What muscles does the deadlift work?

Mainly the hamstrings, glutes and upper back. The lats, core, lower back, traps, quads and forearms all work as secondary muscles, which is why the deadlift is often called a whole-body lift.

Is the deadlift bad for your back?

Done with a neutral lower back and a sensible weight, it strengthens the muscles that support your spine. Problems tend to come from loads you cannot hold in position, rounding the lower back, or yanking the bar off the floor. Start light and add weight in small steps.

Mixed grip, hook grip or straps?

Use a double overhand grip as long as you can hold it: it trains your grip. For heavier sets, a mixed grip (one palm facing you, one away) or a hook grip (thumb under your fingers) stops the bar rolling. Straps are fine for back and leg work once your grip is the limit.

Should I deadlift every week?

Once or twice a week is common. It is tiring, so a common setup is one heavy deadlift day a week and a lighter variation, like the Romanian deadlift, on another day.

Deadlift or squat, which is better?

They are not rivals. The squat works the front thighs harder; the deadlift works the hamstrings, glutes and back harder. Most strength programmes include both.

Deadlift: Muscles Worked and How to Do It

How to do a deadlift

Stand with your feet about hip width apart and the bar over the middle of your foot, roughly where your shoelaces are. From above, it should cut your foot in half.
Bend down and grip the bar just outside your legs, arms straight. Use a double overhand grip (both palms facing you) for as long as your grip holds.
Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar. Do not move the bar.
Lift your chest and pull the slack out of the bar: pull up just enough that it clicks against the plates without leaving the floor. Your back should be flat and your shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
Breathe into your stomach and brace hard.
Push the floor away with your legs. Once the bar passes your knees, drive your hips forward until you stand tall, with the bar sliding up your thighs the whole way.
Lower it the same way: hips back first, then bend your knees once the bar passes them. Reset your breath and brace before each rep.

Cues that help

"Push the floor away": the first part of the pull is a leg press, not a back lift.
"Protect your armpits": pull the bar into you with your lats as if holding something under each arm. It keeps the bar close and your upper back tight.
"Chest up, hips down to start": stops the hips shooting up first, which turns the lift into a stiff-legged pull.
"Drag the bar up your legs": any gap between bar and body makes it heavier for your lower back.

Common mistakes

Starting with the bar too far from your shins. It swings out and away as you lift, and your lower back pays for it.
Yanking the bar off the floor. Pull the slack out first; a jerk loosens your back position at the moment it matters most.
Hips shooting up first. Your legs stop helping and your back does all the work. Lower the weight and keep your chest up off the floor.
Rounding your lower back under load. A little rounding of the upper back happens on heavy lifts; the lower back should stay neutral. If it does not, the weight is too heavy.
Leaning back at the top. Stand tall and squeeze your glutes; leaning back only loads your spine.
Bouncing reps off the floor. Each rep should start from a dead stop, which is where the lift gets its name.

Conventional or sumo?

The conventional deadlift (feet about hip width, hands outside your legs) is the version on this page. The sumo deadlift uses a much wider stance with your hands inside your legs.

In a study of 13 college football players, the sumo deadlift made the front thigh muscles (vastus medialis and lateralis) work harder, while the conventional deadlift made the calf work harder (Escamilla et al., 2002). Both are full deadlifts; the choice is about build and comfort.

Try both with a light weight. People with long legs and a short torso often find sumo more comfortable; others feel stronger conventional. Pick one and keep it, so your log compares like with like.

Sets, reps and weight

The deadlift is usually the heaviest lift in a programme, and it is tiring on your whole body. It needs fewer sets than most lifts.

For strength: 2 to 4 sets of 2 to 5 reps, resting 3 to 5 minutes.
For muscle: 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 reps, resting 2 to 4 minutes. Above about 8 reps, your grip and breathing usually give out before your legs and back.
Leave 1 to 3 reps in reserve on most sets; form slips first on the last rep.
Add weight when you hit the top of your rep range on every set, usually in steps of 2.5 to 5kg.

Warm up with a few lighter sets. The plate calculator below shows which plates go on each side for any weight.

Variations and alternatives

Romanian deadlift: starts from standing and lowers only to mid-shin, keeping the knees nearly straight. More hamstrings, less weight.
Sumo deadlift: wide stance, hands inside the legs, a more upright torso and more work for the front thighs.
Trap bar deadlift: you stand inside a hexagonal bar, which keeps the weight in line with your body. Easier to learn and gentler on the lower back.
Rack pull: the bar starts on blocks or pins at knee height. Trains the top half with heavier weights.
Hip thrust: trains the glutes through hip extension with far less load on your back.

Tracking your deadlift

PushBeyond logs each set's weight and reps, estimates your one-rep max from your best set with the Epley formula, and charts the history of the lift. Its muscle map counts the deadlift for your hamstrings, glutes and upper back, with lats, core, forearms, traps, quads and lower back as secondary muscles.

Deadlift: muscles worked and how to do it

At a glance