13 Feb Teaching the Deadlift Starts Before You Touch the Bar
Article Rundown
- Teach the deadlift by building position and tension before adding load
- Use the lifter’s wedge and lat engagement to control the bar path
- Drive the lift with your hips while protecting your spine for longevity
- Choose the stance and grip that allow you to get tight and stay tight
Teaching the Deadlift
When I coach the deadlift, I don’t start with weight. I start with understanding how someone moves. In this session, I had already watched Mikayla’s deadlifts on Instagram. She’s built to deadlift — good leverage, good hips — so that’s a huge plus. Her pulls weren’t bad by any means. They just needed fine-tuning.
That’s why I often begin with a dowel. It strips away load and lets us focus purely on bar path, position, and how well someone can lock themselves in. Think of it as teaching the body what a good rep feels like before we ever ask it to handle real weight.
Using the Lifter’s Wedge in the Deadlift
The lifter’s wedge isn’t just for squats — it’s foundational for a strong, long-lasting deadlift too.
One of the first things I cue is gripping the bar and trying to bend it using the lats, not the arms. That anti-shrug position — pulling the lats down and setting them into your back pockets — instantly changes how stable you feel. Once the lats are engaged, the torso stiffens up and the bar stays close where it belongs.
From there, I want the bar sliding up the legs, chest staying tall, and tension maintained the entire time. No loose transitions. No disconnect between upper and lower body.
Heels, Glutes, Quads: Owning the Lockout
A big breakthrough moment came when we cleaned up the sequence of the pull.
As the bar breaks from the floor, I cue driving through the heels. As it crosses the knees, the glutes fire. At the very top, the quads finish the rep. Heels, glutes, quads — in that order.
That sequence keeps the lift powerful and upright, and more importantly, it spares the spine. I’ve pulled huge weights rounded over in the past, and while that can work short-term, it comes with a cost. Using more hips and staying locked in is what gives you a longer shelf life in the deadlift.
Conventional vs. Sumo: Choosing What Builds Stability
We looked at both conventional and sumo pulls in this session. While there’s good strength in a wider stance, extremely mobile hips can make it harder to get tight quickly off the floor.
Right now, conventional pulling allows for faster tension, better control, and a cleaner wedge. The movement looks more confident and repeatable. That doesn’t mean sumo is off the table forever — it simply means we prioritize the variation that allows the lifter to lock in, pull the slack out of the bar, and move with intent.
Grip Choice, Asymmetry, and Staying Balanced
Grip is another piece people overlook. Grip strength wasn’t a limitation here, so we experimented with mixed grip to see how it felt — especially with one previously injured hand.
Mixed grip can absolutely help with heavier loads, but it also introduces asymmetry. Over time, that can show up in the lats, rhomboids, and traps if you’re not paying attention. That’s why I cue aggressive lat engagement and straight, locked arms regardless of grip choice. Flex the triceps, stay tall, and don’t let the shoulders rotate or “helicopter” through the pull.
The goal is always the same: control the bar, don’t let the bar control you.
Pulling the Slack Out and Owning the Bottom Position
One of the most important skills in the deadlift is learning how to get tight before the bar leaves the floor. Pulling the slack out — hearing that subtle click — tells you the system is loaded.
From there, it’s about staying tight all the way through the rep. Chest up, lats down, heels driving, core locked in. The weight eventually becomes a counterbalance once it’s heavy enough, but that only works if you own the bottom position first.
Strength Comes From Locking In
At the end of the day, the deadlift isn’t about yanking weight off the floor. It’s about tension, sequencing, and stiffness in the right places.
Focusing on core control, lat engagement, and a clean setup will pay off far more than chasing heavier numbers early. When you learn how to lock in and own one perfect rep, the strength follows.
That’s how you build a deadlift that lasts.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.