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Deadlift Technique for Powerlifting

Create tension from the floor, keep the bar close, and finish a competition-standard deadlift without wasted motion.

The deadlift is not a relaxed pull followed by a correction. The setup should remove slack, connect the lifter to the floor, and make the first centimetre predictable.

Set the start position

Place the bar over a repeatable point on the foot, take the grip, then use the body to create tension before the plates leave the floor.

Break the floor and finish

Push against the floor while keeping the bar close. Finish with knees and hips extended, without turning lockout into a backward lean.

Common faults

A bar that drifts, hips that shoot, or slack that returns before the pull points back to the setup rather than a need for more aggression.

[PH] Add Cris's original deadlift fault-and-correction footage before M9.

Self-assessment

1

Film a repeatable angle

Keep the camera position stable enough to compare sets.

2

Choose one fault

Prioritise the error that most changes balance, standard, or confidence.

3

Retest one correction

Use the next set to test a clear change instead of stacking cues.

Cris RosaPublished

Written by Cris Rosa.

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