I’ve struggled with the deadlift for years, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned that’s helped me and my clients improve our deadlifts, it’s this: the deadlift succeeds or fails during the setup.
There are plenty of ways to set up for the deadlift, but I group them into two approaches: top down and bottoms up. That is, you either get down to the bar in a “loose” position and tighten up when your hips are lower than they’ll start once you lift the bar, or you get tight from the top and never drop your hips lower than your starting position.
This week’s Technique Tuesday explains the differences between each setup so you can decide which one may work best for you: