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

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Do you have a tough time setting your back in flat, rigid extension when you deadlift? In Part 1 of this Saturday Shorts series, Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers walks you through how to solve this problem.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/24/22)

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Don't start deadlifting before you've done THIS

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It's simple. It's fast. And skipping it could wreck your deadlift. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains and demonstrates.

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2 Fatal Deadlift Mistakes: 1 Solution (Simple and Fast)

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Let’s briefly cover two mistakes that might just be killing your deadlift, and while we’re at it, we’ll fix them with one simple cue.

A Problem of Balance
Typically, when balance is an issue in the deadlift, the problem is that of your balance and/or the barbell shifting or swinging forward. However, that is not the problem we’re discussing today - we’ve covered that in numerous videos and articles, and you can watch one such video below:

Today’s balance issue is less common but certainly common enough to warrant a quick examination. The problem is twofold and is that of either getting back on your heels during the deadlift or shifting your weight to the outside, “knife-edge,” aspect of your feet.

Mistake #1: Balance Goes Backward
When your balance shifts backward during the deadlift or any standing lift, you’ll feel the weight (i.e., the combined weight of you and the barbell) shift toward your heels, and you may even see (on video) or feel your toes start to lift slightly off the floor as shown in Figure 1.

figure 1: phil (left) demonstrates an exaggerated version of mistake #1 while becky (right) demonstrates slightly more subtle version.

This creates an unstable platform upon which to lift, and as a result, it makes for a weaker, harder, and less efficient pull.

Mistake #2: Balance Goes “Outside”
When your balance shifts to the outside edges of your feet, you’ll typically see the inside edges of your feet start to lift or “flutter” a bit off the floor (Figure 2).

Again, this reduces your ability to effectively transmit force to the floor and makes for a weaker, harder lift.

figure 2: phil and becky demonstrate mistake #2.

One Cue to Rule Them All
Both of these errors are more common when people pull in flat, soft-soled shoes (as Becky demonstrates in the pictures above) as the rigidity of a lifting shoe (which Phil is wearing) helps reduce the likelihood of these errors. That said, it’s possible to make these mistakes in any shoe, so let’s fix these issues quickly.

Simply cue yourself, “Big toe down.” In other words, you are reminding yourself to keep the big toe of each foot firmly attached to the floor.

The big toe is at the front of your foot, so this helps correct the error of your balance shifting backward, and the big toe is also on the inside aspect of your foot, so this helps correct the error of your balance shifting onto the outer edge of your foot as well.

Big toe down.

It’s simple and effective, and as always, we hope these tips help you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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Are You Setting Your Back WRONG in the Deadlift?!

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It's easy to set the back incorrectly by confusing shoulder retraction with back extension. Let's fix this in less than 2 minutes. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 12/10/22)

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10 WORST Deadlift Mistakes Most Lifters Don't Know They Are Making (most are guilty of 3)

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Are you unknowingly sabotaging your deadlift? Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers breaks down 10 deadlift mistakes most lifters don’t even realize they’re making — and chances are good you’re guilty of at least 3. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned lifter, this video will help you lift smarter, safer, and stronger.

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Better Deadlifts Start When You Ignore This Muscle

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Do you think he’s thinking about his lats?

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 05/05/23)

Got a barbell that wants to drift away from you when you deadlift? It’s a miserable experience. Let’s fix it fast.

(Watch the included video for a quick demonstration of how to do this.)

Your latissimus dorsi (your “lats”) form a connection between your upper arm and your spine, and because of this, they perform an important function in the deadlift - they keep the barbell close to you as you pull, i.e, they are responsible for keeping the bar over the middle of the foot.

However, if you tend to let the bar swing away from you when you pull, simply cueing yourself to “use your lats” may not be terribly useful as it can be difficult to picture what the lats are actually doing. With this in mind, let’s cover a useful mental picture as well as a few cues to help you use your lats . . . without ever thinking about them.

figure 1

Mental Picture
Instead of holding a barbell, picture yourself holding a pool noodle - you know, those flexible, floaty pieces of foam that you use to whack your friends over the head . . . in the pool. With this mental picture (Figure 1), use one of the following cues:

Cue #1: Bend the bar backward.
If you’re holding a pool noodle, you can actually bend it backward around your shins (as shown in Figure 2). This action of pulling back on the bar is performed by the lats, but you don’t need to think about your lats - you simply think about the action of bending the bar backward around your shins, and the lats will automatically do their job. As a side note, it is rarely useful to think about individual muscles while lifting - think “movements” not “muscles.”

Figure 2: Bend it backward

Cue #2: Pin it to your shins.
Same idea - just a different way to think about it. Cue yourself to keep the bar pinned to your shins, and if you accomplish this, your lats will be doing their job.

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

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?