You spend the first part of your workout warming-up, stretching, and mentally preparing yourself. You start with some easy weights and your body begs for more. You get psyched up as you plant your feet firmly on the ground. You bend your knees and sink into a deep squat, grasp the bar with a vice-like grip, and start to pull the massive weight off the gym floor. The bar bends as it slowly comes off the ground. People in the gym stop and stare as you lift the heavy weight. Now standing completely upright, your quads, glutes, and back shaking from the weight, you have entered the deadlift zone. The deadlift zone will allow you to get bigger and stronger than ever before. There are many deadlift variations and in this guide you’ll learn when and how to incorporate them in your training routine.

The Most Versatile Exercise
Men and boys, women and girls, bodybuilders, powerlifters, and competitive sport athletes can step into the deadlift zone. Why should anyone be left out from one of the most beneficial exercises for the back and legs? Deadlifts require several large muscle groups to work in a coordinated fashion and are excellent for overloading muscles.
Athletes can use this versatile lift to develop explosive strength through the legs, hips, and back. Performing deadlifts will benefit any sport that requires jumping, running, lifting an opponent or object, a or quick movement from a stationary spot. In addition, deadlifts are a functional movement that carry over to everyday activities outside the gym like lifting a heavy box off the ground or picking up the laundry basket. Juan Carlos Santana, MEd, CSCS, Director of Optimum Performance Systems, claims that the deadlift is one of the most versatile "total body" exercises.
“The deadlift is at the top of the chart as far as I'm concerned. The large muscle mass used to deadlift positively influences the acute hormonal environment that has been associated with increases in strength and muscle mass. Our athletes use an explosive version of this movement for power development and for the non-athletic population, no other exercise provides a better way to strengthen the entire body while teaching proper lifting mechanics.”
Be aware of the potential risks involved with this lift. Avoid performing deadlifts with a rounded back. With the back rounded, the load shifts from the hips, glutes and legs to the lower back. In addition, this weak mechanical position places stress on your ligaments and intervertebral discs. Ligaments are not like rubber bands. Once stretched, they do not go back to their previous length. This could lead to instabilities and back problems down the road. To avoid these problems, practice the movement and dedicate yourself to learning the proper technique.
Mike Francois, 1995 Arnold Classic champion and current personal trainer, performs deadlifts once a week as the first exercise in his routine. He feels strongly about slow and steady progression when incorporating deadlifts into a new training cycle.
“I start deadlifting off a rack, then off the floor, then standing on a box, and spend about 3-4 weeks at each stage. I think that this helps with proper form and protects against injuries, especially for a beginner,” he says.

Warming Up
A general warm up increases circulation and heats up the entire body. Some light walking with arm movement or jumping jacks can do the trick. This general warm-up should last about 5-10 minutes. Another good warm-up for lifters is to grab a bar and perform a stiff-legged deadlift, followed by a reverse curl, followed by a military press. Try to do this continuously for 10-15 repetitions without pausing between each movement. Don’t tire yourself out before the big show, just get the blood flowing to your muscles. After your general warm-up, stretch all of your major muscle groups. Pay more attention to stretching out your glutes, hamstrings, adductors, calves, lower back, neck, and shoulders. Next, a specific warm-up will have you actually performing the deadlift exercise with a light weight. An example of a good specific warm-up strategy progressively increases the weight for each set:
First warm-up set: 50% of your top weight for the day for 5 reps
Second warm-up set: 75% of your top weight for the day for 3 reps
Third warm-up set: 90% of your top weight for the day for 2 reps
Fourth set should be your top weight for the day for 5-10 reps.

Conventional Deadlift Checklist
If you’ve ever been to a powerlifting meet, then you know that the contest really begins once the bar hits the floor. The weights are loaded on the bar, the deadlifts begin, and that’s what separates the record-setters from the “gym lifters.” You don’t have to be a record-setter, though, to reap the many rewards of the deadlift. But you do need patience, mental focus, and a strategy. Deadlift variations are derived from the conventional deadlift, but all rely on some simple rules. To blast off and enter the deadlift zone, follow these instructions for perfect form and execution on every rep.
In the start position:
• Clear an area at least 4’x8’ of loose plates and other items.
• Set up with the loaded bar on the floor, touching your shins.
• Position your feet slightly less than shoulder-width apart, flat on the floor, with your toes pointed out slightly.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips into a deep squat position.
• Your hips should be lower than your shoulders.
• Grasp the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than where your legs touch the bar.
• Tighten your back so it is flat or slightly arched.
• Look upward slightly and pull against the bar so that there is no “slack” in your arms or the bar.
The Movement:
• Breathe in and start to pull the weight off the ground, keeping the back flat and the bar close.
• Breathe out slowly as you lift the weight, keeping your arms straight throughout the movement.
• Stand erect, but don’t lean back at the top of the lift.
• Lower the bar keeping your back flat.
• Pause and reset your position before lifting the bar for another rep.
Training tips:
• Use a hook grip or lifting straps for heavier weights rather than an alternating grip.
• Don’t let the hips “kick up” before the shoulders start to move; they should come up together.
• The shoulders should be in front of the barbell throughout the lift.
• The arms should be completely straight throughout the lift.
• Keep the pull smooth and consistent.
• Lower the bar with a flat back.
• Don’t bounce the bar off the ground at the end of the lift.
• Always deadlift with collars on the bar to ensure a balanced bar.
• Rely on your strong trunk muscles instead of a lifting belt.
• Make sure that strict form is followed when taken to failure, because impaired mechanics may increase the risk for injury.
• Do not perform forced reps or negative-only reps.

Top Deadlift or Rack Deadlift
These are simply partial versions of the conventional deadlift. They are performed inside a power rack with pins set so that the bar is usually located above the knees. Begin this exercise using a shoulder-width stance with arms just outside the thighs. Using an overhand grip, extend the torso into the top deadlift position. Since the range of motion is much shorter, you can load the bar up with weight. Maintain the flat or arched back position throughout the lift.
Training tip: Don’t bounce the bar off the pins in the rack when lowering the weight.

Trap Bar Deadlift
If balance, technique, or the bar hitting your knees is a problem, try the trap bar. This movement is performed similar to the conventional deadlift except you are standing inside the trap bar. Bend into a squat with your back flat to grasp the handles. When viewed from the side, your ankles, hands, shoulders, and head should be in a straight line. Take a deep breath. Start the lift by straightening legs and hips. Breathe out as you pass through the most difficult part of the movement.
Training Tip: Use the trap bar to reduce stress on your spine and emphasize your quads.

Sumo Deadlift
A wide stance with your arms between your legs is what differentiates this deadlift from the rest. This movement brings in more thigh muscles like the adductors and quads, rather than the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Set up in a wide stance squat position and lower yourself until your hands grasp the barbell. Take a deep breath. Lift the bar using your legs and breath out as you pass through the most difficult part of the movement.
Training Tip: Stay upright and avoid rounding the lower back. This will make your legs work hard and prevent injuries.

Stiff-legged Deadlift
Want to hit your hams and glutes hard? This is the deadlift variation for you. This movement is performed similar to the conventional deadlift except the knees are straight, but not locked out. Bend at the hips and with a flat back, grasp the bar. Balance your weight evenly on both feet. Take a deep breath. Slowly exhale while extending the trunk to the top deadlift position. Keep the back flat and legs straight.
Training Tip: Don’t sacrifice form for range of motion. You don’t need to do this exercise off the edge of a bench to gain distance. Also, if you round your back to touch the floor, you may never get up. Play it safe, stick with the proper movement, and eventually the flexibility will come.

Dumbbell Stiff-legged Deadlifts
For a change of pace from barbell stiff-legged deadlifts, try this more difficult movement. Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlifts are performed similar to the barbell version. Bend at the hips and with a flat back, grasp the dumbbells in front of your thighs. Balance your weight evenly on both feet. Take a deep breath. Slowly exhale while extending the trunk to the top deadlift position. Keep the back flat and legs straight.
Training Tip: Keep the dumbbells close to your legs. Some people find holding the dumbbells in a parallel fashion on the side the thighs easier.

Romanian Deadlift
This is the exercise that Olympic lifters do to develop strong hamstrings and glutes. It is just like the stiff-legged deadlift except the barbell is kept in contact with the legs throughout the lift. Bend at the hips and with a flat back, grasp the bar. Take a deep breath. Slowly exhale while extending the trunk to the top deadlift position as you slide the barbell along your legs. Keep the back flat and legs straight. When lowering the barbell, your weight should shift towards your heels as your glutes move back.
Training Tip: Be sure to exhale forcefully through the most difficult portion of the lifting phase to relieve intrathoracic pressure.

Adding Deadlifts to Your Routine
In general, compound exercises that utilize large muscle groups should be done first in a workout (after the warm-up) and isolation-type exercises that focus on one particular muscle should be done later. Deadlifts incorporate many muscle groups and joint movements, therefore, they should be performed first. This concept is especially important for beginners. You don’t want to be fatigued when first learning how to do a movement. Deadlifts are typically done on a “back” day, although, don’t be afraid to use them on a “leg” day. Stay with a 5-10 RM intensity for 3-4 sets after your warm-up sets, once a week. You shouldn’t have to deadlift more than once a week if you are lifting with the appropriate weight and intensity.

Using a Hook Grip
Powerlifters use an alternating grip (one palm facing forward, the other backward) when deadlifting to prevent the bar from rolling out of their hands. Yet Olympic weightlifters lift very heavy weights with both palms facing backwards or pronated. What’s their secret to holding onto the bar so well? They all use a hook grip. The hook grip is more efficient and allows you to lift much more weight without the use of straps. This grip is a little tough to master, but it is well worth the pain. As you grasp the barbell with a pronated grip, the thumbs wrap around the bar first and the first two or three fingers wrap over the thumbs, as opposed to the traditional grip where the fingers wrap around the bar first and the thumbs wrap around on top of them. You have more control with the hook grip because two or more fingers are holding on to the thumbs, rather than one thumb holding onto two or more fingers. It’s a little painful at first because the thumbs need to stretch quite a bit and will get compressed from the fingers. Start out lifting lighter weights and let your thumbs adapt. In a short while you will impress all your friends with the weights you lift without straps.

Kinesiology of the Deadlift
The deadlift effectively involves the entire lower body musculature and some of the upper body musculature for stabilization. The erector spinae muscles that run from the back of the head along the entire spine contract isometrically to maintain a flat back throughout the movement in all variations. The lattisimus dorsi is also held in isometric contraction so the shoulder joint is held upright and the arms are tight next to the trunk.
The hamstrings and gluteus maximus contract eccentrically to slowly lower the upper body toward the floor. To raise the torso and barbell up, the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles contract concentrically. Wrist and hand muscles are involved in holding the barbell and the gastrocnemius/ soleus complex is involved for stabilization.