Deadlift form check: a live coach on your phone
The deadlift is the simplest strength exercise to describe and one of the easiest to get wrong: lift a loaded bar from the floor until you stand tall. A good pull keeps the back flat from the setup to the lockout, and the hips and shoulders rise together.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the rep properly in front of your phone. Bodyweight squats, push-ups and lunges need nothing at all, and you can check the hinge and press patterns with a very light weight or none: the coach judges your movement, not your kit.
What good looks like
- Set up with the bar over the middle of your foot, hips back and your back flat.
- Push the floor away with your legs, keeping the bar close to your body.
- Rise with the hips and chest together; do not let the hips shoot up first.
- Finish standing tall with the hips and knees locked, without leaning back.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Hips shooting up first
The legs stop helping and the back takes the load. Keep the chest and hips rising together.
A rounded lower back at the setup
Set your back flat before you pull; if you cannot, the weight is too heavy.
Leaning back at the top
Stand tall; hyperextending adds nothing and stresses the lower back.
What Formanti checks on your deadlift
The top of every rep, judged the same way, plus a check that your chest rises with your hips on the pull.
- Hips: 158–185°. hips fully through at the top
- Knees: 155–185°. knees locked at the top
- Back angle: -12–12°. tall, shoulders over hips, no lean back
Your setup
Where the bar leaves the floor. Hold the position and the coach talks you into it.
- Hips: 45–90°. hips low enough to push the floor away, high enough to hinge
- Knees: 105–150°. enough knee bend that the legs and back share the pull
- Back angle: 45–80°. chest up over the bar, not folded flat
What you hear and see when you are off
Start with your hips a lot higher
The coach says: “Hips up a little”
On screen: Start with your hips a lot higher.
Drill: Set up, lift your hips until your hamstrings tighten, then take the slack out of the bar.
Start with your hips a lot lower
The coach says: “Hips down a little”
On screen: Start with your hips a lot lower.
Drill: Set up with your chest up and shins to the bar, then push the floor away.
Bend your knees a lot less at the start
The coach says: “Hips up, less knee bend”
On screen: Bend your knees a lot less at the start.
Drill: Take 3 setups without lifting: shins to the bar, hips up until your hamstrings load.
Bend your knees a lot more at the start
The coach says: “More knee bend”
On screen: Bend your knees a lot more at the start.
Drill: Take 3 setups without lifting: shins to the bar, then sink your hips until your chest is up.
Fold forward more at the start
The coach says: “Hinge forward more”
On screen: Fold forward more at the start.
Drill: Practise the hinge with a dowel along your spine, then add the bar.
Get your chest up at the start
The coach says: “Chest up”
On screen: Get your chest up at the start.
Drill: Set up, take a big breath into your belt, and drive your chest up before you pull.
Drive your hips all the way through at the top
The coach says: “Drive your hips through”
On screen: Drive your hips all the way through at the top.
Drill: Hip thrusts or pull-throughs, pausing 2 seconds at the top of each rep.
Straighten your knees fully at lockout
The coach says: “Lock your knees”
On screen: Straighten your knees fully at lockout.
Drill: Pause deadlifts: hold the top for 2 seconds and check both knees are straight.
Don't lean back at the top
The coach says: “Don't lean back”
On screen: Don't lean back at the top.
Drill: Film from the side and check your shoulders stack over your hips at lockout.
Stand tall at the top
The coach says: “Stand tall”
On screen: Stand tall at the top.
Drill: Hip thrusts or block pulls, finishing tall with a 2 second pause.
Keep your chest rising with your hips
On screen: Keep your chest rising with your hips.
Drill: Tempo pulls: take 3 seconds to reach the knee, holding the same back angle until the bar passes it.
Drills you can do alone
- Film a set from the side with a light weight. Check the back angle at the setup and the lockout.
- Pause deadlifts: pause for a second just below the knee on the way up, to check your back stays flat.
How to set up your phone
Phone at hip height, 2 to 3 metres to your side, with the bar and your whole body in view. Film from the side: back and hip angles cannot be judged head-on. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my deadlift form?
Film a set from the side and look at the back angle at the setup and the lockout. A phone camera can also measure the angles for you.
Why does my lower back hurt after deadlifts?
Often the hips shoot up first, the back rounds, or the weight is too heavy for your form. Lighten it and fix the setup.
More lifts to check
Squat · Push-up · Lunge · Overhead press · Bent-over row · Romanian deadlift