Deficit Deadlift

advanced · hinge

Setup

Stand on a low 2-5 cm platform with the bar centered over your feet. Hinge down to grip the bar at shoulder width, shins close to touching it.

Execution

Inhale, brace your core, lift your chest and keep your back flat, with the hips starting a little lower than a floor-level deadlift because you are standing on the platform.
Exhale and push the platform away with both legs, dragging the bar close along your shins through the extra range.
Once the bar clears your knees, drive your hips forward to stand fully upright.
Squeeze your glutes at the top, without leaning the torso back excessively.
If you stall mid-pull or your back starts to round, set the bar straight back down on the platform and give that rep up rather than grinding it out.
Inhale, hinge the hips back first, and lower the bar back down the same path, setting it on the platform under control.

Breathing

Inhale and brace before pulling, exhale as you stand up. Do not hold your breath for more than one rep; if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia or you are pregnant, avoid this extended-range pulling exercise.

Quick cues

Chest up before you pull.
Bar stays brushing the shins.
Stand solid on the platform the whole set.
Start lighter than your floor deadlift.

Common faults

Fault: The lower back rounding right off the platform because of the extra range
Fix: Reduce the load noticeably compared to your floor deadlift and brace the core harder before pulling.
Fault: Standing unsteadily on the low platform
Fix: Use a platform wide and sturdy enough, and check it is stable before loading the bar.
Fault: The hips shooting up while the shoulders stay low
Fix: Keep the chest and hips rising at the same rate from the moment the bar leaves the platform.
Fault: Increasing the deficit height too quickly between sessions
Fix: Raise the deficit height only slightly every few weeks, and only once your technique stays solid.

Equipment

barbell, step

Muscle groups

back, glutes, legs, arms