Clean Deadlift

Also called clean pull from floor, clean grip deadlift and olympic deadlift.

Works

Hamstrings, plus forearms, glutes, lower back, upper back, quads and traps

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Begin standing with a barbell close to your shins. Your feet should be directly under your hips with your feet turned out slightly. Grip the bar with a double overhand grip or hook grip, about shoulder width apart. Squat down to the bar. Your spine should be in full extension, with a back angle that places your shoulders in front of the bar and your back as vertical as possible.

1. Begin by driving through the floor through the front of your heels. As the bar travels upward, maintain a constant back angle. Flare your knees out to the side to help keep them out of the bar's path.
2. After the bar crosses the knees, complete the lift by driving the hips into the bar until your hips and knees are extended.

Cues

• Shins close, hips higher than a squat.
• Hold the back angle off the floor.
• Knees out, bar stays close.
• Finish tall, shoulders over the bar.

Common mistakes

• Hips shooting up first.
• Bar drifting forward.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a cranky lower back. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Harder

Easier

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