Deadlift
The deadlift for beginners: bar position, the hinge, setting your back, the faults coaches fix first and four scaling steps from kettlebell to barbell.
What the deadlift is
The deadlift is a lift in which you pick a loaded barbell up from the floor to standing by hinging at the hips, keeping your back neutral and the bar close to your legs. It trains the hamstrings, glutes, back and grip, and it is the foundation for every pull from the floor in CrossFit. A beginner starts with a kettlebell deadlift or an empty barbell raised on blocks, learning the hinge before adding load.
Why it is in class
The deadlift is in CrossFit because it is the most basic way to lift something heavy off the ground, and life asks you to do that constantly. Picking up a laundry basket, a bag of dog food or a moving box are all deadlifts with odd handles. Training the pattern with a barbell teaches you to use your hips and legs rather than rounding through the back, and it builds the posterior chain: the muscles along the back of your body. Those muscles support good posture and add power to running, jumping and rowing. In CrossFit, the deadlift also sets up the clean and snatch, which begin with the same first pull from the floor.
Points of performance
What a good rep looks like, from setup to finish.
Bar over midfoot
Walk up to the bar so it sits over the middle of your foot, about an inch from your shins. Feet go roughly hip width apart, toes pointing forward or slightly out. For most people this is narrower than their squat stance.
Hinge to grip
Push your hips back and bend your knees until you can grip the bar with your hands just outside your legs. Your shins move forward to touch the bar. Use a double overhand grip while learning, and your coach can show other grips as loads increase.
Set your back
Lift your chest, pull your shoulders slightly back, and squeeze your armpits as if holding oranges there. This engages the lats and locks the bar close. Take a deep breath, brace your trunk and feel your back flat from hips to head.
Push the floor away
Start the lift by pushing your feet through the floor, not by yanking with your arms. Hips and shoulders rise together as the bar travels straight up, dragging close to your shins and thighs the whole way.
Finish tall, return with control
Stand fully with hips and knees locked out and glutes squeezed, without leaning back. To lower, push your hips back first, let the bar slide down the thighs, then bend your knees once the bar passes them. Set it down rather than dropping it from the top.
Common beginner faults, and the fix
Rounded back
What it looks likeThe lower or upper back curves like a cat as the bar leaves the floor, usually with heavy load or a tired grip.
The fixLighten the bar and reset your brace and lat tension before every rep. Raise the bar on blocks or plates if you cannot reach it with a flat back yet.
Hips shoot up first
What it looks likeThe hips rise before the bar moves, turning the lift into a stiff legged pull with the back doing most of the work.
The fixThink chest and hips rise together. Push the floor away with your legs to break the bar from the floor. Pausing the bar just off the floor helps you feel the right start.
Bar drifts away from the legs
What it looks likeThe bar swings forward in front of the knees, making it feel heavier and pulling the lifter onto the toes.
The fixSqueeze your armpits and keep the bar brushing your legs. Long pants or tall socks protect the shins while you learn to stay close.
Leaning back at the top
What it looks likeThe lifter overextends at lockout, pushing the hips forward and arching the lower back.
The fixFinish by squeezing the glutes and standing tall, stacked like a standing plank. The lift is done when you are straight, not bent backward.
Where you start, and where it goes
Every movement in class has a version that fits you today.
Start here
Kettlebell deadlift with the bell between the feet, or a PVC hinge drill against a wall to learn pushing the hips back.
Next step when: Your hinge looks the same every rep, back flat, and you can deadlift a moderate kettlebell for 10 smooth reps.
Building
Barbell deadlift with a light training bar or empty barbell raised on blocks, then lowered toward the floor as your position allows.
Next step when: You pull from the floor with a flat back and the bar close to your legs for sets of 5.
Full movement
Loaded barbell deadlifts from the floor in the sets and reps your coach programs, plus deadlifts inside conditioning workouts at moderate weight.
Next step when: Your form on the last rep of a set matches the first, and your coach clears heavier loading.
Beyond
Heavier sets, deficit or paused deadlifts, and heavier deadlifts paired with conditioning.
Next step when: This is long term work guided by your coach, including when to test a heavy single.
Deadlift in real classes
2 videos from the gym floor in San Clemente, shared by our coaches and members.
Learning it in your first classes
Your first deadlift sessions in a coached class will spend more time on the hinge than on the bar. Expect a PVC pipe along your back, a kettlebell between your feet, or a bar set up on blocks, so you learn the position before pulling from the floor. Your coach watches your back angle, where the bar travels and whether your hips and shoulders rise together. Tell the coach about any back history, even something from years ago, and anything that feels sharp. Check with a doctor or physical therapist about ongoing back pain, and your coach can adjust the range and load while you work on it.
What your first class at O-SEA CrossFit is like · How On-Ramp teaches the movements
Questions beginners ask
Is the deadlift bad for your back?
The deadlift trains the muscles that support your back, and learning it with good position is the point of coached instruction. Like any lift, load and form matter. If you have back pain or a history of back injury, tell your coach before you start and get guidance from a doctor or physical therapist on what is appropriate for you.
How much should a beginner deadlift?
A beginner should deadlift a weight that keeps every rep identical, flat back and bar close, from the first rep to the last. For some that is a kettlebell, for others an empty barbell. There is no week one number to chase. Your coach will add weight in small jumps as your position stays solid.
Should I feel the deadlift in my lower back?
During the deadlift you should feel your hamstrings, glutes and grip working, with your back holding position rather than doing the lifting. Some general fatigue through the back is normal after a session. Sharp or lingering lower back pain is not something to push through: stop, tell your coach, and check with a doctor or physical therapist.
Should I drop the bar after a deadlift?
In most deadlift sets, lower the bar with control rather than dropping it from the top. Controlled lowering builds strength and keeps the bar and floor in good shape. Dropping is reserved for specific situations, like a missed rep or certain workouts, and your coach will tell you when it is appropriate.
What shoes should I wear for deadlifts?
Flat, firm shoes work well for deadlifts because they keep you close to the floor and stable under the bar. Soft running shoes with a thick cushioned sole can feel wobbly as the weight goes up. If you are unsure whether your shoes are right for lifting, show them to your coach before class.
Related movements
Learn the deadlift with a coach beside you
Every class at O-SEA CrossFit is coached and every movement scales. Your first one is free.