8 Ways to Improve Your Deadlift Technique, According to a Trainer

The deadlift is a pulling movement that is one of the "big three" strength movements and one of several compound lifts requiring multiple muscle groups. It helps build functional strength and stability using the hinge pattern, commonly used in everyday life. Practicing and improving your deadlift technique can not only help you lift more and keep you progressing toward your goals, but it also can reduce your risk of injury, improve your daily functioning, and help with rehabilitation (especially lower back pain).

Because the deadlift is a movement that requires multiple muscle groups and is typically performed using heavy weights, many people reach a point where they may have challenges trying to progress. There's also the possibility of performing a deadlift incorrectly and injuring yourself. Some people feel discomfort or strain when deadlifting and want to learn how to fix potential form mistakes that may be the cause. 

Several ways to improve your deadlift technique include learning optimal form and building strength in areas that may be holding you back. Here, you can learn how to address potential issues in your deadlift technique to keep progressing with help from Jarrod Nobbe, MS, a specialist in sports performance, head weightlifting coach for the Athletic Lab Weightlifting team, and Garage Gym Reviews consultant.

Breathe Into Your Abdomen

Proper breathing and bracing can protect your spine during a deadlift. Breathing laterally into your abdomen will help keep you stable and prevent the spine from flexing or extending at the most vulnerable place in the deadlift motion, which is at the beginning of the movement as you lift the bar off the floor. Think about your core as a soda can that is sealed and hard to crush because it is full of pressure. Here’s how to breathe into your abdomen.

1. Take a deep breath into your abdomen and try to push your sides out laterally with your breath. You can practice this by placing your hands on your sides and trying to move them outward.
2. Stiffen your abdominal muscles from a standing position, then drop into your deadlift stance and drive your feet into the floor.

Take the Slack Out of the Barbell

One overlooked technique when performing a deadlift is to set up correctly from the start. Weight plates on the barbell and sitting on the ground will have a small space between the bar and the top of the hole in the plate. Before pulling the barbell, take the slack out of it by connecting the bar to the plate at the top of the hole.

This sets you up in a better position and ensures you are not forced out of position when the barbell rises to connect with the plates. Removing the slack helps you keep the bar close to your body because it is in a solid position from the start and creates physical tension so you are stable and ready to support heavy weight. Here’s how to take the slack out of the barbell:

1. Stand with the barbell in front of you.
2. Roll the barbell toward you so it is almost touching your shins.
3. Grasp it with an overhand or mixed grip (one hand over and one under).
4. Engage your glutes and hamstrings and lower your hips, pointing your glutes at the floor.
5. Raise your upper body up with your chest high.
6. Hold the barbell and remove the slack by lifting until you hear the barbell and plates connect.

Engage Your Lats

Engaging your latissimus dorsi (lats) before beginning the lifting effort will improve your deadlift technique. The lats are not prime movers during the deadlift but help to reduce the spinal and hip extension demands during the lift.

You can move your shoulders and hips slightly forward by engaging the lats while your shoulder joint moves closer to your hips. These actions create a tighter center of mass and a smaller movement, which makes lifting the weight easier. All that to say, engaging your lats can help you move more weight with less effort. Here’s how to engage your lats.

1. Take the slack out of the barbell (as described above).
2. Flatten your back and engage your lats by contracting the muscles around your shoulder blades and upper spine. Pretend you are trying to break the bar in half.
3. Pull your scapula (shoulder blades) back and down, imagining you are trying to slide them into your back pockets.
4. Lock your elbows and try to make your armpits "disappear" to engage your lats.
5. Position your armpits over the bar and not beyond it.

Screw Your Feet Into the Floor

Properly anchoring your lower body to the floor can greatly improve your deadlift technique and significantly reduce your risk of injury. If you tend to feel lower back strain during or after deadlifting, this tip is particularly useful.

Turning your femurs outward in your hip sockets and “screwing” your feet into the floor will help engage your glutes and prevent your thighs and knees from coming out of alignment, which could cause your lower back to move and take on too much work. Here is how to screw your feet to the floor.

1. Turn your hips slightly outward, rotating your femurs in the hip socket so you feel your glutes and outer thighs engage.
2. Imagine you are trying to spread the floor apart between your feet to create tension.
3. Maintain this tension as you perform the next steps in the deadlift.

Push Your Hips Back

One common mistake people make at this point is to allow their hips to rise before moving the barbell and then using their lower back to pull the weight. By taking the slack out of the bar and engaging your lats, you should be in the best position to start lifting the bar off the ground at the same time you begin to raise your hips. To improve your deadlift technique and lift the weight with more power, keeping your hips closer to the bar is vital. Follow these instructions to push your hips back.

1. Push your hips back and down, sitting down as much as your anatomy allows. You should feel as though you’d fall if you let go of the bar.
2. Ensure the bar is touching your shins as close as possible to your body.
3. Extend your hips when you reach the top, contracting your glutes.
4. Push your hips back and hinge as you lower the bar to protect your lower back.
5. Keep your hips high and chest up with a slight bend in your knees while lowering the barbell.
6. Keep the bar close to your body as you descend.

Use Deadlift Training Variations

Nobbe recommends adding variation in your training to work on specific areas of weakness or technique flaws. "Utilizing tempos, pauses, controlled eccentrics, and partial block lifts can help improve areas of your deadlift that need technical development," he says. These variations can help you work through sticking points in your lift, allowing you to push through weak points.

Changing your tempo can be as simple as lifting quickly while descending more slowly or vice versa, pausing at the top or at the bottom. Conversely, you can use a touch-and-go tempo by tapping the bar on the floor before immediately performing another rep. A lighter weight than usual is best to use when trying these variations in tempo.

Nobbe recommends using bands and chains in your deadlift practice, which can improve speed (rate of force development and concentric force production) and overall lockout ability if this is an area you need to work on.

Incorporate Supporting Accessory Exercises

Nobbe says he often sees athletes and gymgoers only doing deadlifts to work on their deadlift technique and strength. While he admits it may seem like common sense to focus on deadlifting more to get better at it, this isn’t always the case.

"Appropriate accessory movements can help break that barrier for a new deadlift PR (personal record) and also helps develop resiliency and injury prevention in the body," he explains.

Isolating certain muscle groups can provide an overarching benefit to deadlifts. To improve your deadlift technique, ensure your entire program builds strength and stability in the areas of the body that are needed. This includes glutes, hamstring, back, and grip strength.

Enjoy the Process with Intent

While this is a general cue, ensuring you train with intent and focus could be the missing link, according to Nobbe. "If you aren’t present and focused mentally and physically during each training session, you might be missing out on positive training production."

Getting into the right mindset for hard work and training is essential for success, says Nobbe. "Give effort from start to finish and establish your intent during warm-up sets to prepare for the more challenging working sets later in the program."

Deadlifts are a foundational strength training exercise that can improve your functioning and reduce the risks of injuries (especially your back), and rehabilitate your back if it is injured. Learning how to improve your technique can help you make progress in lifting heavier while maintaining safety.

Following the above techniques can help you reach your goals more efficiently, but getting help from a personal trainer or strength coach is also wise if you are unsure how to advance or need one on one assistance. Remember to fuel yourself, stay hydrated, and take rest days when you need them for best results.