Conventional deadlift

What it is

Lifting a barbell from the floor to a standing position by extending the hips and knees. It trains nearly the whole posterior chain and is a benchmark of total-body strength.

Muscles worked

Primary: Glutes, Hamstrings, Spinal erectors. Secondary: Quadriceps, Lats, Traps, Forearms, Core.

How to perform it

1. Set up with mid-foot under the bar, shins close, feet about hip-width.
2. Hinge down and grip just outside your legs; drop the hips so the shoulders are slightly ahead of the bar.
3. Take the slack out of the bar, brace hard, and push the floor away while keeping the bar against your legs.
4. Stand tall by driving the hips through; lower under control by hinging back and bending the knees.

Common form faults

• Lower back rounding under load. Brace before you pull, engage the lats to set the back flat, and reduce load until you can keep a neutral spine.
• Hips shooting up first, turning it into a stiff-legged pull. Push with the legs and keep the chest and hips rising together off the floor.
• Bar drifting forward away from the shins. Keep the lats tight and the bar dragging up your legs; think of pulling the bar back into you.

Programming

Highly fatiguing, so most people need less volume than on other lifts. Strength work often sits at 1–5 reps; keep the reps clean rather than grinding with poor form.