Strength Training · Powerlifting
Conventional Deadlift with Deadlift Bar
The conventional deadlift with a deadlift bar trains your hips, legs, and back by lifting from the floor. Its longer, more flexible shaft makes a smooth buildup of tension especially important.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 3 min
How to do it
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, with the bar over the middle of your feet.
- Lower your torso toward the bar by bending at your hips with your knees slightly bent.
- Grip the bar just outside your legs.
- Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar, with your shoulders slightly ahead of it.
- Apply steady upward tension to take the looseness out of the bar before the plates leave the floor.
- Stand upright with the bar traveling close along your legs.
- Lower the bar to the floor under control, moving your hips back with your knees bending more after the bar passes them.
Form cues
- Brace your trunk before you pull
- Keep pressure through your whole foot
- Let hips and shoulders rise together
Common mistakes
- Sitting too lowStart with your hips above your knees rather than trying to squat the weight up.
- Leaning back at the topFinish with your shoulders over your hips instead of arching your lower back.
- Bouncing between repsLet the plates settle completely before starting the next repetition.
Safety
Heavy loads or a sudden yank as the flexible bar takes tension can strain your back. Bending the palm-forward arm in a mixed grip can also injure the biceps tendon.
- Secure the plates with collars and leave extra clearance around the longer bar ends.
- Use light warm-up sets to learn the bar's flex before increasing the load.
- Keep both elbows straight throughout the lift, especially when using a mixed grip.
- End the set if your back position changes substantially or your grip starts slipping.
If you cannot reach the floor without rounding your back, use an elevated start; seek advice from a physiotherapist first if you have ongoing back pain.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell Collar (optional)
- Calibrated Powerlifting Plate (optional)
- Deadlift Barbell
- Lifting Belt (optional)
- Lifting Straps (optional)
- Weightlifting Platform (optional)
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–4
- Target
- 3–6 reps
- Rest
- 3 min
Choose a weight that leaves about two good repetitions in reserve.