Fix Your Deadlift: 5 Common Mistakes That Kill Your Pull
The deadlift is one of the most effective lifts you can do—it builds raw strength, challenges your entire posterior chain, and transfers to just about everything else in and out of the gym. But it’s also one of the easiest lifts to get wrong.
And when your deadlift form is off, you’ll know it. Lower back tweaks, stalled progress, inconsistent reps—these are all signs something in your setup or execution isn’t clicking.
The good news?
Most deadlift issues come down to a few common mistakes that are easy to identify and fix. In this article, we’ll break down five of the biggest deadlift killers and show you how to clean them up so you can pull stronger, safer, and more confidently.
Mistake 1: Rounding Your Back at the Start
One of the most common (and most dangerous) deadlift mistakes is starting with a rounded back. You might not notice it until the video shows your spine looking like a fishing rod mid-pull—but by then, the damage could already be happening.
Why it happens:
- Poor bracing before the lift
- Tight hamstrings pulling you out of position
- Hips too high or chest too low at setup
Why it matters:
A rounded spine under load shifts tension away from your glutes and hamstrings and dumps it into your lower back. Over time, that’s a recipe for injury—and it also robs you of power and control off the floor.
How to fix it:
- Brace your core before you pull—tighten your abs like someone’s about to hit you.
- Pull your chest up and squeeze your lats—think about “tucking your armpits into your back pockets.”
- Use a mirror or record your setup to check for a neutral spine from head to tailbone.
Once your spine is locked in neutral and your body is tight before the bar moves, the rest of the lift becomes way more efficient—and safer.
Mistake 2: Starting Too Far From the Bar
The deadlift is all about leverage. Start too far from the bar, and you ruin your leverage before you even begin. You’ll see it in the form of a bar that drifts forward, a weird pull off the floor, or a lift that feels way harder than it should.
Why it happens:
- Poor setup awareness
- Trying to keep the bar “at arm’s length”
- Not lining the bar up with your midfoot
Why it matters:
When the bar isn’t directly over your midfoot, it creates a longer lever arm—meaning more strain on your lower back and less power from your legs and hips. The bar should move in a straight vertical line, not swing forward like a kettlebell.
How to fix it:
- Set up with the bar over the middle of your foot—roughly where your laces start.
- Your shins should lightly touch the bar when you hinge down into position—not before.
- Practice with a dowel or empty bar and film your bar path to check for straight-line movement.
Clean bar path = better mechanics = heavier lifts with less risk.
Mistake 3: Yanking the Bar Off the Floor
This one’s easy to spot and surprisingly common. You see someone get set, then suddenly rip the bar off the ground like they’re trying to win a prize for speed. The problem? No tension. No control. No consistency.
Why it happens:
- Impatience
- Not understanding the importance of pre-lift tension
- Trying to “muscle” the weight up with brute force
Why it matters:
Yanking the bar leads to a breakdown in form—hips shoot up, chest collapses, and your back loses tightness. It’s not efficient, and it’s not safe.
How to fix it:
- Pull the slack out of the bar first. You should hear a slight “click” as the bar meets the top of the plates before you lift.
- Build tension before the bar moves. Think of the lift as a press through the floor with your legs, not a yank with your arms.
- Use the cue “squeeze, then push.” Squeeze your lats, brace your core, then push the ground away.
Slow off the floor is strong off the floor.
Mistake 4: Not Locking Out With the Hips
Getting the bar off the ground is only half the job. The other half is finishing the lift with your hips—not your lower back. And that’s where a lot of lifters either short the rep or overextend.
Why it happens:
- Weak glutes
- Rushing through the top portion
- Confusing a lean-back with a full lockout
Why it matters:
A proper lockout protects your spine, finishes the rep with power, and reinforces good glute activation. If you’re just leaning back or never fully locking out, you’re missing the benefits—and risking your back in the process.
How to fix it:
- Squeeze your glutes at the top—not your lower back.
- Finish tall. You should be standing fully upright, not arching back.
- Use the cue “hips through, not back lean.” Drive your hips forward until you’re stacked from head to heels.
Locking out properly means finishing the lift with control, protecting your back, and making every rep count.
Mistake 5: Letting Grip Break Down Early
You can have perfect form, strong legs, and a rock-solid setup—but if your grip goes, the whole lift falls apart. The bar slips, your tension breaks, and you either lose the rep or start compensating with bad mechanics to hang on.
Why it happens:
- Weak grip strength
- Sweaty hands or smooth bars
- Not using the right grip strategy for heavier sets
Why it matters:
When your hands can’t hold the bar, your body can’t deliver its full strength. Grip failure isn’t just frustrating—it limits your progress and puts you at risk of tweaking your back or shoulders mid-rep.
How to fix it:
- Use chalk. Seriously—it’s a simple fix that improves grip instantly.
- Switch to a mixed grip (one hand over, one hand under) for heavier sets.
- Train your grip directly: add farmer carries, barbell holds, or dead hangs to your routine.
- Learn hook grip if you’re pulling heavy and want to stay symmetrical.
A strong grip equals more control, more confidence, and more weight on the bar.
Closing: Clean Up Your Deadlift and Unlock More Strength
The deadlift is one of the most rewarding lifts in the gym—but only when it’s done right. These five mistakes are super common, but they’re also fixable. A few small tweaks in your setup, technique, and mindset can make a huge difference in how strong (and safe) your pull feels.
Here’s the bottom line:
- Don’t rush the lift.
- Build tension before you move.
- Focus on clean reps—not just heavy ones.
Fix the small things, and the big numbers will come.
