{"id":60119,"date":"2017-07-17T07:15:22","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T11:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=60119"},"modified":"2017-07-19T10:36:01","modified_gmt":"2017-07-19T14:36:01","slug":"how-to-do-a-deadlift-form","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/how-to-do-a-deadlift-form\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Doing the Deadlift All Wrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ask top trainers which muscles most people need to strengthen and they\u2019ll probably say the hamstrings and glutes<\/a>. And one of most effective ways they\u2019ll teach you to fire up your backside is with a deadlift. \u201cThe deadlift is a functional move for anyone who has to regularly lift things,\u201d says Jason Li, a personal trainer at Soho Strength Lab<\/a> in New York City. Translation: It\u2019s good for everyone<\/em>. \u201cWhen done correctly, it\u2019s also a great posture-correcting exercise. It works everything in the back, plus the legs, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deadlift, in its simplest form, sounds quite easy: Just stand up. But having poor posture and adding weight can cause a few problems to pop up. So what are the dos and don\u2019ts of the conventional barbell deadlift? Li breaks down the basics so you can score a stronger (and straighter) backside, sans aches or injuries.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>50 Butt Exercises to Sculpt Stronger Glutes<\/a><\/p>\n

7 Tips for Nailing Perfect Deadlift Form<\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

1. Set up a solid base.<\/h3>\n

Start standing about two inches away from the bar, feet hip-width apart. Aim to keep your shins vertical (or perpendicular to the floor) as you bend down and grab the barbell<\/a> just outside your shoulders \u2014 about one hand-width wider. You should have a slight bend in your knees. This is your ideal starting point.<\/p>\n

2. Be mindful of your back.<\/h3>\n

The most important part: Roll your shoulders down and back, away from your ears and flatten your back. \u201cYou want to look for a natural position in your spine,\u201d says Li. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be balled up in a cannon ball or overly arching.\u201d If you skip the flat back adjustment \u2014 a common mistake \u2014 you could feel lower back pain<\/a> creep in later.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Exercise Modifications to Ease Lower Back Pain<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Keep your knees bent.<\/h3>\n

How you initiate the deadlift movement is just as important as the set-up. Many people tend to straighten their legs too early, says Li, which shows they\u2019re not driving through their lower half. To make sure you do, maintain a slight bend in your knees until you\u2019ve almost reached the top. This will stop you from letting your butt come up before the bar. Then, keep your weight in your heels and focus on using the power<\/a> of your legs to stand for a better, more fluid movement.<\/p>\n

4. Remember to breathe and squeeze.<\/h3>\n

Another big misstep people make is forgetting to engage their core<\/a>. So how do you make sure that\u2019s not you? Just breathe. \u201cTake a big breath in through the nose [before you pick up the bar] and breathe it in through the shoulder girdle to the pelvis,\u201d Li says. This ensures nothing in your midsection is moving as you execute the exercise. Then, when you come to the top of your stance, exhale. (It\u2019s totally OK if it\u2019s deliberate and loud.) Tighten your abs and keep your core stable the entire time to help take pressure off your low back<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>50 Ab Exercises to Score a Stronger Core<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Skip the hip thrust.<\/h3>\n

As mentioned, the deadlift movement simply involves standing up from a hip hinge. \u201cThe upper extremities are rigid and static, as your lower body<\/a> pushes and extends,\u201d Li explains. When you reach your full extension, you don\u2019t want to push your hips forward. After all, that\u2019s not what you would do in your normal routine. Keep them in line with your shoulders to relieve stress on your lower spine.<\/p>\n

6. Glance ahead.<\/h3>\n

Looking down at the floor or up at the ceiling is an easy way to break proper alignment. Instead, take your gaze forward so your neck and spine can easily stay in one straight line from head to feet.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Low Should You Squat? (And How to Improve It)<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Recognize when you\u2019re not ready.<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s OK to start with a barbell or dumbbells<\/a> on an elevated surface, rather than the floor. If you can\u2019t reach beyond your knees without overarching or fully rounding your back, then it\u2019s best to take a step back and reassess the movement. Li suggests trying a cable pull through (with the cable coming right in between your legs as you practice the hip hinge) and then progressing to a deadlift with a trap bar, which has a hexagonal shape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deadlifts help strengthen your entire posterior chain, but the move comes with some particular form checks. Here\u2019s how to do a deadlift injury-free. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":60225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[289,437,281,341,343,154,99],"class_list":["post-60119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-exercise","tag-glutes","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-weight-training","tag-weightlifting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}