The below discusses how to perform the 6-basic exercises I also use and recommend to others. As mentioned elsewhere on the site, you don't have to "limit" yourself to these recommendations but honestly, after over a decade of lifting I have to say that these 6-basics really are all you need. They're the meat and spuds of your strength-training routine and anything else will be the peas and carrots (NOTE: click any of the below for their specific article or simply scroll down at your leisure).
→ How to shoulder press
→ How to benchpress
→ How to do bent over rows
→ How to squat
→ How to perform RDLs
→ How to deadlift
Remember that a lot of the above will depend on what sort of equipment you decide to use or are using. I go uber basic because that's all you need whereas you might be one of these cats who goes the whole nine yards and buys a total power rack. Yes, those things are totally awesome but not totally necessary. However, if you've got the coin to splash out then the full-on home gym could be you. I never had the coin. Instead I built my own rack out of 4-by-2" and I'm still using it.
Before getting into the below please note I often say "give it a go" so please do. The reason this is of key importance is by giving things a go we see what works best for us. In other words, don't just listen to any so-called "expert" including me. It's crucial you find exercises you are comfortable with or which work best for your size, shape and levers. Yes, there will be some exercises that are physically demanding and always will be. So is child-raising but we didn't just walk out on that either, did we?
△ HOW TO SHOULDER PRESS
You have a few options when it comes to shoulder-pressing. You can either stand or sit. You can use dumbbells or a barbell, and you can press in front of the head or behind the neck. There are pros and cons to each. I have a squat rack I use at home to shoulder-press from: I unrack the bar, step back and get into it. Now I could sit on my plain, flat bench -- sometimes called a "utility bench" -- but I can't be arsed. Just doesn't feel right.
If I had an adjustable bench whereby I could raise the back up and literally lean against it as a back-support, well, that could be cool. But I don't. So I can't. You'll be just fine standing but at the end of the day it's up to you and what you're comfortable with, not to mention what equipment i.e. bench you're going to use (yes, you can use a plain old stool or chair). Standing will definitely rope in greater musculature to keep you stable through-out though.
Give both a go and see what works for you.
When using a straight bar and pressing from the front of the body, you don't want to whack your chin so you need to get use to either tilting your head backwards or scrunching your chin into your neck. Then, once the bar is past, you quickly return your head to its original position and "push" the bar overhead, making sure to raise your shoulders/traps in the final part of the movement -- almost like you're "shrugging" at the top.
This isn't the case when shoulder-pressing behind the neck. The bar rests across your shoulders and you simply push it upward from there, usually with your chin dipped. Now behind the neck pressing gets a lot of flack but if you have the mobility to do it and you're comfortable with the movement, all good. My only recommendation would be not taking the bar back down to the neck but rather the top of the ears or even just the top of your head but...
...give both a go and see what works for you.
Dumbbells remove the whole head-forward-and-backward movements like you're giving the invisible man a blowjob. You simply have the dumbbells either side of you and press up from there in which case I would recommend the seated position simply for the sake of keeping a stable torso. Whilst I do have dumbbells I never wanted to to go out and buy lots of smaller plates for them, choosing to spend my hard-earned money on big plates for my barbell instead.
If you decide to go with dumbbells and you get strong on them -- strong being defined as pushing your body weight overhead -- I personally think you'd be better off pushing that sort of weight with a barbell as you have greater control of it and less risk of losing form. When using dumbbells ensure arms are out to your sides so you're in a t-position across the shoulders. You can lower your elbows as low as you're comfortable with. At the top you have the option of either pressing straight up or upward and inward (which theoretically is more deltoid "based" but I'm not so sure I buy into that, personally).
Pressing behind the neck
When I do these I go wide. I put my hands on the bar so that I end up making this shape --> |_0_| (that's meant to be my head in the middle) with the bar obviously going across the top. My elbows don't go any lower than this either hence the bar could touch the top rear of my head, should I allow it to. This wide hand spacing feels very comfortable for me and remember, the further outward you move your hands the more you recruit the deltoids. The more inward you move your hands the more you recruit your triceps.
I find a foot stance just outside of shoulder width the most comfortable for me. Knees are locked and butt squeezed together to create tension through the core. I breathe in before I unrack the bar and use that breathe for my first press. I prefer not to lock out at the top as this takes tension off the muscles and onto the joints and tendons. I expel air as I drive up and suck in another breath on the return down -- however, some recommend drawing breath in at the top so again, have a play round and listen to what your body prefers. Fast up, slower down.
Pressing in front of you
Grip the bar just outside shoulder width and ensure that when you unrack it your forearms are perpendicular to the bar -- not behind it. If anything, your elbows can even be slightly in front of the bar with the bar resting across you upper chest/shoulder region (not on your clavicles so "make a shelf" for it). It may also feel better if you use a thumbless grip rather than wrapping you thumb around the bar itself -- I usually go thumbless. When you press the bar over head keep in mind how you want your hands: not bent back but rather ensuring the bar, whilst gripped, is sitting directly inline with your forearm. Keep your wrists straight.
I find a foot stance just outside of shoulder width the most comfortable for me. Knees are locked and butt squeezed together to create tension through the core. I breathe in before I unrack the bar and use that breathe for my first press. I prefer not to lock out at the top as this takes tension off the muscles and onto the joints and tendons. I expel air as I drive up and suck in another breath on the return down -- however, some recommend drawing breath in at the top so again, have a play round and listen to what your body prefers. Fast up, slower down and remember: once you're nearing lock-out "shrug" the bar up that extra bit as this will keep shoulders healthy.
Lastly, here's a cue: when pressing upward, imagine pressing up and out like you're making a V-shape. The only reason I say this is because it's very easy to "flare" the elbows at which point your forearms are out of alignment, your wrists are no longer directly under the bar, and you've removed the necessary tension for a solid push. Keep the elbows tucked and under the bar so the cue of pushing up and out is one I developed to help my form. It may assist you it may not. Do your thing but keep it in mind: elbows under, forearms straight.
Thumbless or wrapped around?
I need to discuss pressing overhead with a thumbless grip or thumb wrapped round the bar, because for some people this will make a real difference, especially as weight increases. What's important is when you position yourself to press, your wrist should be directly under the bar; your forearm should be vertical directly under your wrist -- though can be slightly ahead if that works for you -- and basically, the two are in a straight line. This is the strongest weight-bearing position. If going thumbless causes the bar to roll towards your fingers and away from the palm of your hand, then stay with wrapping your thumb around the bar.
You want an upright wrist locked firmly in place, not one whereby your hand bends backwards and the bar (and therefore the entire weight of the load you're about to press) rolls towards your knuckles/fingers, taking the weight off your palm. When this occurs you won't press from the optimal position or be able to engage 100% all your muscle and power in one, strong upward thrust so again, pay attention to this small but incredibly important detail. If going thumbless weakens your wrist-slash-lift, wrap your thumb round the bar and engage your motor units correctly.
△ HOW TO BENCHPRESS
For the record, I benchpress from the deficit position i.e. instead of unracking the weight above me to lower into position, I have it lying across the rack over my chest already. If I take a deep breath my chest touches the bar. The only reason I press from this position is because I only had a flat bench originally and couldn't be arsed going out and buying a proper benchpress. I'd also built myself a wooden rack so I couldn't raise or lower anything (it wasn't till later I realised I could affix brackets to unrack from but hey, I prefer the deficit position simply because I've gotten used to it. Just saying is all).
Hand and arm position
Okay, so you're ready to benchpress. Firstly, if someone were looking down at you from the ceiling above, you shouldn't be pressing from the T-position as shown bottom left. This flared elbow position can fuck your shoulders and certainly did mine. Instead, you should be pushing with elbows down further i.e. in more of an arrow position -- remember, this is what someone would see looking down at you from above -- as shown in the image bottom right. I've thrown in roughly where the nipple line would be so that you can see it across both examples.
Nor do you press the weight directly upward, funny as this sounds. Rather you push the weight up and back towards your head; this is often referred to as the J-curve (refer below image). You have more strength following this pattern but understand it takes a while to groove the movement. Your hands, wrists and forearms should be in line. Keep the bar in the palm of your hand. Don't allow the hand to bend backwards. Bent wrists under the bar lead to sprained wrists. Push the bar from the nipple line up and back, lowering it back to the nipple. Fast up, steady down.
If I were crouched at the end of the bench by your head, I would expect to see your forearms perpendicular to your upper arms when looking down your body. That's the perfect placement. If your hands were out too wide like this \_0_/ they would not be directly in-line with your elbow. You want one straight line from hand to wrist to forearm to elbow. If they were the opposite i.e. they were too close together like this /_0_\ then again your hands, wrist and forearm wouldn't be in perfect alignment. Always remember to grip the bar strongly too as this gets you "tight".
Now.
This is where shit gets tricky.
Some bodybuilders will often flare their elbows -- this is known as the "guillotine press" -- on purpose to hit their chest further. They wilfully adapt the t-position, often with hands wide. This is believed to develop the outer chest more. Dumbbell flys are reputed to do the same thing. Powerlifters will always spread their hand position (not their elbows) as this means a shorter bar path upward. Unlike bodybuilders, the goal of powerlifters is to move as much weight as possible as quickly as possible. Wide grip equals short bar path.
Bodybuilders will also purposely press with a narrow, shoulder-wide grip to focus on triceps at times. This is known as close-grip benchpress and is specifically done for tricep development, of which it does a fantastic job and I mention these so that you understand we're trying to get the basic benchpress pattern grooved before we go off and do other variations. I can't stress this enough: nail the basics. Don't get side-tracked by what others are doing.
Shoulder-blades and back arch
Two body parts are always in contact with the bench: shoulders/upper back and butt. You need to pull your shoulders back into the bench -- one way of doing this is by pushing your chest up -- thus reducing the amount of shoulder involvement. This is often referred to as "pinching your shoulder-blades together" which is a fairly accurate description. Not only that, don't just pull your shoulders up towards the head; instead, think of pulling the shoulder-blades back and (not overly) down. This will set you up nicely but you need to find your own style. If you don't pull the shoulders back you'll take tension off the chest by engaging the shoulders/deltoids more.
When pressing you will also naturally maintain an arch in your lower back; that's okay and it may well look a little different for each of us. You should have one. Just don't let your butt rise off the bench and no, you don't need to clench your cheeks. Theoretically you're keeping your whole body tight from feet upwards but the main force is coming through the arms and upper torso so remember: chest high, shoulder blades back and down, ass on seat, "push" through the legs/feet and keep tight.
If you've ever seen powerlifters bench you'll notice they have very wide hand positions, crazy-ass back arch and usually bend their legs underneath them so that they're driving through their toes. Remember, unlike bodybuilders, the goal of powerlifters is to move as much weight as possible as quickly as possible. Having these acute positions allows them to move maximal loads. You're not a bodybuilder or a powerlifter at least, not yet, but if you want to give it a go then do your thing. I've read the likes of Jim Wendler point out that not many people can do wide benchpressing with heavy loads their entire lives and I believe him.
Foot position
I personally prop my heels up on the leg supports underneath my bench. I've no idea why, it's just comfortable for me; it also has a lot to do with my bench, my bar, my equipment and my set-up. Find your own comfortable and most beneficial foot-placement. It could be feet wide or narrow; it could be feet flared or pointing forward; it could be resting on your heels or toes; it could be barefoot or wearing your wife's stunning red, sequinned high-heels. As long as the position keeps you tight and in place, then you're good to go. Don't over think this shit. You really don't need to.
Breathing
Lastly is breath. I'm a fan of big breath and I'll discuss that in a minute; just know that the idea is to breathe out when pushing upward, breathe in when lowering the bar. Some prefer to suck the breath in a second before the lower. Up to you but the tempo is usually fast up, slower down, just like when shoulder pressing. Because I love heavy benchpress doubles I'll take one big breath and do both repetitions using the one breath, expelling only when I lower the bar on the second rep. That's just me but hey, give it a go and see what you prefer, it may just be you too.
A bit about bench position
Flat-benching gets a lot of flack today, mainly because a lot of people's shoulders can get hurt (mine did). After some experimentation I finally settled on raising an end of my bench by about 15° and found this much better on my rotator cuffs. Bodybuilders have long advocated raised/incline bench to target the upper chest and lowered/decline bench to target the lower chest. Both work exceedingly well. I exclusively push from a slightly raised bench nowadays. I'm still working the whole chest whilst enjoying a thicker, all-round shape. Give it a go and see what works for you but start off with the flat bench.
Also, I'm a lanky person with long arms. Bringing the bar down to the chest did not agree with me and in fact, contributed towards my shoulder impingement. By setting the rack so that the bar stops anywhere from 3-5" off the chest really helped: I have no impingement whatsoever now and don't feel I'm missing out on range of motion or reaping the benefits. When I take a deep breath, set myself and assume my arch, my chest swells up and touches the bar anyway and I'm very happy with this position so remember: if it hurts, don't do it. Find a work around or use the contact link to ask a question.
Because I find benchpressing a real challenge, I've spent and still spend, a lot of time working on bar path. Bar path is crucial. Once the bar is overhead it should always end up over the shoulders as this is where the most weight can be supported. It's the natural position for lock-out and one you should keep aiming to achieve. Same with bringing the bar back down to your chest: see if you can keep returning it to the same place so that over time you are grooving said form into what we call "muscle memory". Lastly, some people like to press with a thumbless grip; personally I prefer the safety of my thumbs around the bar but it's up to you.
△ HOW TO DO BENT OVER ROWS
Before discussing the set up for bent over rows, understand there are several ways of doing them which includes variations in equipment to hand placement to body placement. What I'm going to cover is the basic row, a mainstay for generations of lifters, which is the only one I've ever needed. You just need a barbell and plates and you're away. The starting position is simple: said bar starts on the floor at your feet with you standing before it.
Foot placement
Place your feet under the bar so that when standing and looking down, it basically sits midfoot. This is the same set up for RDLs and deadlifts. When you bend down and pick up the bar, you shouldn't need to roll it too you at all. In a moment you're going to bend down, pick the bar up, hang it just below knee height and pull it into your lower abdomen and I mention all this now so you don't get too finicky with foot placement. As long as you have a good balance between feet, bar and butt, you'll be sweet.
Hand placement
Take ahold of the bar with palms facing you -- this called an over-hand or "pronated" grip -- just outside the knees but not too close you end up raking your thighs with your lovely sequinned thumbnails. NOTE: heavy weight rolls towards the ends of your fingers so I strongly suggest you start off with your thumb around the bar and grip the hell out of it. I personally don't row anything over bodyweight and, having done bent over rows for so long, employ a thumbless grip and basically "hook" my hand/fingers. If you can do this straight off lucky you, but if not, wait till your grip improves.
Another thing about hand placement: the general "theory" is the closer your hands are to your sides -- which means you'll tuck your elbows in further -- the more you hit your lower lats and inner back whilst the wider your hands are, the more you'll target the upper back (upper lats, rear delts, rhomboids, traps blah blah blah). I don't personally put much stock in this: when I row from the hanging position I go hands closer/pull to the stomach because its more comfortable; when rowing from a floor position I go hands wider/pull to the sternum because that is. I explain this a little further on.
When pulling the weight up to your start position it shouldn't need to be said but for safety sake I will: don't "lift" the weight with your arms. You don't need to turn this into a bicep exercise any more than it already is. Keep them dead straight acting like hooks more than anything, elbows locked and faced out to the sides, and lift the weight by pulling up with your torso and hinging the hips forwards like your straightening. Look at the below image for you starting and finishing positions:
The pull
As you can see, in the starting position on the left-hand side the bar is hanging just below the knees; for some people this may be lower, for others possibly higher. It depends upon your levers and proportions. At this point you need to ensure you have a good balance between feet, bar and butt so as not to over-balance when pulling. Your upper body is roundabout 45° here. Any higher and you're basically doing shrugs. The mental cue is two-fold: think of your hands as hooks (try to keep the wrists straight with the forearms as much as possible) and imagine you're pulling the weight with your elbows.
Yep, you read that right: pull your elbows up to the ceiling.
This is to get you to focus on using your back i.e. squeezing your shoulder-blades together as the weight comes up. It's a good enough concept to keep in mind but I wouldn't get overly obsessed about it. Just lead with the elbows. You're pulling the bar into the lower stomach. Some people like to say you're "dragging the bar up your thigh" which is also a good cue as you pretty much are. Fast up, steady down, keeping your body locked in place with a neutral spine (a slight arch isn't going to break the bank in fact, some lifters advocate an arched back with your butt out so as to protect the lower spine. See what works for you).
Some options
I mention above pulling from the floor; this is where you lift the bar from the ground to their chest and return it back to the ground before pulling the next rep, often referred to as the "Pendlay row". In this style their torso is parallel to the ground, something I originally didn't like because my lower back disagreed with it, rather than the more raised hang postion. However, after much practice, I've gotten to the point where pulling from the ground has become my preferred method. Go figure. Either method is fine, you just have to figure what you like. For an example of the Pendlay row, set up and technique, click here.
You may also have seen the Yates row which is the same as the hanging row only A) you're usually more erect and B) your hands face upward as they would during, say, a bicep curl. This is more bicep-dominated and whether rowing this way or pronated is best will be a matter of personal preference. Experiment and find the sweet spot for you: not me, not anyone at the gym nor other netspurts, just you. If you really can't do rows, put the bar under your bench, jack up one end and lying face-down on the bench, pull that way. That will take the whole lower-back-as-a-fulcrum out of the picture.
△ HOW TO SQUAT
To squat you need a squat rack, bought or home-made. That much should be apparent -- hey, I'm just putting it out there. The idea is you load up the bar, get yourself under it, unrack said bar, step back, get in position and start your squats. Which is exactly right. Before we break this down understand squats are some of the most demanding exercises on the body, obviously because you've got a weight across your shoulders and you're squatting up and down with it, over and over. Just think of all the musculature being recruited, top to bottom, just for you to do that! Note that the squats I use and am discussing are high bar squats whereby the bar sits along the top of the rear shoulders just under your trap line.
The set up
Once you've put your weight on and you're ready to go (HINT: most bars can take double the weight on one side without tipping. That means if you had 80kg on the bar and you removed a 20kg plate from one side, the bar should remain stable), put your hands on the bar where you want them to be. Don't waste movement: once you're standing under the bar you shouldn't be sliding your hands inwards or outwards to find the best position so figure this out before-hand with an empty bar. Where you put them is where they should stay.
I usually go with a very close hand position, literally outside shoulder width, something I picked up from a female powerlifter; I find this keeps me real tight under the bar. Next, I literally wedge myself under the bar, shrugging into it so that it's sitting just right -- not on any bones but across the back of the shoulders. I automatically push my chest out (the cue for this is "keep your chest high") which naturally sets my shoulders back, thus creating more of a shelf for the bar to sit on. Once in position I then bring my elbows down and in, tightening my lats. I call this "lock the top" which is a cue that works for me. Back is in a neutral position, relatively straight.
The walk out
Firstly, don't even dream about squatting without safety rails either side of you or squatting inside the rack where you've set the pins to take the weight should things go pear-shaped. I've got stuck in the hole before (lifter speak for when you're at the very bottom of your squat) and discovered I can't get out of this. I can't squat the weight back up. So I just calmly hunch down, set the bar across the rails, ease out from underneath and start all over. If you can't do that you have two options: one is dump the weight -- and if you're in your garage you'll crack the cement pad -- or two, collapse into fuckery. For safety's sake, squat between/inside some sort of rack.
Secondly, when you unrack the bar, only go back a few steps. I go back exactly four steps every time I squat and they are very short and simple: slide the left foot back, slide the right foot back, left again, right again, spread and lock, I'm ready. You don't want wasted movement. Wasted movement means wasted time under the bar and further distraction. All movements must be economical, thought through, logical. You don't need to lock your knees out. You should be bent slightly forward to offset the weight on your back. Stay tight, be efficient, keep aware. You need to be mentally present, especially in the early days, during every squat.
Thirdly, consider your foot position. Find a squat width comfortable for you. Everyone squats differently because we have different builds, different levers and different hip/pelvic dimensions. Some people can squat feet straight ahead, some people can't. Some people can squat wide with near-vertical shins, for others a shoulder-width stance with some toes out works best. Lastly, think of scrunching your big toe so as to keep your foot arched. I have shitty genetics and my feet tend to roll in (which is why I squat with an elevated heel too, by the way) so following cues like "arch your foot" or "scrunch toes" or "knees out" tend to work for me.
The descent
Some people say you should break at the knees first on the descent followed by the hips -- remember, when you squat down you will naturally break at the knees and hip, causing the buttocks to go back and the upper torso to tilt forward. However, don't over-think this as in truth, they both tend to break at the same time. As you can see from the below image, the weight needs to be kept in the midfoot as much as possible standing or squatting, so that you're A) keeping balanced and B) you can rise and fall like a piston, maintaining this stable position through-out.
There are several cues used in the descent. One is "sit back" which is meant to help visualize you're sitting back in a seat. However, this cue may cause some to push the buttocks too far back thus causing the upper body to over-compensate and tilt too far forward. When we squat we're literally lowering ourselves between the knees, so you'll also hear the cue "knees out", which is equally applicable to the ascent on your return to the standing position (more about that below). For some, remembering knees out reminds them to squat between the thighs, rather than use a narrower stance whereby they're bending over them as if touching stomach to leg.
In terms of how low to squat, roundabout parallel is fine. Yes, you will hear some say only ATG counts -- Ass To Grass whereby you're literally touching your hamstrings to your calves -- and if you'd like to experiment with that then do. These advocates are usually the same who insist the hips must fall beneath the knees to engage as much of the leg as possible but what's really important is finding what works for your size, your shape and your levers. It is crucial you find a natural, relaxed path you can work in. Squatting near parallel, at or just beneath -- I don't obsess over these things.
Never just "drop" into the squat. You want to keep tight and use strict form. Control the speed down and up in fact, coming up faster than you go down is a common powerlifting technique and I like the explosiveness it creates (something I need to work on). In the early stages of learning the squat you can afford to stop just above parallel as you feel it out but don't make that your standard. Get used to going roundabout parallel -- or lower. With high-bar squats work on finding your balance and keeping your torso as erect as possible. Be present in every squat. Reflect upon your form. You need to develop a reflective attitude whereby you know when a squat is good or bad and more importantly, why.
This I call "lifting maturity".
The ascent
On the ascent it is common for the knees to come in a little, hence the cue of "knees out". However, should your knees tend to always cave in -- known as valgus collapse -- remedial action may be needed (visit Bret Contreras's site here if you find this is indeed the case later on. I bow to the expert). What's important is maintaining balance, staying tight, and pushing up strong using the whole body. Don't just think legs, think your whole body pushing up against the bar: use your shoulders, your traps, your back, your hands etcetera. This generates great strength.
Depending upon your programming goals and what routine you've settled on, locking out at the knees is not always necessary as this will take tension off the legs. It's definitely not bad to lock out and on light-to-moderate weights I tend not to. On heavy doubles and singles though, I always lock-out so as to reset, get tight again and recapture focus before the next rep. You'll find with your head you'll tend to crane the neck back and look upwards when ascending too; I would suggest trying to keep your head in a more neutral position just so the spine is more aligned but again, do what works for you.
Tracking with the knees
There are netspurts, coaches and athletes who say that when you squat, knees should not go past feet. There are netspurts, coaches and athletes who say that when you squat, it's fine if your knees go past your feet. These two camps are going to keep at it till Jesus comes back. What we do know is they both agree knees track toes i.e. in whatever position your feet point so too should your knees. Don't get caught up in the debate. Find what works best for your size, your shape and your levers -- and by "levers" I mean the lengths of your thighs and calves as these differ between us. Go here for a superb overview of why this is. I insist.
Do I need a belt?
I've never squatted with a belt. What's important is taking a deep breath into the and holding it on the descent and ascent, blowing it out at the top -- though I'll often tend to breathe out on the upward myself. The whole point of a weight-lifting belt is to provide bracing for the stomach: your stomach will press out against the belt to keep your entire torso front, back and sides as "tight" as possible -- yes, there's that damn word again. By breathing into your stomach (not just your lungs!) you give your abdominal wall something to "push against" and hold so no, you don't need a belt. But. If you need one in time then by all means, purchase one. I'm no expert on belts.
△ HOW TO PERFORM RDLs
Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) start with the bar on the floor with you standing before it. Place your feet under the bar so that when standing and looking down, it basically sits midfoot which is the position you will use every time -- wearing the same footwear will make finding this a breeze as you can readily identify said position (when you bend down and pick up the bar, you shouldn't need to roll it to you). Once standing with the bar in hand you're going to hinge at the hips and lower it down the front of your legs, stretching the hamstrings, returning to the start position to repeat said maneuver however many times you wish to.
Take hold of the bar with palms facing you in an over-hand (or what's called a "pronated") grip, your hands just outside the knees. Lift the weight by pulling up with your torso and hinging the hips forwards to straighten. Hands are hooks. Do not lift with either your arms or hands. Once standing with the bar in hand, ensure knees are not locked out but slightly bent or what we call "soft". Here's the catch: you need to train yourself to lower the weight down your thighs to your knees (usually just past) by hinging at the hip, not bending your back or breaking at the knees too much, so as to target your hamstrings.
Your back needs to maintain a neutral position through-out the entire movement and your arms must remain straight. In truth, the RDL is actually more of a forwards/backwards movement then an actual up/down motion. Think about it: to lower the weight you push your pelvis back, allowing yourself to hinge at the hip, arms straight. To raise the weight you then reverse said movement and thrust your pelvis forward, causing the body to straighten and so "pull" the weight back up to the start position as shown in the below graphic.
You need to be aware of the hamstrings the whole time, as this is the main focus of the RDL. It's the weighted stretch that is placing the muscles of the hamstrings (of which there are three, emanating from under the muscles of the gluteus maximus to attach further down the leg) under tension. If you're not feeling it there then keep experimenting with how far back you move your hips, how far down you go -- are you going too deep or can you go lower? -- whether you're resisting the temptation to bend the back as well as ensuring you're not actually lowering yourself as if squatting, which is common. Keep tension on the hamstrings.
I should also admit here that when I'm using A twist on the 5x5 routine (which I usually employ for half the year) I drop RDLs completely and just go with the deadlifts. The reason for this is simple: I'm programming deadlifts into my 2wk cycle thus making the RDLs obsolete so take note. RDLs are hamstring specific whilst deadlifts hit back and hamstrings equally not to mention your grip/forearms, shoulders, traps -- the entire torso really and, if you're honest, total leg musculature as well even if the emphasis is different from squats. Does that mean you can't do deadlifts and RDLS in the same week? Of course not. You can do them on the same day if you wish, though I'd deadlift first and do moderate RDLs second.
Not that I ever do.
△ HOW TO DEADLIFT
Set up for deadlift is exactly the same as RDLs above. Place your feet under the bar so that when standing and looking down, the bar straddles the midfoot which is the position you will use every time -- wearing the same footwear will make finding this a breeze as you can readily identify said position from when you wore said footwear last time. NOTE: flat shoes or barefoot are the best way to deadlift as a raised heel (useful during squats and employed by the majority of Olympic lifters) is not necessary. Unlike squatting, your body position is completely different, not least because you're pulling the weight from the ground as opposed to lowering it from above.
Bend down and take hold of the bar with palms facing you in an over-hand (or what's called a "pronated") grip, hands outside the knees. This is your starting position. Lock your arms with elbows facing out to your sides. Again, your hands are acting like hooks. At no point do you attempt to use your arms to "lift" the bar. Your back should be neutral and you're looking ahead. At this point I settle my feet i.e. make sure they're comfortable. Often I'll even force my arches up as a sign to myself I'm ready. NOTE: find the most comfortable position for your feet which could be straight ahead, flared out, slightly closer, slight wider etcetera.
Shoulders are over the bar and shins are practically vertical at this point, taking into account that we all set up slightly different due to our own individual physical nuances. Regardless, the bar is over the midfoot so when you crouch down to take ahold of it, do not roll the bar towards you: this off-sets positioning. Rather, your shins should move to the bar, possibly even touching the bar at the set-up point. Your feet should stay exactly where they are from here on out. They do not budge, not even once, so take the time to find the right position for you. Tighten the arms on the bar, often called "take the slack out of the bar" so that when you pull, it's going to be smooth not jerky.
The first part of the deadlift is basically vertical. A common cue here is "spread the bar" and if you actively pull the bar in to the sides i.e. in opposite directions -- you can practice this just holding a broom or belt by the way -- you'll notice your lats (the muscles running from the underarms down the sides of your body) tighten. Getting tight is important because when the body generates power it doesn't do so within one region; instead, the entire body as a whole contributes so get tight. Does that mean you have to keep thinking about spreading the bar when you're setting up? Not if it adds more mental noise. Just make sure your lats are engaged and your entire torso "tight".
You're going to lift the bar up past your knees and often people wear long socks precisely because they deadlift a lot and don't want to lose skin off their shins (you are permitted to wear nylons, suspenders and maybe even that little slinky, off-the-shoulder number you've been keeping for a rainy day). As you can see from the above graphic, your back is rising as you pull upward. At this point, a large portion of the lift is actually your back working -- which is why you can slot deadlift into upper or lower body work-outs. I find a good cue for this part of the lift is "push the ground away". Don't think of lifting per se, imagine instead you are pushing the ground away as you straighten.
...works wonders.
Once the bar has cleared the knees three things should happen simultaneously: one, you thrust your pelvis forward -- check out the last image in the above graphic to see how you literally do "screw the bar". This is an active hinging move so thrust the pelvis forward. Two, you pull the bar into your pelvis whilst thrusting said pelvis forward. Three, pulling strongly you straighten to lock-out i.e. body is tall and knees are locked. You are totally "straight" at this time. Boom! We have a successful deadlift (in powerlifting meets it is absolutely essential that you attain this lock-out for a minimum second otherwise the lift is not accepted). Just remember your head: keep yourself looking forward as opposed to upward so that your spine keeps aligned.
Now a point needs to be made here: everyone finds their own method within the parameters of a normal deadlift (if you want to learn about the sumo deadlift then click here). But the general rules of bar over midfoot, back straight, torso tight, arms acting as "hooks" blah blah blah apply. I mentioned above keeping your neck aligned with the spine but a lot of deadlifter's don't: they look straight up at the ceiling. I mentioned keeping the back straight but some deadlifters have this weird-ass style where they purposely round the upper back at the beginning of the move.
Gives me the creeps.
The point is though, find what works for you. Cool?
To lower the bar you have two options: drop it and crack shit or do the entire lift in reverse, albeit a hell of a lot faster. If going with the latter, bend at the knees whilst thrusting your pelvis backwards, and lower the bar down fast maintaining tension. Once past your knees -- and this is where you can tear shit so please pay attention to what you're doing, especially with heavier weight -- you're allowing gravity to pull the bar to the ground, essentially guiding it down with your hands. Yes, you are providing a resistance to gravity but it should be negligible i.e. just enough to give the bar a "soft" landing without having your arms pulled from their sockets. Check out the Equipment basics page so you know what equipment to start with.
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