How to do the Conventional Deadlift
- Stand with feet about hip width apart and the bar positioned over your midfoot.
- Hinge down and take a grip just outside your legs with straight arms.
- Bring your shins to the bar, set your chest up, and flatten your back.
- Brace hard, pull slack out of the bar, and keep your shoulders over it.
- Push the floor away and drive the bar upward with hips and knees extending together.
- Keep the bar in contact with your legs as it passes the shins and thighs.
- Stand tall with hips fully locked out and knees straight without leaning back.
- Return the bar by hinging first, then bending the knees once it passes them.
Common mistakes
- Bar drifting away from legs
- Hips shooting up before bar breaks
- Yanking the bar off floor
- Overextending at the top
- Bending knees too early descending
Form cues
- Bar starts over midfoot
- Pull the slack out
- Push the floor away
- Drag bar up legs
- Lock out, don't lean
