How to increase your deadlift

Keep the bar close

The further the bar drifts from your body, the harder the lift becomes and the more your lower back has to work. Think of dragging the bar up your shins and thighs. Engaging your lats, by imagining bending the bar around your legs or tucking your armpits down, keeps it tight.

Your hips and shoulders should rise together off the floor. If your hips shoot up first and you end up doing a stiff-legged pull, the weight is probably too heavy or your legs are not pushing hard enough early on.

Finish by squeezing your glutes and standing tall, not by leaning back. Over-extending at the top just loads the lower back without adding anything to the lift.

Stance and grip width matter too. A grip just outside the legs keeps the pull short. Sumo deadlifts, with a wide stance and hands inside the knees, suit some body shapes, often people with long legs and a shorter torso, but give conventional a proper go first.

How often to deadlift

Heavy deadlifts create a lot of fatigue, both in the muscles and across the whole body. Unlike the bench press, most people do not benefit from pulling heavy three times a week. A common, effective structure is one heavy day plus a second day with a lighter variation:

• Heavy day: work up to 2 to 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps at RPE 7 to 8.
• Variation day: Romanian deadlifts for 3 sets of 6 to 10, or paused deadlifts at around 60 to 70% of your heavy weight.

Heavy squatting trains many of the same muscles, so if your squat volume is high your deadlift volume can be lower. Hybrid athletes and HYROX competitors often do better with moderate deadlift work than chasing heavy maxes, since sled work, lunges and running already tax the back of the legs.

Variations for sticking points

• Slow off the floor: deficit deadlifts standing on a 2 to 5 cm platform, or deadlifts paused just below the knee.
• Fails at lockout: block or rack pulls from just below the knee, plus hip thrusts for glute strength.
• Back rounds as the weight climbs: tempo deadlifts with a slow lowering phase, plus more upper back work.
• Technique fades with fatigue: more sets of fewer reps, such as 6 sets of 2 instead of 3 sets of 5.

Pick one variation that matches your weak point and run it for four to six weeks. The trap bar deadlift is also a brilliant tool. It keeps the load in line with your body, is often easier on the back, and builds leg and hip strength that carries back to the straight bar.

Grip, upper back and hamstrings

Grip often gives out before the legs and back. Train it directly with heavy holds at the top of a deadlift, farmers carries and dead hangs, and use chalk where allowed. Use a double overhand grip for as long as you can, then switch to a mixed or hook grip for the heaviest sets. Straps are fine for high rep and variation work. Chalk makes a bigger difference than most people expect, and a hook grip, with the thumb trapped under the fingers, is uncomfortable at first but very secure once you adapt. Our guide to grip strength goes deeper.

A strong upper back keeps the bar close and your spine in position, so rows, pull-ups and shrugs all help. For hamstrings and glutes, Romanian deadlifts, Nordic curls, back extensions and hip thrusts are excellent. The whole group is covered in our guide to posterior chain training.

Progress patiently

The deadlift tends to move in big jumps early on and then slow down sharply. Add 5 kg a week while it moves smoothly, then drop to 2.5 kg jumps, then move to rep targets. When it stalls, try a four-week block of more volume at moderate weight before going heavy again. Eating enough matters here as much as anywhere, because deadlift strength tends to stall quickly in a steep calorie deficit.

Avoid testing maximal singles often. They are tiring, add little, and a failed max with a rounded back is one of the more common ways lifters get hurt. A hard triple or five tells you what you need to know. Most people also need at least two days after a heavy pull before another hard lower body session.

If deadlifts leave you with recurring back pain, get it assessed rather than guessing. Most back pain in lifters settles with the right adjustments, and a physio can help pinpoint what needs to change. Lycan Strength has on-site physiotherapy, with 20% off for gym members.