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Deadlift form cues that actually help

Cues are short reminders that point your attention at one thing. These are some of the most commonly used ones for the conventional deadlift, and what each is trying to fix.

Setup

  • "Bar over mid-foot." Start with the bar above the middle of your foot, usually close to your shins when you look down. Too far forward and the bar drifts away from you as it leaves the floor.
  • "Shins to the bar." Bend your knees until your shins touch or nearly touch the bar, without rolling the bar forward.
  • "Grip just outside the legs." Your arms hang straight down, not wide.

Getting tight

  • "Pull the slack out." Before the bar moves, pull up on it just enough to take out the slack, so you hear the plates click against the bar. This stops you jerking the bar off the floor.
  • "Proud chest" / "lats tight." Imagine squeezing oranges in your armpits, or bending the bar around your shins. It helps keep your back position and keeps the bar close.
  • "Big breath, brace." Breathe into your belly and brace before each rep.

The pull

  • "Push the floor away." Thinking of a leg press rather than lifting with your back helps the hips and shoulders rise together.
  • "Keep the bar close." The bar should drag up your shins and thighs. On side-on video, a good bar path is close to a vertical line.
  • "Hips and shoulders together." If your hips shoot up first, your legs straighten and your back does more of the work.

Lockout

  • "Hips through." Finish by squeezing your glutes and standing tall.
  • Don't lean back. Lockout means standing straight, not hyperextending your lower back.

Filming your deadlift

Film side-on at about hip height. Watch for:

  1. Where the bar starts relative to mid-foot.
  2. Whether the bar drifts forward away from your legs.
  3. Whether your hips rise before the bar moves.
  4. Whether your back position changes during the pull, especially on later reps.

Pick one cue per session. Trying to fix everything at once usually fixes nothing.

Want a second set of eyes on your lifts? UNITY lets you film a set and see your form against a reference, rep by rep, alongside a coached training plan. Start with a 1 week free trial, then $1 a day (billed $7 weekly). Try it at quietunity.app

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have pain or an injury, see a physiotherapist or doctor before training through it.