Three Cues to Perfect Your Deadlift

How to perfect your deadlift

I often see people 'deadlift' by standing up and ‘pulling’ the bar without engaging the lats.

Or they’ll ‘pull’ the bar without recruiting the legs.

But the deadlift is a whole-body movement - so remember to involve your whole body!

Three tips to perfecting your deadlift

1. Get tight

When it comes to a deadlift, your set-up is most important! Get right on that bar starting from the hands.

The tightness you generate by squeezing the bar with your hands moves up the arm, to the lats and then to the core, without really needing to think about switching all those muscles on.

So grab the bar and get tight! Bend it around your body.

2. Drive then pull

Once your set-up is locked in, drive the floor away with your feet.

Once the bar is past your shin it becomes a pull as you stand up pushing those hips through. So think about pushing the floor away.

3. Back the way you came

The lift isn’t over because you stood up. You have to get that bar back down to the floor.

This is where most injuries tend to happen as people switch off.

Keep the tightness on the bar from the hands as you push your hips back and allow the bar to travel back down the way it came.

If you’d like any more tips on how to perfect movements and avoid injury, you can find Ella Martyn in our Shop by Recommended section.