Instructions

Preparation

Position feet under bar with very wide stance. Squat down and grasp bar between legs with shoulder width or slightly narrower mixed grip. Face forward while positioning shoulders upward with arms straight, chest high, hips low, and back straight.

Execution

Pull bar up by driving feet outward and pulling back until hips and knees are fully extended and torso is upright. Drive shoulders back and chest up at top of lift. Return weight to floor by bending hips back and knees pointed outward, while keeping chest high and back straight. Repeat.

Comments

Throughout lift, keep hips low, shoulders high, arms and back straight, and knees pointed out same direction as feet. Also keep bar close to body to improve mechanical leverage. With wide stance, push feet out to sides and not down to prevent knees from buckling inward. Pushing knees out will allow hips to travel toward bar more quickly while improving leverage.

During rep training for powerlifting, do not merely tap weight to ground, but instead let barbell settle to ground each rep to sufficiently train range of motion through initial slack of heavy barbell. Heavy barbell deadlifts significantly engages Latissmus Dorsi.

Also see Deadlift and Deadlift Strength Standards. Also seeKettlebell Sumo Deadlift.