Should the bar touch the floor on every rep?

In a conventional deadlift performed as the name implies, yes, the bar returns to a complete stop on the floor before the next rep. Touch-and-go reps, where the bar bounces or barely touches before the next pull, are a legitimate training method but they reduce time under tension at the bottom and can allow form to drift. Both have their place depending on the goal.

Why does my lower back round during the deadlift?

Lower back rounding almost always traces back to one of three things: the hips are too low at setup causing the lift to start more like a squat and then convert mid-pull, the core brace is insufficient so the lumbar spine buckles under load, or the weight is simply too heavy for current strength levels. Filming from the side is the fastest way to identify which is happening.

Mixed grip versus double overhand: which should I use?

Double overhand is preferred for most training because it loads both sides of the body symmetrically and builds grip strength over time. Mixed grip, with one hand flipped, prevents bar rotation and is useful for maximal or near-maximal efforts where grip would otherwise be the limiting factor. Some lifters also use straps for high-rep accessory work to preserve grip for heavier sets.

How close should the bar be to my shins?

Close enough that the bar nearly grazes the skin on the way up. If there is visible space between the bar and your legs throughout the pull, the bar is out in front of your center of mass and your lower back is doing extra work to compensate. Shin contact or near-contact is the target, not a flaw.

Is it normal to feel the deadlift mostly in my lower back?

Feeling some work in the lower back is expected since the spinal erectors are actively involved. But if the lower back is the dominant sensation rather than the hamstrings and glutes, it usually points to the hips rising too fast at the start, not enough leg drive off the floor, or a setup where the bar starts too far from the body. Dialing in hip position and ensuring the brace is solid before the pull typically shifts the load distribution noticeably.

How to Do the Deadlift

By Zachary, builder of Mariposas · Reviewed against published exercise-science sources (references) · Last updated June 2026

The barbell deadlift is one of the few exercises that loads the entire posterior chain under a heavy, coordinated demand, pulling the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and traps into a single effort that almost nothing else can replicate at that scale. Where a leg press or hip hinge machine isolates segments in a fixed path, the deadlift asks every link in the chain to work together to move a loaded barbell from a dead stop on the floor, which is exactly where the name comes from. That starting-from-zero quality is what makes it a staple in powerlifting, athletic development, and general strength training alike. The lift rewards patience with technique and punishes shortcuts in ways that teach you a lot about how your body actually moves. You can log your deadlift sessions, track load progression, and review your history for free in the Mariposas app.

Hamstrings Glutes Lower Back Traps Barbell Compound

How to do it

Stand with your feet roughly hip-width apart and the barbell over your mid-foot, about an inch from your shins, so that when you grip it and begin to pull, the bar travels in a straight vertical line.
Hinge at the hips and push them back until your hands can reach the bar, then grip it just outside your legs using a double overhand grip or, for heavier loads, a mixed grip with one hand pronated and one supinated.
Before any upward movement, take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core hard, as if you're about to absorb a punch, which creates the intra-abdominal pressure that protects your spine throughout the pull.
Pull your shoulder blades down and back slightly and think of pushing the floor away rather than pulling the bar up, which keeps the load in your legs and hips rather than defaulting to a back-dominant pull from the start.
Begin the lift by pressing through the floor with your legs while keeping the bar dragging close to your shins, maintaining a neutral spine from your tailbone through the back of your skull rather than rounding or hyperextending.
As the bar passes your knees, drive your hips forward powerfully to lock out, squeezing your glutes at the top and standing fully upright without leaning back aggressively or shrugging the bar higher than your hip lock-out.
At the top position, hold for a breath with hips and knees fully extended, shoulders stacked over hips, and the bar hanging at arm's length before beginning a controlled descent.
To lower the bar, push your hips back first, not just bending the knees, and guide the bar down the same vertical path it traveled on the way up, either returning it fully to the floor for a dead stop or performing a touch-and-go rep depending on your training goal.

Form cues

Drag the bar up your shins, not away from them.
Chest up, hips back before the pull.
Fill your belly, not your chest, then lock it down.
Hips and shoulders rise at the same rate off the floor.
Squeeze glutes to finish, don't lean back to fake it.

Common mistakes

Jerking the bar off the floor: yanking at the bar rather than building tension first creates a slack in the system that often causes the lower back to round immediately under load. The fix is to take the slack out of the bar slowly by pulling until you feel resistance before committing to the full pull.
Bar drifting forward: letting the bar swing away from the body dramatically increases the lever arm on the lower back and turns a hip-dominant lift into a back-dominant grind. Keeping the bar in contact with or very close to the legs throughout solves this.
Hips shooting up early: when the hips rise faster than the shoulders at the start, the lift turns into a stiff-leg deadlift with a heavy load, which most people cannot handle safely. Cueing 'chest and hips rise together' or raising the starting hip position slightly in setup helps.
Hyperextending at lockout: leaning back hard at the top to signal the lift is complete compresses the lumbar spine and teaches a sloppy finish. Full hip extension with a neutral spine and braced core is the actual lockout, not a backward lean.
Losing the brace mid-pull: exhaling or losing abdominal tension as the bar clears the knee is a common breakdown point and leaves the spine unsupported during one of the highest-load moments. Practicing the Valsalva maneuver and keeping the brace locked until the bar is safely back down corrects this.

Why do the Deadlift?

The deadlift builds raw posterior chain strength through a full range of motion, and that strength transfers directly to athletic actions like sprinting, jumping, and change of direction because the same muscles are working in similar sequencing patterns.
Because the traps are loaded heavily in the static carry position at lockout, consistent deadlift training develops upper back thickness that rows and shrugs often fail to reach at comparable intensities.
The lift trains the lower back and spinal erectors under load in a context that mimics real-world demands like lifting objects from the ground, which has a documented carryover to reducing everyday injury risk in people who strength train regularly.
Grip strength develops as a secondary adaptation since the bar load is supported entirely by the hands and forearms with no straps on lighter training sets, making the deadlift one of the more efficient grip-training tools available without adding dedicated work.
The compound nature of the movement means a large volume of muscle mass is activated per set, which contributes to metabolic demand and overall training efficiency in a way that isolation exercises cannot match at the same per-set cost.

Deadlift variations

Romanian Deadlift (RDL): A useful regression and supplemental tool that keeps the knees soft and emphasizes the hamstring stretch through a longer range of hip hinge, making it a good choice for lifters still developing hip hinge mechanics or those targeting hamstring hypertrophy specifically.
Trap Bar Deadlift: The hexagonal frame puts the handles at the sides of the body rather than in front, which reduces the moment arm at the lower back and lets newer lifters or athletes access higher loads with lower technical demand than the conventional barbell version.
Deficit Deadlift: Standing on a small plate or platform increases the range of motion at the bottom, demanding more from the glutes and hamstrings off the floor, and is used by more advanced lifters to address a weak starting position or to add variety to a stalled program.
Sumo Deadlift: The wide stance with toes pointed out shifts more demand onto the adductors and glutes while reducing the effective range of motion for the torso, and some lifters find it more comfortable anatomically depending on hip structure.

How to program it

The deadlift tends to appear at the start of a lower-body or full-body session when the nervous system is fresh, since it is one of the most neurally demanding lifts and performance drops sharply when it follows other heavy compound work. Many strength-focused programs use it in the 1 to 5 rep range for peak strength development, while hypertrophy-oriented templates often place it in the 4 to 8 rep range to balance load with volume. Higher rep sets above 8 are less common due to the fatigue they produce relative to other hip hinge alternatives, though some programs cycle through them. Weekly frequency varies widely, with some lifters pulling once per week at high intensity and others pulling twice at varied intensities.

Log the Deadlift free in Mariposas Track every set, watch your strength climb · collect a cute pet 🐾

Deadlift alternatives

FAQ

Should the bar touch the floor on every rep?: In a conventional deadlift performed as the name implies, yes, the bar returns to a complete stop on the floor before the next rep. Touch-and-go reps, where the bar bounces or barely touches before the next pull, are a legitimate training method but they reduce time under tension at the bottom and can allow form to drift. Both have their place depending on the goal.
Why does my lower back round during the deadlift?: Lower back rounding almost always traces back to one of three things: the hips are too low at setup causing the lift to start more like a squat and then convert mid-pull, the core brace is insufficient so the lumbar spine buckles under load, or the weight is simply too heavy for current strength levels. Filming from the side is the fastest way to identify which is happening.
Mixed grip versus double overhand: which should I use?: Double overhand is preferred for most training because it loads both sides of the body symmetrically and builds grip strength over time. Mixed grip, with one hand flipped, prevents bar rotation and is useful for maximal or near-maximal efforts where grip would otherwise be the limiting factor. Some lifters also use straps for high-rep accessory work to preserve grip for heavier sets.
How close should the bar be to my shins?: Close enough that the bar nearly grazes the skin on the way up. If there is visible space between the bar and your legs throughout the pull, the bar is out in front of your center of mass and your lower back is doing extra work to compensate. Shin contact or near-contact is the target, not a flaw.
Is it normal to feel the deadlift mostly in my lower back?: Feeling some work in the lower back is expected since the spinal erectors are actively involved. But if the lower back is the dominant sensation rather than the hamstrings and glutes, it usually points to the hips rising too fast at the start, not enough leg drive off the floor, or a setup where the bar starts too far from the body. Dialing in hip position and ensuring the brace is solid before the pull typically shifts the load distribution noticeably.

How to Do the Deadlift

How to do it

Form cues

Common mistakes

Why do the Deadlift?

Deadlift variations

How to program it

Deadlift alternatives

Romanian Deadlift

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Superman

Glute Bridge

Hip Thrust

Leg Press

FAQ