Exercise:

Barbell Deadlift

Target Muscle:

Back (Lower/Overall)

Barbell

Stand in front of a loaded barbell with your feet spaced shoulder width apart.

Bend at the knees and forward at the waist and grab onto the bar using an overhand grip just outside of your legs. Start the movement in a squatted position with the bar close to your shins.

While keeping your back flat, core tight and neck neutral, lift the bar off the ground by driving with your legs. As you pull the bar up, your knees should straighten out as you simultaneously extend your torso into an upright position.

Continue until you are standing fully upright and holding the bar out in front of your body. Lower the weight down following the same path as when you lifted it.

Rest the plates on the ground briefly, take a deep breath and repeat.

- Deadifts are one of the more difficult exercises to master from a technical standpoint, so make sure to practice with very light weights first and gradually add more to the bar over time while ensuring that your form is perfect.

- Rather than just yanking the bar off the ground using your hands, focus on "pressing" the weight up using your legs by driving your heels into the ground.

- Make sure that your lower back remains flat throughout the exercise rather than rounded over. This will protect your lower back from injury.

- To generate more force and take even more stress off the lower back, make sure to "brace" your core prior to each rep. To do this, draw a deep breath into your belly while at the same time tensing your core and pushing your stomach outward. Think of it as doing the same "tensing motion" you would use if someone was about to punch you in the stomach. Breathe out once you've completed a full rep and the plates are resting on the ground before pulling the bar up again.

- Keep your shoulders positioned back and keep your upper back muscles tight throughout the lift.

- If you can't hold onto the weight using a regular overhand grip, use a set of lifting straps or lifting hooks to assist you.