Legs · Compound

Barbell Deadlift

A foundational compound lift targeting the entire posterior chain, core, and grip, considered one of the best measures of total-body strength. Nothing else loads the hamstrings, glutes, and back as heavily in a single movement, which is why it anchors most strength programs. It rewards patience: technique and bracing matter more here than on any other lift in the library.

By Macros Inc Team Verified by Alex Dedmon Updated August 2026

Advanced Barbell Compound Hinge
barbell-deadlift-poster
  • Level Advanced
  • Equipment Barbell
  • Primary Muscles Forearms, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Quads, Traps
  • Movement Compound Hinge

Demonstration

Watch the Form Demo

Technique

How to Do the Barbell Deadlift

  1. Stand with the bar over your midfoot, feet roughly hip width apart.
  2. Hinge down and grip the bar just outside your legs, keeping your arms straight.
  3. Set your back flat, lift your chest, and pull the slack out of the bar until you feel tension through your whole body.
  4. Take a big breath, brace hard, and push the floor away to stand, keeping the bar against your legs.
  5. Finish tall with your hips and knees locked out together, without leaning back.
  6. Lower under control by pushing your hips back first, then bending the knees once the bar passes them.

Anatomy

Muscles Worked

legs
Primary muscles
Hamstrings Quads
Secondary muscles
Forearms Glutes Lower Back Traps

Do This

Form Cues

  • Set the bar over your midfoot and pull the slack out of it before you lift.
  • Take a big breath and brace before every rep, not just the first.
  • Push the floor away rather than thinking about pulling the bar up.
  • Think of the lift as a push through the floor rather than a pull with the back.

Avoid This

Common Mistakes

  • Letting the hips shoot up first so the back takes the load.
  • Rounding the lower back under a heavy bar.
  • Jerking the bar off the floor instead of building tension first.
  • Treating the descent as a drop. Lowering under control is where a lot of the training effect lives.

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