How to Deadlift: Set Your Back the RIGHT Way - Part 3

Quick Recap
In the previous articles in this series, we covered two cues to help get your back correctly set in rigid and flat extension. In Part 1, we discussed the “squeeze your chest up cue” that’s already present in the deadlift 5-step setup, and in Part 2, we examined the cue of “push your belly down between your thighs.”

In this article, we introduce a third cue to help you get the job done. I’d also recommend watching the included video above to see this cue in action.

Cue #3: Wrinkles in the Shirt
When using this cue, you try to create a series of wrinkles along your back in the fabric of your shirt.

Figure 1: this poor fool can’t see how ridiculous he looks.

This cue often works quite well because - even though you might not have a good sense of how to set your back or even what’s going on with your back (since you can’t see it while lifting a barbell as shown in Figure 1) - you might still have a solid idea of what movement is necessary to create wrinkles in the back of your shirt (Figure 2). 

Another way to picture it . . .
Picturing an arched back (i.e., the opposite of a flexed or rounded back) can help with this process.

figure 2: Notice the wrinkles in becky’s shirt? this is much better.

Granted, you don’t want an arched back - if you arch (i.e., overextend) your back, you’re actually overdoing it. We don’t want an overextended back, but if you’re having a tough time getting your back in extension when setting up to pull, you can try to arch your back because you won’t actually be able to accomplish it anyway. In other words, the picture of an arched back is a useful overcue.

Try this cue the next time you deadlift, and we’ll be back in Part 4 of this series in the near future.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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The Knees Problem | If You Don't Change This, Your Deadlift Will NEVER Grow

There are 2 deadlift mistakes you're making with your knees. Let's fix both of them with one simple concept.

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The Deadlift: Follow the Bar

This is hideous (on multiple levels). Don’t be like this fool.

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/04/22)

Lowering the deadlift should be rather easy - after all, the tough part of the lift is already done, right? With that being said, setting the barbell down after the deadlift is locked out can be tricky for some lifters, especially new lifters.

Figure 1: How NOT to lower the deadlift. This nincompoop is trying to keep his torso vertical on the way down.

This is usually due to a misguided desire to keep the back as vertical as possible on the way down (Figure 1), although we’ve also seen it happen because someone is nervous about bending over with a heavy weight in hand.

Here’s a cue that can help simplify the process and potentially remove some nervousness: Follow the bar down.

At the top of the deadlift, you’ve already picked up the bar, which you know is the hardest part, and you were very bent over during a good portion of that process, so you also know - at least intellectually - that bending over again as you set it down should be even easier. But it’s sometimes tough to convince our bodies to follow that logic and actually bend over, so if the usual “hips back and bend at the the hips” cue isn’t working for you, just tell yourself to follow the bar down to the floor.

Figure 2: This . . . is much better. Hips back, chest down, and simply follow the bar down.

In other words, gravity will take the bar straight down to the floor, and you’re simply following the bar by keeping your hands attached to it (Figure 2).

Now, you’re not dropping the bar, but it should be relatively fast on the way down, and if thinking of the process as a controlled drop helps - at least for now - then go ahead and think of it that way. Simply follow the bar down and keep the rest of your body out of the way.

We hope this helps you get stronger and live better!

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If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

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How to Deadlift: Set Your Back the RIGHT Way - Part 2

The Problem
When we deadlift, you want your back in flat and rigid extension before you pull the barbell off the floor, but this can be difficult to do (with the result being a soft, semi-rounded back as seen in Figure 1). With this in mind, welcome to Part 2 in our series on how to accomplish exactly that.

Figure 1: Not like this . . . not like this.

In Part 1, we covered how to use the cue that’s already present in the 5-step deadlift setup - i.e., “squeeze your chest up” - the idea being that applying this cue sets off a wave of contraction that runs from your thoracic spine all the way down to your lumbar spine and thus gets your back rigid and flat (Figure 2).

However, if that cue isn’t working well for you and your back is still a bit rounded, try the following cue instead . . .

Figure 2: This . . . is much better.

Cue #2: Push Your Belly Down Between Your Thighs.
If you push your stomach down between your thighs (you can also cue “push your belly down between your femurs”), you’re going to get a nice, tight, flat, rigid back (Figure 2), which is exactly the type of efficient, force-transferring segment that we want when we deadlift.

Another Way to Picture It
If it helps, you can instead imagine a rope attached to your belly button, and that rope is pulling your belly button down toward the floor (leaving your hips and shoulders exactly where they are).

Hopefully, you found this useful, and we’ll be back in Part 3 of this series in the near future to cover more ways to address this problem.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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Want a Bigger Deadlift? Learn to Deficit Deadlift.

Learn to deficit deadlift as Phil and Mike explain and demonstrate how to perform the lift as well as discuss why you might want to do deficit deadlifts in your training program.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 04/25/22)

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How to Deadlift: Set Your Back the RIGHT Way - Part 1

In the deadlift, you want to set your back in rigid, flat extension (Figure 1), but accomplishing this can sometimes be difficult (especially if you’re learning how to deadlift) - after all, you can't see what your back is doing when deadlifting.

figure 1: becky sets her back in rigid and flat extension.

With this in mind, in this series of short articles, we’ll give you several ways to improve your ability to correctly set your back.

5-Step Setup for the Deadlift
We’ll assume you already know the 5-step setup for the deadlift (and if you don’t, be sure to watch the included video below), but here’s a quick recap:

Step 1: Stance
Shins 1” from the barbell

Step 2: Grip
Bend over to grip the bar

Step 3: Shins
Bend your knees to touch your shins to the bar

Step 4: Chest
Squeeze your chest up to set your back

Step 5: Pull
Drag the bar up your legs

How to Set the Back
Correctly setting the back in rigid extension occurs in Step 4 (“Chest”), and as is so often the case, sometimes you don’t need a new cue to fix an issue - you just need to go back to the beginning and simply hammer home the original cue: “Squeeze your chest up.”

The idea is that, when you squeeze your chest up, it sets off a wave of contraction that runs from your thoracic spine all the way down to your lumbar spine, thus getting your back flat and rigid.

So, at least to start (remember, there will be more articles on this topic), don’t make it any more complicated than it needs to be.

Squeeze your chest up or “lift your chest.” When you think you’ve squeezed it up as much as you can . . . squeeze it up even more. Get extremely uncomfortable. If you’re starting to sweat just while trying to set your back, you’re off to a good start.

figure 2: “show your shirt to the wall” (or the person in front of you)

How to Picture This
Here’s another way to think of the process - imagine that someone is standing in front of you (Figure 2), and you’re trying to show him the writing on the front of your shirt (without dropping your hips). A simple cue for this is “Show your shirt to the wall.”

Hopefully, this proves useful to you, and we’ll cover more ways to correctly set your back in the upcoming articles in this series.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?