advanced · back
Conventional Deadlift
Hip hinge king for posterior chain strength—learned patiently, loaded honestly.
Quick answer
Bar over mid-foot, hinge at hips, grip just outside the legs, brace, push the floor away, and stand tall. Lower with control by hinging—don't round-and-drop.
Deadlifts build the kind of strength that transfers to life: picking up luggage, moving furniture, surviving monsoon mud with shopping bags. They also punish poor bracing.
I teach the hinge with a broomstick or light trap bar first if the conventional pull looks sketchy. Pride has no place under a loaded bar.
Form cues
- Lats tight—'bend the bar' toward you
- Push the floor away rather than yanking with the arms
- Hips and shoulders rise together
- Finish tall without hyperextending the low back
Common mistakes
- Jerking the bar off the floor with a rounded back
- Hips shooting up early (stripper deadlift)
- Looking at the ceiling and cranking the neck
Programming notes
1–3 hard sets of 3–5, or lighter technique sets of 5–8. Not every week needs a max—cycle intensity.
barbell