All exercises
The Arsenal
Deadlift
Pull a loaded bar from the floor to standing. The whole-body strength test.
How to do it
- —Bar over mid-foot, shins close, lats engaged like you're squeezing oranges in your armpits.
- —Push the floor away rather than yanking the bar up.
- —Hips and shoulders rise together — if your hips shoot first it became a bad good-morning.
Common mistakes
- —Rounding into the lift because ego picked the weight.
- —Jerking the bar off the floor instead of pulling the slack out first.
- —Grinding singles on a conditioning day — pick a lane.
Scale it easier
Trap-bar or rack pulls from the knee; go lighter and own the position.
Scale it harder
Pause 2s below the knee, or deficit pulls from a plate.
Don't have the equipment?
Trap-bar deadliftDumbbell RDLHip hinge with KB swings