, same progression. Only the starting weight differs, and that's different for everyone anyway. Not sure strength training is for you? Have a read of strength training for women.
Got back pain or an injury? If in doubt, check with your doctor or physio first. A coach will adapt the exercise to fit, but we don't take over the role of whoever's treating you.
Deadlift variations
There are lots of different deadlifts. They differ in how wide you stand, how you hold the bar and what you lift with.
- Conventional deadlift: the standard version, feet hip-width, hands just outside your legs.
- Sumo deadlift: wide stance, hands inside your knees. You stand more upright, the bar travels a shorter distance and your thighs do more.
- Romanian deadlift: you start standing, knees slightly bent, and hinge from your hips until the bar is just below your knee. Great for hamstrings and glutes. Read more in the Romanian deadlift explained.
- Trap bar or hex bar: a hexagonal bar you step inside. The weight sits around you instead of in front of you.
- Dumbbell or kettlebell deadlift: a nice way to learn the movement, at home too.
- Block pull: the bar starts higher, on blocks. Handy if you're not yet flexible enough to start well from the floor.
- Deficit deadlift: you stand on a plate, so the bar has further to travel. One for later.
Curious which other foundational movements there are? Take a look at the CrossFit exercises you'll learn.
How the deadlift fits into our classes
At CrossFit Zeeburg you don't have to figure out the deadlift on your own. There's a coach in every class who watches your position and tells you when you're ready for more weight. You just show up.
In the WOD (the workout of the day), the deadlift can come back in different ways. Sometimes heavy, with just a few reps. Sometimes lighter, mixed with other exercises. Well-known CrossFit workouts like Diane and DT are full of them. Want to really focus on getting stronger? Have a look at our StrongLifts and Weightlifting strength classes.
Every exercise gets scaled. Never touched a barbell? No problem. You start at your level. Want to try it out first? Come and do two weeks of unlimited training.
Learn to deadlift without second-guessing your form
With Your Strong Start you train with guidance and build a solid base step by step, with a coach keeping an eye on you. You don't need to write your own programme or work out which weight to pick. You show up, we make sure you build up properly and safely.
- 12 coached CrossFit sessions in 4 weeks, around 3 a week
- A personal starting assessment plus scalable Fit Test as your baseline
- A midway check, so one busy week doesn't break your rhythm
- Final assessment and repeat Fit Test: you see what changed
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Frequently asked questions
Are deadlifts bad for your back?
No, not if you do them well and build up slowly. Done properly, the deadlift can actually make your back stronger. The risk is mainly in lifting too heavy with a rounded back. If you have any complaints, check with your doctor or physio first.
Which is better: squat or deadlift?
Neither, you need both. In the squat you sink deep by bending your knees, in the deadlift it's all about your hips. For building muscle, they're equally good. Also read how to learn the squat properly.
What's the difference between a Romanian deadlift and a regular deadlift?
A regular deadlift starts on the floor and your knees bend quite a bit. A Romanian deadlift starts standing, your knees stay slightly bent and you lower to about just below your knee. That makes your hamstrings and glutes work harder.
Can you deadlift without weight?
Yes. With a PVC pipe, a broomstick or an empty bar you can practise the movement. Then move on to dumbbells or a kettlebell, and only after that to a loaded barbell.
Which grip should you use for the deadlift?
Start with the standard grip: both palms facing you. As the weight gets heavier, some people switch to a hook grip, with your thumb tucked under your fingers, or a mixed grip, with one palm facing you and one facing away.