ProgreviaConventional deadlift: proper form, muscles worked and common mistakes
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How to do it
The king of compounds. Bar over mid-foot against the shins, neutral spine and shoulders just ahead of the bar. Push the floor away and extend hips and knees together, keeping the bar close to the body.
Muscles worked
Main muscle: back. Also worked: glutes, hamstrings and lower back. When it plans weekly volume, the generator counts each set of this exercise as one full set for back and half a set for each secondary muscle (what is known as fractional counting).
Conventional deadlift vs. barbell row: everything starts on the floor
In the barbell row, the trunk stays inclined and fixed while the arms pull. In the conventional deadlift, the bar starts from the floor on every rep and your whole body lifts it, with hip and knee extension. That's why it's the lift you can move the most weight on, with a big demand on the hips, glutes, hamstrings and lower back, and it takes more recovery. Pull-ups, pulldowns and rows are back exercises; the deadlift is full-body strength, with the upper back working mostly as a stabilizer.
Put it at the start of the day, in sets of 3 to 6 reps always leaving some in reserve, and one or two sessions a week is usually enough: more frequency piles up fatigue fast. Don't place it after another exercise that has already tired your lower back. Add weight in small jumps and, if your technique breaks down on the final reps, drop the bar and reset each rep from the floor.
Before you pull, take the slack out of the bar: pull up gently until you feel it tighten against your hands, without it leaving the floor. That way the start is cleaner and your back is already locked in when the effort begins.
Technical sheet
- Movement pattern
- Hip hinge
- Minimum level
- Intermediate
- Technical demand
- Needs coaching
- Fatigue it generates
- Very high (2.2 out of 2.2)
- Risk if technique breaks down
- Medium
These are the values the generator uses to decide where the exercise goes within the session.
Recommended sets and reps
As a compound lift, it fits in 3–5 sets of 5–12 reps leaving 1–3 reps in reserve (RIR). Prioritize it at the start of the session, when you're fresh.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Letting the bar drift away from your legs as you pull: the further it travels, the more leverage your lower back has to resist.
- Gripping the bar with each hand at a different distance from the center: one side works harder without you noticing.
- Leaving it for the end of the session: given the fatigue it creates, it goes better early on, which is where the generator places it.
What the research says
Because it is a multi-joint lift, the 2021 review of the repetition continuum by Schoenfeld and colleagues leaves room to choose: both heavy and moderate sets build muscle if they finish near failure, but maximal strength needs some heavy work.
You do not need to reach failure on every set: according to the meta-analysis by Refalo and colleagues (2023), stopping one or two reps short gives very similar growth. The generator prescribes it with RIR for that reason.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading recommendations for muscle strength, hypertrophy, and local endurance: a re-examination of the repetition continuum. Sports. 2021;9(2):32.
- Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2023;53(3):649-665.
How Conventional deadlift compares with other back exercises
Of the 18 back exercises in the catalogue, ranked from least to most fatiguing by the values the generator uses, Conventional deadlift is number 18.
With that fatigue it is best placed early in the session, while you are fresh, without stacking equally demanding exercises for the same group after it.
| Exercise | Equipment | Fatigue | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-arm dumbbell row | dumbbells | High (1.2 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Hammer Strength machine row | machine | High (1.2 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Meadow row | barbell | High (1.4 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Pull-ups | bodyweight | High (1.5 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| T-bar row | barbell | High (1.6 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Weighted pull-ups | bodyweight | Very high (1.7 out of 2.2) | Advanced |
| Barbell row | barbell | Very high (1.9 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Conventional deadlift | barbell | Very high (2.2 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
Related guide
Deadlift: correct technique, variations and safety
Alternative exercises
More hip hinge exercises
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does Conventional deadlift work?
Conventional deadlift mainly works the back muscle group, plus synergist and stabilizer muscles depending on the variation.
How many sets of Conventional deadlift should I do?
Between 3 and 5 sets per session, adjusting the total weekly volume for back to your level (about 10–20 sets per muscle per week).
How often per week can I do conventional deadlifts?
For most people once or twice a week is enough, because the deadlift builds a lot of fatigue in the hips, lower back and grip. If you train it twice, make one session lighter. Adjust to how you recover: if your back feels loaded or your performance drops from week to week, cut the frequency or the volume.
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