10/16/2026
The Deadlift 💪
While the deadlift appears to be the most basic of lifts (bend down and stand up), it’s one of the more technically challenging lifts of the big three.
📍 THE APPROACH
When you approach a deadlift, you typically want your feet shoulder-width apart and your shoelaces directly under the bar.
🫁 THE BRACE
Bracing is something most people do incorrectly for this lift, but not on purpose. We, as lifters, are traditionally taught to keep a neutral spine. But what gets missed is that most people feel the need to flare their ribs into extension to keep a neutral spine as they grab the bar.
What you want to do for this lift, as you’ll see me demonstrate in my first video here, is to keep your ribs tucked. Think of pulling your ribs down toward your pelvis with your core as you maintain intra-abdominal pressure.
This will initially feel as though you’re rounding your back. But I promise this will be a quick fix to instantly improve your lift and the technique behind it, and it will help keep your spine neutral.
Contrary to popular belief, your spine can safely round a few degrees under a controlled load, and that is perfectly fine. Don’t think you have to stay as straight as a board throughout the lift, even if that is the goal.
👀 HEAD POSITION
Before executing your lift, make sure your head is in a neutral position and your eyes are staring at a fixed point on the ground a few feet in front of you.
🏋️ THE LIFT
As you approach the bar, get into your stance. As you bend down, start with a hip hinge. Once your torso is just above 90°, push your knees forward until your shins are in contact with the bar. That will be the ideal position for most lifters.
Grab the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, pull the bar as hard as you can into your shins, take a deep breath, brace while keeping your ribs tucked, and push the world away with your feet.
As you lift, think of leading the way up with your shoulders/upper back. Try to minimize your hips coming up first as much as you can, or else all the force goes into the lower back initially.
