Along with squats, deadlifts are among the most foundational lower-body weightlifting exercises. That said, many beginners shy away from barbell deadlifts because deadlifting with a barbell can appear more intimidating than doing so with dumbbells. 

However, the benefits of barbell deadlifts are vast, and mastering the move isn’t as tricky as you may fear. To learn how to properly perform barbell deadlifts and the best way to incorporate this functional exercise into your routine, read ahead as Peloton instructor Assal Arian and Dave Candy, a board-certified specialist in orthopedic physical therapy and owner of More 4 Life PT, share their expert advice.

What Are the Benefits of Barbell Deadlifts?

Deadlifting utilizes the hip hinge movement pattern and works most of the major muscles in the body. As such, this exercise offers some serious physical and mental payoffs, including:

Which Muscles Are Worked By Barbell Deadlifts?

Deadlifts primarily target the posterior chain muscles, but also recruit multiple other muscle groups, making it a near–full body exercise. “Deadlifts have become a staple in my routine because they hit so many muscle groups, from the glutes to the core, and even those forearms when holding onto the bar,” Assal says.

Here are the main muscles worked by barbell deadlifts:

How to Do a Barbell Deadlift with Proper Form

Below, Candy breaks down exactly how to do a conventional barbell deadlift with proper form.

1. Set Up with Good Posture

Stand with your feet about hip-width distance apart. The bar should be in contact with your shins in the starting position. Your arms should hang vertically over the top of the bar about shoulder-width distance apart.

2. Squat and Grip the Barbell

Push your hips back and bend your knees slightly so that you’re in a partial squat. Your torso should be bent over, with your spine in a neutral position (neither too arched nor too rounded). 

Grip the barbell with your hands just outside your shins. Generally, you should use a double overhand grip, hooking your fingers around the bar with your palms facing your shins. You can also experiment with a mixed grip, where one hand is gripped overhand while the other is gripped underhand (palm facing away from your shins). 

3. Brace Your Core and Lift the Bar

Inhale and engage your core. In terms of breathing during deadlifts, it’s important to inhale and brace the core before lifting the bar, Candy explains—the deadlift is one exercise where you should hold your breath. 

“This uses the Valsalva maneuver to create pressure around your spine, giving it stability as you lift,” Candy says. “You can breathe out at the top of the movement or wait until lowering the weight down to the floor.”

To initiate the movement, press your feet into the floor while pushing your hips forward. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement, ideally dragging it along the front of your legs. Focus on keeping your back straight during this part of the movement; don’t allow your spine to round.

4. Stand Up Fully

Once the bar is past your knees, lift your torso up until you’re standing up straight. Straighten your legs and drive your hips into the bar to lock out the lift, exhaling to power through the move. Avoid hyperextending your lower back at the top of the movement. Exhale here, at the top of the movement, or as you lower the weight.

5. Lower the Bar and Repeat

Reverse the movement to lower the barbell to the floor, pushing your hips back and bending your knees, keeping your core engaged and back straight, keeping the bar close to your legs the entire time. 

If you’re doing heavy deadlifts, make sure to lower the bar to the starting position quickly. “Doing a slow, controlled lowering of the bar would be more likely to hurt your lower back, so you want to lower the bar quickly to the floor, allowing gravity to do the work,” Candy advises. “It’s ideal to [deadlift using] bumper plates, a rubber floor, or a lifting platform for this reason.”

Once you’re back in the starting position, inhale to begin the next rep.

Common Barbell Deadlift Variations to Know

A “barbell deadlift” can actually refer to several different deadlift variations. It’s helpful to understand the most common barbell deadlift variations to maximize the benefits of your strength program, as different types of deadlifts target your muscles somewhat differently and can be helpful for distinct goals.

Candy offers a helpful summary of how each of the most common deadlift compare: “The conventional deadlift uses more quadriceps force than the RDL, but less than the sumo deadlift,” Candy explains. “The conventional deadlift uses more back extension than the sumo version.”

Here is a quick guide to four common barbell deadlift variations, including the pros and cons of each, according to Assal and Candy.

Conventional Deadlift

This is the standard and most common form of the barbell deadlift, as explained step-by-step above.

Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

“The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is performed with the knees relatively straight throughout the movement,” Candy explains, who says this uses the hamstrings more than the other variations and uses the quads the least. “The RDL is often performed through a shorter range of motion (not all the way down to the ground),” he notes.

Sumo Deadlift

“The sumo deadlift is performed with the legs spread wide (abducted) and the torso more upright, and you grip the bar between your legs rather than outside of them,” Candy explains. “You bend the knees more and keep the trunk more upright. Thus, this variation uses the quadriceps the most and the lower back extensors the least.” 

Trap Bar (Hex Bar) Deadlift

This deadlift variation uses a hex bar (which is shaped like a hexagon) instead of a straight barbell, which changes the location of the load relative to your body.

Which Type of Barbell Should You Use for Barbell Deadlifts?

Assal says that she prefers a standard straight barbell for doing deadlifts, but if you’re a beginner or dealing with any back discomfort, she notes hex bar deadlifts, also called trap bar deadlifts, can be a good choice. 

Here are some tips for picking the best equipment for barbell deadlifts:

Straight Barbell 

Assal says the straight barbell is the standard choice for conventional and sumo deadlifts, offering the best development of raw strength and grip. You can find different sizes and types of straight barbells in many commercial gyms, including men’s and women’s Olympic barbells (which allow the sleeves, where the weight plates sit, to spin), powerlifting barbells, and multipurpose barbells. Any of those will work just fine for deadlift if you’re doing so for general fitness. (The specific type matters more if you start to lift really heavy or want to train or a specific sport, such as Olympic weightlifting.) A standard barbell usually weighs between 40 and 45 pounds, but some gyms have lighter bars that weigh approximately 33 pounds.

Trap (Hex) Bar

A trap or hex bar is a barbell shaped like a hexagon with weight sleeves and handles on both sides; you stand inside the hexagon to perform deadlifts. Assal says hex bar deadlifts can be a good beginner-friendly option, as they put less stress on the lower back while allowing a more natural grip position. 

Candy agrees. “The hex bar (trap bar) is a little easier to learn for beginners and safer on the lower back as it keeps the load inline with your center of gravity instead of slightly in front of it,” he explains. “It is also often easier to grip with the palms facing the body. However, that doesn’t necessarily make it a ‘better’ exercise, just different.”

Smith Machine

Smith machines have a barbell attached to a vertical track, so you can’t move the bar forward and back, only up and down. Candy believes the Smith machine deadlift is likely the least optimal option. “The fixed bar path makes the movement a little unnatural and also decreases the need to stabilize the bar using the upper back muscles,” he says. 

If you do want to use a Smith machine for deadlifts, you may want to add a stepper beneath your feet, Assal suggests. Since many Smith machines have limited depth (i.e., the bar can’t go all the way down to the floor), adding a platform can help increase your range of motion and provide a fuller hamstring stretch, she explains.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Assal notes that she sees several common mistakes with barbell deadlifts. It’s important to be aware of these issues so that you can avoid them and reduce the risk of injury while maximizing the benefits of the exercise.

Tips for Progressing to Deadlifts As a Beginner

If you’re a beginner looking to add deadlifts to your workout routine, know that using proper form is key to progressing safely. As you work on mastering the deadlift, keep the following in mind.

1. Master the Hip Hinge

Assal says that before adding weight to the exercise, you should practice bodyweight hip hinges and Romanian deadlifts to establish the correct movement mechanics. 

2. Start with Light Weights

Assal says that once you have the basic hip hinge movement pattern down, you should practice deadlifts with a light weight. Beginners should always prioritize technique over the load (i.e., amount of weight lifted), she adds. Use a weight that allows for full control and full range of motion, she adds. You might even want to start by dialing in your dumbbell deadlift form before progressing to a barbell. 

“You can get injured from doing deadlifts improperly—especially from doing them improperly with a lot of weight, so learn to train correctly before increasing the weight,” advises Candy. 

3. Brace Your Core to Support Your Spine

Remember to engage your core before lifting to stabilize your spine and prevent injury, Assal says. Proper spinal position is the most important safety factor for barbell deadlifts, Candy agrees. “Make sure to set the spine up in a neutral position and keep it there during the movement,” he explains. “Keep the load close to your body. Move the weight in a slow and controlled manner on the lift rather than doing a fast, jerking movement.” (Again, it's okay to lower the weight quickly, but don’t move too fast on the way up.)

4. Use Progressive Overload

As with any resistance training exercise, to build strength and muscle, Assal says you should gradually increase the weight you use in small increments while maintaining good form. This is a training concept called progressive overload, which involves continually challenging your muscles in order to keep seeing results.

5. Seek Guidance If Needed

A knowledgeable coach or trainer can help fine-tune your form. “Ideally, getting instruction from a qualified personal trainer, strength training coach, or physical therapist would be ideal,” Candy says. 

How Much Weight Should You Use for Barbell Deadlifts?

Candy says that beginners should start with a very light weight that feels easy. “You’re training neural circuits and movement patterns before muscles,” he explains. “As you progress, [the right weight to use] depends on your goal, but use a weight that allows you to properly do 3–5 reps for maximal strength, 6–10 reps for strength/hypertrophy, or 10–15 reps for muscle endurance.”

Once the weight you’re using is no longer challenging in the last one or two reps of a set, it’s time to increase the weight.

How Often Should You Do Barbell Deadlifts? 

To allow proper recovery between training sessions, Candy advises doing deadlifts only one or two times per week. He suggests mixing in other lower body exercises, such as squats, lunges, and leg presses, on non-deadlifting leg days. If you follow a workout split (where you divide your strength routine to focus on different muscle groups on different days), consider doing deadlifts on your lower body strength days, pull workout days, or back training days, along with other barbell back exercises. If you’re on the hunt for a workout plan, consider one of Assal’s split programs—or build your own custom program—in the Peloton Strength+ app.

Takeaway

Barbell deadlifts can seem intimidating, but with practice, you can master this full-body movement. Candy offers some great takeaway advice for adding barbell deadlifts to your strength training program: “I can’t emphasize the importance of safety and technique first. Deadlifts are a great exercise that’s actually good for your back (despite the common myth that they're not) when done properly,” notes Candy. “However, they can also injure your back if you do them improperly, so learn proper technique and keep the load to a weight that you can safely lift.”