The Finish of a Deadlift
Written by Hunter Britt
Want to be successful in the Deadlift while also doing as little work as possible?
One area to focus on is the finish of the deadlift, specifically the lockout. Keeping the bar as close to the ground as possible equates to the least amount of work necessary. Let me explain what I mean by that.
Starting from the top down:
1. Flex and brace your midline as if you are about to be punched in the stomach.
2. Squeeze your glutes as hard a possible. This can be achieved by externally rotating at the hips and pushing them into the bar. A good drill to feel this position requires you to lay prone on the ground and push your hips into the floor. It may look silly, but this is exactly how the lockout of a deadlift should feel for your glutes.
3. Extend your arms straight to the ground like you are trying to reach for your knees without bending over. You should feel your pecs flex (you might even get a little cramp if you are really reaching). A good drill to figure out how to feel this can be done by laying supine on the ground with all the same mechanics that you would use to deadlift. Sit up until your shoulder blades roll off of the ground.
This is your finish position. Everything is squeezed and the bar is still as close to the ground as possible.
When you examine your own deadlift finish, look out for these common errors:
1. Using you back instead of your glutes which leads to an overextended finish position.
2. Soft knees. A lot of times this can come from trying to finish the deadlift before standing tall enough. Make sure to continue pressing into the floor while you finish the lift with the glutes. Ideally the hips and knees will lock out at the same time.
I hope this helps some of you as you continue to improve your fitness and strive to be better everyday – best of luck to you all with your deadlifts! Keep squeezing those glutes and saving those backs! Just keep it simple and keep the range of motion short, but make sure to still hit the movement standards. Be successful in deadlifting with doing as little work as possible.