Form guide · 5 min read
Deadlift checklist
A bad deadlift setup is not fixed mid-lift. It's fixed before you pull the slack out of the bar. Here's the exact 7-point sequence we walk every new member through — in order — before they touch a working weight.
The deadlift gets a bad reputation because most people load it before they've earned it. Done properly, it's one of the safest lifts in the gym — you're essentially picking up a heavy object off the floor, which is a thing you do in life. Done badly, it's the fastest way to end up on a physio's table.
Point 1 — Foot position
Stand with the bar over the middle of your foot. Not over your toes, not against your shins. About 2 cm of gap when you're standing tall and looking down. Feet hip-width apart — narrower than a squat stance. Toes turned out about 10–15 degrees.
Point 2 — Hinge, don't squat
Push your hips back first. Let the knees bend after. If you squat down to the bar you'll end up with your hips too low and your back doing all the work. Hinge first, then bend the knees.
Point 3 — Grip
Hands go just outside your shins — not out at the plates. Grip the bar in the crease of your fingers, not deep in the palm. Double overhand grip until the weight starts slipping (usually around 80–90% of your max), then switch to mixed grip or use straps for heavier sets.
Point 4 — Shin contact
After you've gripped the bar, bend your knees forward just enough to bring your shins into contact with the bar. Don't push your knees way forward — you'll end up in a squat position with the bar drifting out. Light shin contact is the goal.
Point 5 — Chest up, lats tight
Pull your shoulder blades down and back. Cue: "crush oranges under your armpits." This activates the lats, which lock the bar to your body. A loose upper back is the #1 cause of the bar drifting away from your legs mid-lift, which is what rounds people's spines.
Point 6 — Breath and brace
Big breath in through the nose, into your belly, not into your chest. Brace like someone is about to punch you in the stomach — 360 degrees of pressure around the spine. Hold that breath through the entire rep. Exhale at the top, breathe again at the bottom.
Point 7 — Pull the slack out
The bar has a small amount of play between the plates and the sleeves. Before you pull, apply upward tension to the bar without actually moving it — you should hear or feel a small "click" as the slack disappears. Then push the floor away with your legs. The bar goes up because your legs went down, not because your back stood up.
The lockout
Finish standing tall. Shoulders back, glutes squeezed, ribs stacked over hips. Do not lean back — that's a compensation, not a lockout. Lower under control by hinging back before bending the knees, same order in reverse.
Print this. Read it before every set.
Seven points. Same order, every rep. The day the checklist becomes automatic is the day you start adding real weight. Until then, the checklist is the lift.
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