Muscle outlines from Body Muscles by Ivan Vulović, Apache 2.0 — regrouped and recoloured for Muscle Train.
Position the bar over the top of your shoelaces and assume a hip width stance. Push your hips back and hinge forward until your torso is nearly parallel with the floor. Reach down and grasp the bar using a double overhand snatch grip. Inhale and pull up slightly on the bar while allowing your hips to drop in a seesaw fashion. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “pulling the slack out of the bar”. As you drop the hips and pull up on the bar, set the lats (imagine you’re trying to squeeze oranges in your armpits) and ensure your armpits are positioned directly over the bar. Drive through the whole foot and focus on pushing the floor away. Ensure the bar tracks in a straight line as you extend the knees and hips. Once you have locked out the hips, reverse the movement by pushing the hips back and hinging forward. Return the bar to the floor, reset, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Keep armpits over the bar and midfoot for a straight bar path. Deadlift is a hinge, not a squat — hips above knees, below shoulders. Engage lats to keep bar close: think “squeeze oranges in armpits.” Use full grip (no false grip), squeeze the bar hard. Neck and toe angle are individual — experiment for best fit. Don’t retract shoulder blades; keep elbows locked out. Drive through the whole foot (big toe, little toe, heel), not just heels. Avoid excessive shin scraping — bar should move vertically. Control the eccentric on reps, but dropping is fine for singles if allowed. Grip width and stance should prevent knee valgus and extra ROM.
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