How To CORRECTLY Deadlift (Ft. Ed Coan & Dr. Stuart McGill)

The deadlift is one of the best exercises to build tremendous strength, power and pack on pounds of muscle - however, do them wrong and you greatly increase your risk of injury especially to your back. In this video – with the help of Ed Coan (the greatest powerlifter of all time) and Dr. Stuart McGill (the world’s foremost authority on spine biomechcics and back pain) I’m going to give you 3 simple yet extremely effective steps to perform a perfect deadlift.

Step 1 is setting up in a proper start position - For most people set your feet just inside shoulder width with toes pointed relatively straight forward. The bar should be positioned directly over your mid foot.

As you get down to the bar - there are 3 foundational technique pillars you need to focus assuming for a perfect start position before the bar is moved.

The first we already established with the bar positioned over the middle of your foot. This will ensure the bar is ready to be moved in a straight path. If the bar is positioned too far forward, the bar must then travel back in towards the body as it’s lifted from the ground. And when you’re trying to lift max weights vertically from the ground, horizontal bar movement is detrimental to the efficiency of the overall lift.

The second is to have the bar connected to your body. This means the bar will end up touching the shins in your start position. And no – you dont need the bar 5 inches away from your body because you’re really tall.

The final “technique pillar” is aligning the bar with the posterior deltoid, which is essentially where you would place the bar for a low-bar back squat.

While some use the cue “shoulders over the bar” – I find it can be too general and can lead to more variation in set up positions. On the other hand, posterior deltoid over the bar is more foolproof and will set the person exactly where they should be every time and will create a fairly vertical arm position as a side effect – which is desirable for lifting max weights.

Before you start your lift from the proper start position – there is a crucial next step (get tight). Most people don’t engage their glute enough at the start and get tight BEFORE the bar moves from the ground. This leads their hips to shoot up in the air and their back to round – killing deadlift efficiency.

The 3rd and last step is the proper execution or movement of the deadlift. A helpful way to think about this lift is to break it down into two separate parts. From the ground to the knee is similar to a squat in that your chest and hips rise at the exact same rate. Now this doesn’t mean you start in a squat position – rather you assume the 3 fundamental pillars of proper deadlift technique and then “squat it up” to the knee. Step 2 is to hinge like an RDL to the standing position. So put together, the sequence is “squat to the knee, then RDL up”

Last, don’t just drop the bar back to the ground. Remember, every lift in the gym has two parts – an eccentric lowering and a concentric ascent. If you throw out the lowering of a deadlift, you miss out on potential strength and muscle gains as your body has less time under tension.

Instead, We want to control the descent by reversing the prior cues – “Hinge or RDL to the knee and then squat the bar back down.” If done correctly – you’ll finish in the perfect start position ready to start your next rep.

From now on the videos of Squat University are also available in other languages!
Click here for the Spanish channel: ‪ @squatuniversityespanol
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Shout out @MuscleandMotion for the amazing anatomy graphics.

[SquatUniversity]

Hope you found this video useful! Big thanks to Dr. Stuart McGill and Ed Coan for their help. Happy deadlifting!

[hahn]

I know your social media channels for years and with your tips I managed to deadlift almost 3 x my bodyweight. My 1RM is now 220 kg (75 kg BW). You’re one of the few channels I recommend my friends without any hesitation. Thank you for spreading useful information for us.

[aceofthe]

as someone who’s been trying to break 405lb deadlift for a few months, im thankful for this upload. thanks you guys!

[SophieSmall-gr]

Ed Coan's tips are gold. It's amazing to see how little adjustments can make such a big difference in your lift.

[AidanStutzman]

This video rules. So many social media influencers knock deadlifts. Anyone who has dialed in their form, and deadlift heavy and not too often, knows the power of this movement!

[stephenlahart]

Been working out for 13 years- started at 12- and never got deadlifting or squats down.. truth be told I always ignored it. Thanks for this!

[kalwija]

I am the Master 3 -120 kg Deadlift World Record Holder and I approve this video!

[kaylamercedess]

It’s about time someone like you speaks up about strength training and fitness myths, I appreciate your channel very much ❗️

[barefootbab]

Awesome video, i tried deadlifting again after a long time. Felt amazing. No lower back pumps. This tutorial with the big 3 changes the game for me

[johnbasement]

I am a 46 year old semi pro football player and high school coach. Thank for healing me and helping the next generation understand the science behind remaining physically dynamic. You are the

[RunninLive]

Thanks for this! I have a 500 pound goal by my 50th birthday next September. I will for sure come back to this video many times while I train towards my goal.

[calebbutler]

Just went to the gym and followed the three recommendations. Spot on!

[isaacm]

Thank you for always putting out content that is simple but packed with the latest in research. You've really helped me through some training struggles

[cschmitz]

Its nice to see all of the tips from the shorts compiled together in a video. Thanks for making it!

[danielleizzy]

Can you do a video on how to strengthen your neck?? I feel like mine is weak and it makes me nervous because I play contact sports. Love the channel!

[gnperdue]

“Rebuilding Milo” is honestly a great book. Read it even if you aren’t dealing with aches and pains.

[domovoibutler]

I've been going to a private gym for about 4 months now. Steadily the coach slid in those plates on my bar from assisted RDL until this day when I'm reaching an upper limit of 20-25% my own body weight on both deadlift and squat. Every session I take home some illustrative thoughts of what must I do to maintain proper form better consistently. It was eye-opening to the fact that I can lift with proper form, so unlike before.

[andrewtanczyk]

Thanks. Just pulled 405lbs on conventional deadlifts 6 months ago and posted it on shorts. However form was terrible. Slightly rounded back and bad bracing and breathing 😮‍💨. Good thing I didn’t tweak my lower back.

[trumanhw]

EXCELLENT. I'd always wondered the optimal way to coordinate those two segments.
Some suggest starting in more of a squat position (with quads parallel to the ground)
and others get your hands to reach the bar by bending more at the waist vs the quads.
And no one ever addresses if one is correct vs wrong, or if they just do different things.

[hardishpan]

Great info, Thanks a lot for the video.
You might have already mentioned the below in some other video that I may have missed, I thought I should mention.

In the mid-foot alignment section of this video, I’d like to add something that might be obvious to experienced lifters or even to someone with a good form, but I learned the hard way: in addition to the above info I realised it is essential to anchor the big toe into the ground. Doing so completes the connection from the hips to the floor, helping engage the hamstings properly.