Back / Intermediate / Compound (multi-joint)

Deficit Deadlift

A barbell exercise for the lower back, with the forearms, glutes and hamstrings assisting.

At a glance

Primary

Lower back (erectors)

Secondary

Forearms & grip, Glutes, Hamstrings, Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps), Quads, Upper traps

Equipment

Barbell

Movement pattern

Hip hinge

Level

Intermediate

Type

Back, Compound (multi-joint)

Loads the lower back. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Begin by having a platform or weight plates that you can stand on, usually 1-3 inches in height. Approach the bar so that it is centered over your feet. You feet should be about hip width apart. Bend at the hip to grip the bar at shoulder width, allowing your shoulder blades to protract. Typically, you would use an overhand grip or an over/under grip on heavier sets.
2. With your feet, and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and bend the knees until your shins contact the bar. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. After the bar passes the knees, aggressively pull the bar back, pulling your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward into the bar.
3. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Rounding the lower back off the floor.

  Why it hurts: A flexed spine under a heavy bar is the classic mechanism for lower-back strains and disc injuries.

  ✓ Instead: Take a big breath, brace, pull the slack out of the bar and push the floor away with a neutral spine. Reduce the weight if the back rounds.

• ✗ Bar drifts away from the body.

  Why it hurts: Every centimetre the bar moves away lengthens the lever on the lower back.

  ✓ Instead: Start with the bar over mid-foot and drag it up the shins and thighs. Engage the lats as if bending the bar around your legs.

• ✗ Hyper-extending the back at lockout.

  Why it hurts: Leaning back pinches the facet joints of the lumbar spine.

  ✓ Instead: Finish by squeezing the glutes and standing tall. Hips under shoulders is the end position.

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