8 Cues to Remeber for Doing Great Deadlifts
The deadlift is a very technical movement and it can be pretty unforgiving if you do it incorrectly. I’ve talked to and been helped by a lot of different coaches, athletes, and crossfitters. Every time I step up to the bar to do a deadlift I run through these cues in my head, ensuring that I’m always setting up in the proper and optimal position. The cues are in exactly the order you should think about them while setting up so it’s important to not skip around. Follow these principles for heavier and safer deadlifts in no time.
1. Feet in Power Position
I like to think of this as the “jumping position”. When you are about to jump your feet are directly under your hips, toes pointing forward, and your weight balanced on the middle of your foot. One of the things I was doing wrong before I did crossfit was have my feet way to wide. When your feet are too wide you lose a lot of power that you would be able to generate with your hips, hamstrings, and glutes. As Kelly Starret would say, “screw your feet into the ground” to get torsion in your hips.
I like to think of this as the “jumping position”. When you are about to jump your feet are directly under your hips, toes pointing forward, and your weight balanced on the middle of your foot. One of the things I was doing wrong before I did crossfit was have my feet way to wide. When your feet are too wide you lose a lot of power that you would be able to generate with your hips, hamstrings, and glutes. As Kelly Starret would say, “screw your feet into the ground” to get torsion in your hips.
2. Keep the Bar Close
Keep the bar as close to your body throughout the whole movement. Even when setting up you want the bar to be inches from your shins at most. Some gurus say the bar should be right above the middle of your foot, others think it should be even closer. At all times throughout the lift you want to keep the bar as close to your body as possible. Holding the bar far from your body is not only a lot more energy consuming, but you risk hurting yourself and put unnecessary strain on your lower back. Some people even wear shin guards because they hold the bar so close to their body that is actually scrapes their shins. If you need to, pull your knees back so the bar doesn’t hit them. The bar should travel in a straight vertical line, so adjust your knees if they are in the way.
3. Shoulders Over the Bar
When you are going for a clean or trying to bring the bar overhead you will want to set up with your back more vertical. However, when you are only bringing the bar up to your hips a better position is to have your body tilted slightly farther over the bar. In order to get your body in that perfect deadlift spot all you need to think about it having your shoulders right above the bar (possibly a bit in front depending on your body type). Keep your shoulders over the bar as you go through the rest of the cues.
Keep the bar as close to your body throughout the whole movement. Even when setting up you want the bar to be inches from your shins at most. Some gurus say the bar should be right above the middle of your foot, others think it should be even closer. At all times throughout the lift you want to keep the bar as close to your body as possible. Holding the bar far from your body is not only a lot more energy consuming, but you risk hurting yourself and put unnecessary strain on your lower back. Some people even wear shin guards because they hold the bar so close to their body that is actually scrapes their shins. If you need to, pull your knees back so the bar doesn’t hit them. The bar should travel in a straight vertical line, so adjust your knees if they are in the way.
3. Shoulders Over the Bar
When you are going for a clean or trying to bring the bar overhead you will want to set up with your back more vertical. However, when you are only bringing the bar up to your hips a better position is to have your body tilted slightly farther over the bar. In order to get your body in that perfect deadlift spot all you need to think about it having your shoulders right above the bar (possibly a bit in front depending on your body type). Keep your shoulders over the bar as you go through the rest of the cues.
4. Shoulders Back
While keeping your shoulders over the bar, pull them back. Really try to squeeze your shoulder blades into your spine (ok, maybe don’t squeeze that hard, but you get it). What you really don’t want is for your shoulders to get pulled forward as you are doing the lift so really be conscious to hold them back the whole time.
5. Chest Up
Pulling your shoulders back should naturally bring your chest out a little. Here you want to get it as high and as far out as you can while keeping your shoulders in position. This should really force you to arch your back. You want to hold that arched position as you do the lift.
6. Shins Vertical
For most people, when they are told to stand close to the bar they set up with their knees way over the bar in a sort of squat position. In order to deadlift optimally you want your shins as vertical as possible. If you’ve followed all the previous cues and your shins are still angled over the bar, try lifting your butt higher until they are vertical. The correct position should be super uncomfortable just sitting there like that, but don’t worry. It will allow you to do your best deadlifts.
While keeping your shoulders over the bar, pull them back. Really try to squeeze your shoulder blades into your spine (ok, maybe don’t squeeze that hard, but you get it). What you really don’t want is for your shoulders to get pulled forward as you are doing the lift so really be conscious to hold them back the whole time.
5. Chest Up
Pulling your shoulders back should naturally bring your chest out a little. Here you want to get it as high and as far out as you can while keeping your shoulders in position. This should really force you to arch your back. You want to hold that arched position as you do the lift.
6. Shins Vertical
For most people, when they are told to stand close to the bar they set up with their knees way over the bar in a sort of squat position. In order to deadlift optimally you want your shins as vertical as possible. If you’ve followed all the previous cues and your shins are still angled over the bar, try lifting your butt higher until they are vertical. The correct position should be super uncomfortable just sitting there like that, but don’t worry. It will allow you to do your best deadlifts.
7. Hands Just Outside Your Legs
Ok, your body is all set up, and you’re ready to grab the bar! Whether you decide to double overhand, mixed, or hook grip is up to you, but you want to avoid putting your hands too wide. Most coaches recommend putting your hand shoulder width apart. When I did this I found my hand hitting into my legs so what I like to do is correctly position my feet and then put my hands just wide enough so they don’t hit into my shins.
8. Head Neutral
After just grabbing the bar, you are probably looking down at it so your head is facing directly at the floor. A common mistake when deadlifting in front of a mirror is to then look up and stare at yourself the whole time. You want your head in a neutral position locked with your torso as you do the lift. I know the Lauren Fisher photo above here head is not at all in the neutral position, but she is actually not pulling yet and just setting up her shins vertical. Take a look at the skeleton shoulders in line diagram for a good example of the correct head position.
That’s all. Now you’re in the proper position and holding the bar. All you need to do is pull the trigger. Press through your heels and use your legs to drive yourself up until you are standing straight up, following your cues the whole time. At the top you then want to bring the bar back down through the same straight, vertical path. At the two extremes you can either just drop the bar (not ideal for speed and you look a bit like a db doing this every rep), or you can do a negative rep and let it down slowly (most crossfitters would call this a waste of energy though). Find a balance between these and bust them out!
Ok, your body is all set up, and you’re ready to grab the bar! Whether you decide to double overhand, mixed, or hook grip is up to you, but you want to avoid putting your hands too wide. Most coaches recommend putting your hand shoulder width apart. When I did this I found my hand hitting into my legs so what I like to do is correctly position my feet and then put my hands just wide enough so they don’t hit into my shins.
8. Head Neutral
After just grabbing the bar, you are probably looking down at it so your head is facing directly at the floor. A common mistake when deadlifting in front of a mirror is to then look up and stare at yourself the whole time. You want your head in a neutral position locked with your torso as you do the lift. I know the Lauren Fisher photo above here head is not at all in the neutral position, but she is actually not pulling yet and just setting up her shins vertical. Take a look at the skeleton shoulders in line diagram for a good example of the correct head position.
That’s all. Now you’re in the proper position and holding the bar. All you need to do is pull the trigger. Press through your heels and use your legs to drive yourself up until you are standing straight up, following your cues the whole time. At the top you then want to bring the bar back down through the same straight, vertical path. At the two extremes you can either just drop the bar (not ideal for speed and you look a bit like a db doing this every rep), or you can do a negative rep and let it down slowly (most crossfitters would call this a waste of energy though). Find a balance between these and bust them out!