The 5 Best Conventional Deadlift Variations To Increase Your 1RM
Deadlift 6 min ReadThe deadlift starts at the hardest point of the lift. There’s no build-up and no easing into it: you…
After writing 7 Squat Cues to Stop Using, the deadlift companion piece was overdue. These five cues are outdated, unhelpful or downright risky, and you’ll still hear them in gyms everywhere. If any of them sound familiar, here’s what to do instead.
The short version
- “Look up” → keep your neck neutral; eyes a few feet in front of you.
- “Lift with your legs” → it’s a hip hinge. Push the floor away and drive the hips through.
- “Lift with your back” → your back holds position; your hips and legs move the bar.
- “Grip it and rip it” → build tension first, then accelerate smoothly.
- “It’s a squat from the floor” → hips higher, shins more vertical, bar tight to your legs.
| Bad cue | Why it hurts your lift | Use this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Look up | Breaks your neutral spine and pulls hips down | “Neck long, eyes on the floor a few feet ahead” |
| Lift with your legs | Turns the pull into a squat and pushes the bar forward | “Push the floor away, then hips to the bar” |
| Lift with your back | Invites rounding and jerking | “Chest proud, lats tight, back stays still” |
| Grip it and rip it | Yanks you out of position off the floor | “Pull the slack out, then squeeze it up” |
| It’s a squat from the floor | Knees drift into the bar path | “Hinge: hips back, shins nearly vertical” |
1. “Look up”
This is the most common miscue, and the easiest to fix. When deadlifting, and in almost all lifting, you want a neutral spine: your spine in its normal, slightly S-shaped position, including your neck. Cranking your head up breaks that position, and it often drags your hips too low and your knees too far forward.
Coach’s tip
Hold a tennis ball or softball lightly under your chin for a few light sets. If it stays put, your neck is neutral.
2. “Lift with your legs”
This one isn’t dangerous so much as unhelpful. The deadlift is a full-body lift in which the glutes and hamstrings produce most of the force, but they’re not working alone, and “legs” pulls your attention away from everything else. Most people who try to lift with their legs sink into a squat to deadlift, which pushes the bar forward and turns the pull into a sloppy squat. The conventional deadlift is a hip hinge.
The fix: master the hip hinge and learn the deadlift step by step.
3. “Lift with your back”
Hopefully nobody says this one out loud, but it’s worth spelling out. Your back’s job in the deadlift is to hold its position like a rigid bridge while your hips and legs move the bar. The deadlift trains your back hard, but you don’t lift the weight by bending it. Whether you program deadlifts on back day, leg day or their own day, the technique is the same. (We cover that question in is the deadlift a back or leg exercise?)
4. “Grip it and rip it”
This implies yanking the bar off the floor, and it’s a fast way to lose your position. Trying to create all your force in an instant almost guarantees you’ll be pulled out of a good setup, which makes injury far more likely.
Instead, get into position, pull the slack out of the bar (you’ll hear the plates click), then build force quickly but smoothly. Think of a car accelerating: it can’t go from 0 to 100 instantly; it passes 10, 20, 30 on the way. Apply force the same way.
5. “It’s just a squat from the floor”
It isn’t. The deadlift is a hip hinge and the squat is a squat, and the difference comes down to where the bar is. With the bar on your back, your knees can travel forward without getting in its way. In the deadlift you have to move around the bar, so your hips lead and your knees stay back, with shins close to vertical and the bar dragging up your legs.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I look when I deadlift?
At the floor a few feet in front of you, so your neck stays in line with your back. Avoid looking straight up or tucking your chin to your chest.
Is the deadlift a leg or back exercise?
Both. It’s a full-body hip hinge that trains your glutes, hamstrings and back. Your back holds position while your hips and legs do most of the moving.
Should I jerk the bar off the floor?
No. Pull the slack out first, then accelerate smoothly. A jerk pulls you out of position.
Want some good cues?
Read The Serious Guide to the Conventional Deadlift, then deadlift regularly on a real plan like our free beginner program.
Want a coach to coach your deadlift in person? Book a free strategy session at our Tallahassee, St. Petersburg or Tampa gym.