How To Deadlift: The 1-2-3 Guide
Master the King of Lifts and Unlock Full-Body Strength
Want to lift heavier, build total-body muscle, and feel like a savage in the gym? It all starts with mastering the deadlift—a foundational movement that’s as rewarding as it is humbling. Whether you’re chasing PRs in powerlifting, grinding through a WOD in CrossFit, or just trying to build a better body, deadlifts belong in your training program.
But let’s be real: this lift can look intimidating. And without proper form, it can mess you up. The good news? You don’t need to be a pro to deadlift like one.
This step-by-step guide breaks the movement into three easy phases—setup, pull, and lockout—so you can build strength safely and confidently. Get ready to activate your posterior chain, lift with purpose, and dominate the barbell.
The Deadlift: The Ultimate Full-Body Strength Builder
Intimidating as it may sound and look, the deadlift is one of the most effective compound exercises you can perform. It’s functional, powerful, and delivers more benefits in a single fluid motion than almost any other lift in the gym. Whether you’re chasing strength, fat loss, better posture, or improved athleticism, the deadlift should be a staple in your training program.
What Is a Deadlift?
A deadlift is a compound exercise that involves lifting a loaded barbell (or other weight) off the ground to the level of the hips, then lowering it back to the floor. It works your entire posterior chain and activates multiple muscle groups, joints, and stabilizing muscles.
Deadlifts are key for developing total-body strength, hip function, core stability, and spinal support. According to research, deadlifting promotes muscular engagement across multiple joints while improving functional movement patterns (Escamilla, 2001, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research). When performed with proper form, this movement can significantly reduce the risk of lower back injury and improve overall athletic performance.
What Muscles Do Deadlifts Work?
Deadlifts primarily target the posterior chain—the muscles along the backside of your body. These include:
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Gluteus maximus
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Hamstrings
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Quadriceps
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Deltoids
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Calves
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Latissimus dorsi (lats)
Because it’s a compound movement, the deadlift involves multiple joints and muscle groups moving together. This improves functional strength, core stability, and mobility, while also enhancing postural alignment and injury prevention (Cholewicki & McGill, 1996, Clinical Biomechanics).
5 Proven Benefits of Deadlifts
1. Deadlifts Improve Posture
Most people are quad-dominant, meaning their anterior (front) muscles overpower the posterior chain. This imbalance contributes to issues like hunched shoulders, weak glutes, tight hip flexors, and chronic low back pain.
Training with deadlifts helps reverse those imbalances, building strength in the glutes, hamstrings, lats, and core. Better posterior development means improved spinal alignment and stronger posture (Kendall et al., 2005, Muscles: Testing and Function).
Deadlifting can also increase confidence by improving how you carry yourself, as it supports long-term structural balance.
2. Deadlifts Build Total-Body Strength
One of the biggest benefits of deadlifts is that they train your entire body in one motion. From grip strength and shoulder stability to glute and quad activation, few movements are as efficient.
A study by Farley (1995) in the Strength and Conditioning Journal confirms that conventional deadlifts activate the glutes, hamstrings, quads, abdominals, and lats, making it a key movement for strength and aesthetics.
Whether your goal is muscle growth, fat loss, or performance, the deadlift helps you check all the boxes.
3. Deadlifts Increase Muscle Growth
Since deadlifts allow you to lift heavy and recruit multiple muscle groups, they promote muscle hypertrophy across the entire body. Research shows compound lifts like the deadlift stimulate the release of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone (Kraemer & Ratamess, 2005, Sports Medicine).
Additionally, deadlifts improve:
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Glute development
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Core engagement
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Arm and grip strength
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Posterior chain thickness
These benefits translate into more explosive power, endurance, and athletic performance.
4. Deadlifts Help Prevent Back Injury
Contrary to popular belief, deadlifts can prevent back injuries when performed with correct form. They help condition the lower back, abdominals, and hip extensors, which support the spine under load.
According to McGill (2007, Journal of Biomechanics), the deadlift activates the entire posterior chain and helps build core stiffness. This internal bracing effect reduces shear forces on the spine and improves lumbar stability.
When trained correctly, deadlifts become a powerful tool to strengthen the lower back and reduce the risk of injury—not cause it.
5. Deadlifts Burn More Body Fat
Deadlifts use large muscle groups and require more energy to perform, making them excellent for fat loss. The high demand boosts your caloric expenditure both during and after your workout. In fact, compound lifts like deadlifts have been shown to increase resting metabolic rate for hours post-exercise (Schuenke et al., 2002, European Journal of Applied Physiology).
More lean muscle equals a higher basal metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories at rest. That makes deadlifts a great tool not just for fat loss, but also for body recomposition and muscle definition.
Why You Should Deadlift
Whether you're looking to build muscle, burn fat, or simply improve how you move, the deadlift delivers unmatched value. By training the posterior chain and stimulating multiple muscle groups in one powerful lift, you’ll improve strength, posture, endurance, and injury resilience.
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How To Deadlift: The 1-2-3 Guide
Whether you’re a beginner or a professional powerlifter, the deadlift is without a doubt the king of full-body movements. But for many new to lifting or training programs like CrossFit, proper form isn’t always second nature. That’s where this guide comes in.
The deadlift is performed in three distinct phases:
1. The Setup
2. The Pull
3. The Lockout
Let’s break each one down.
1. The Setup
Proper setup is key to protecting your back and maximizing your lift.
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Stand with your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, and the barbell directly over the middle of your feet.
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Let your shins lightly touch the bar, without pushing it forward.
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Hinge at the hips and shift your weight into your glutes. Keep your spine neutral and chest lifted toward the ceiling.
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Grip the barbell using a mixed grip (one palm-up, one palm-down). This over-under grip provides more control and reduces the chance of the bar rolling out of your hands (Escamilla, 2001, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research).
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As you sink into your hips, think about engaging your lats by pulling your shoulder blades down and back. This helps stabilize the lower back and creates tension across the posterior chain (Cholewicki & McGill, 1996, Clinical Biomechanics).
2. The Pull
This is where the lift happens—and power meets technique.
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Drive your feet into the floor to initiate the movement.
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Straighten your legs and lift your chest at the same time.
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As you rise, pull your knees back and push your hips forward to stand up fully.
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Think of your body moving as a unit, avoiding excessive leaning or jerking. A smooth, powerful pull is safer and more effective (Farley, 1995, Strength and Conditioning Journal).
3. The Lockout
This final phase ensures your lift is complete and safe.
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At the top, stand tall with your shoulders back and spine neutral. Avoid hyperextending the back or leaning backward.
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Pause briefly to establish control.
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Begin the descent by pushing your hips back, not by bending at the knees first.
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Keep your chest high and spine long as you lower the weight.
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Resist gravity with your hamstrings and glutes until the bar returns to the ground.
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At the bottom, pause, reset your hips, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Deadlift Benefits: Takeaway
The deadlift is a cornerstone of strength training for a reason. It engages multiple joints and muscle groups, including the glutes, hamstrings, quads, core, and lats, making it ideal for building muscle, enhancing mobility, and developing functional strength.
Deadlifts also increase calorie burn due to their high metabolic demand, making them a superior movement for body recomposition and athletic performance (Kraemer & Ratamess, 2005, Sports Medicine).
Incorporating the deadlift into your training program—whether you're a CrossFit athlete, bodybuilder, or beginner—can transform your physique and performance when performed with consistency and proper form.
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