Barbell Deadlift
Also called: conventional deadlift, barbell conventional deadlift
Pick the heaviest thing in the room up off the floor with a straight spine. The purest strength test there is.
Technique
How to do it
- 1
Bar over mid-foot, shins an inch away; hinge and grip just outside your legs.
- 2
Drop hips until shins touch the bar; chest proud, lats tight.
- 3
Take the slack out of the bar, then push the floor away.
- 4
Stand fully — hips and knees locked, no lean-back.
- 5
Hinge to return the bar; reset every rep.
Cue bank
Two cues, picked by context
Internal cues for growth work at moderate loads; external cues when the bar is heavy. The app switches automatically.
“Feel your glutes and hamstrings take the weight before it moves.”
“Push the floor away and stand up tall.”
Common faults
What to watch for
Standard coaching taxonomy for this movement. A dedicated Harry Spotter rubric is on the roadmap.
Bar drifting away
Every centimetre of drift multiplies the hinge torque.
Fix: Drag the bar up your legs. Chalk helps, shins forgive.
Hips shooting up first
Turns the lift into a stiff-leg with a surprised expression.
Fix: Push the floor with your legs before the bar leaves it.
Rounding under maximal load
If your lower back rounds unexpectedly under a maximal load, stop the set.
Fix: Stop the set and reduce the load. Film your setup from the side.
Standards
How strong is your barbell deadlift?
Your Deadlift level (e1RM 117 kg, 1.56× bodyweight)
Novice
Intermediate at 131 kg e1RM
Heuristic community-standards multipliers — a motivation yardstick, not a scientific claim. e1RM computed with the same engine the app uses (Epley).
Substitutions