Fat Bar Deadlift 101 Video Tutorial
0
Exercise Synopsis
Target Muscle Group
Hamstrings
Secondary Targets
Abs, Adductors, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lats, Lower Back, Quads, Traps, Upper Back
Execution
Compound
Force Type
Hinge (Bilateral)
Required Equipment
Fat Bar
Fitness Level
Intermediate
Variations
None
Alternatives
None
Timer
Hour
Minute
Second
Stopwatch
00:00:00:00
Overview
The Fat Bar Deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings while engaging a wide range of secondary muscle groups, including the abs, adductors, calves, forearms, glutes, lats, lower back, quads, traps, and upper back. Using a fat bar instead of a standard barbell increases the grip challenge, which strengthens the forearms and improves overall grip endurance. This variation demands greater stability and control, as the thicker bar recruits additional muscles to maintain proper form throughout the lift. It is an excellent choice for building lower body strength, enhancing core stability, and improving grip strength, making it particularly beneficial for athletes and lifters looking to improve functional performance.
How to Perform
Place the fat bar directly over your shoelaces and position your feet about hip-width apart.
Shift your hips backward while hinging at the hips, lowering your torso until it is nearly parallel to the ground.
Extend your arms and grip the fat bar with a double overhand hold, ensuring your hands are shoulder-width apart.
Take a deep breath, apply slight upward tension to the bar, and let your hips naturally lower into position. This action, often called "taking the slack out of the bar," helps engage your muscles and ensures a smooth lift.
As your hips drop and you pull on the bar, engage your lats by imagining you’re squeezing something under your armpits. Keep your armpits aligned directly over the bar for optimal positioning.
Push through your entire foot, concentrating on driving the floor away rather than simply lifting the bar.
Maintain a straight bar path, ensuring it moves vertically as you extend your knees and hips to complete the lift.
At the top, lock your hips into place by fully extending them while keeping your core engaged.
To return the bar to the floor, reverse the motion by pushing your hips backward and hinging forward, keeping control of the descent.
Place the bar back on the floor with proper alignment, reset your form, and repeat the movement for the intended number of repetitions.
Tips
Maintain the position of your armpits directly over the bar and ensure your midfoot is aligned properly. This will allow the bar to travel in a straight line, which is essential for an efficient lift.
The deadlift is a hip hinge, not a squat. Avoid setting your hips too low, as this can create a disadvantageous position that limits your ability to lift heavier weights.
To prevent the bar from drifting away from your body, engage your lats. Focus on keeping the bar close to your body as it moves upward. Use cues like "squeeze the oranges in your armpits," "put your shoulder blades in your back pockets," or "imagine you're performing a straight-arm pulldown" to activate the lats and maintain a proper bar path.
Position your hips slightly lower than your shoulders. Before lifting, make sure your chest is up and visible, which indicates your lats are engaged and your posture is correct.
Neck position is individual—some prefer a neutral neck with the chin tucked, while others find it more effective to look slightly up. If you have an athletic background with a more extended posture, tucking the chin may work better. If you're more flexion-dominant, particularly in your upper back, looking slightly up can encourage spinal extension. Experiment with both to see what works best for you.
While maintaining a vertical shin is ideal, your spine and limb length may affect this. Adjust your position accordingly for optimal mechanics.
Toe angle depends on your hip anatomy. Test different angles (toes slightly in, out, or neutral) to find what feels most natural and efficient for you.
Avoid retracting your shoulder blades. This can reduce the length of your arms and increase the range of motion, making the lift more difficult and less efficient.
Always wrap your thumbs around the bar, and avoid using a false grip. Grip the bar as tightly as possible, as if you're trying to leave an imprint of your fingerprints.
Scraping the shins isn’t always necessary. While it may happen more often with sumo deadlifts, if your armpits are properly positioned, the bar should move vertically, and your shins will naturally align as the knees extend.
Focus on driving through the entire foot, not just the heels. Engaging the whole foot (big toe, little toe, and heel) will help recruit the quads at the start of the lift, making it more efficient and helping you move the bar more quickly off the floor.
Keep your elbows locked throughout the lift. Don’t actively flex your triceps, but ensure the elbows remain in a neutral position. This prevents strain on your biceps, reducing the risk of injury under heavy loads.
For more experienced lifters, the "pull the slack out of the bar" cue may not be as necessary, but it's a useful concept to grasp, especially when starting. It helps prepare the body for maximum weight lifts.
For single reps, it’s easier to drop the bar from the top position (if allowed), as this reduces eccentric loading on the spinal erectors. However, for multiple reps, control the descent to avoid excessive fatigue on the erectors.
Position your knees over your feet. If your feet are too wide, you may experience two issues: the knees will move inward (valgus), or you’ll need a wider grip, which increases the range of motion and reduces efficiency.
If you're struggling with the lockout, add exercises like rack pulls, Romanian deadlifts (RDLs), or pulls against chains or bands. If you're weak off the floor, incorporate paused or deficit deadlifts and additional work for your upper back and glutes to improve your performance.
How Not to Perform
Avoid Setting Hips Too Low: Setting your hips too low will turn the movement into more of a squat, reducing the effectiveness of the hinge and putting unnecessary strain on your knees and lower back. Keep your hips at a proper height to engage the hamstrings, not the quads.
Don’t Round Your Back: Never round your lower back while lifting, as this can lead to serious spinal injuries. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement. Focus on hinging at the hips, not bending at the waist.
Avoid Pulling with Your Arms: The deadlift is a lower-body movement, so don’t try to use your arms to pull the weight. This can cause unnecessary strain on the upper body and forearms. Focus on driving through your legs and engaging your lats to stabilize the bar.
Don’t Let the Bar Drift Away from Your Body: Allowing the bar to move too far away from your body will force you to use more energy and increase the range of motion unnecessarily. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the lift by squeezing your lats and focusing on keeping your armpits over the bar.
Avoid Overextending the Neck: Keep your neck in a neutral position to prevent strain. Looking too far up or down can cause misalignment of the spine, leading to discomfort and potential injury. Find a neck position that works for your body and keep it consistent.
Don’t Push Through Only the Heels: Focusing solely on driving through the heels will prevent you from properly engaging your quads and can slow you down off the floor. Distribute your weight across the entire foot—big toe, little toe, and heel—for better power and balance.
Don’t Retract Your Shoulder Blades: Retracting the shoulder blades during the lift can shorten your arms, increasing the range of motion and reducing the efficiency of the lift. Instead, focus on keeping your shoulders down and back in a neutral position, while engaging the lats.
Avoid Using a False Grip: Using a false grip (where the thumb doesn’t wrap around the bar) can cause the bar to slip from your hands, especially under heavy loads. Always wrap your thumbs around the bar and grip it as tightly as possible to ensure control and prevent injuries.
Don’t Let Your Knees Cave In: Allowing your knees to collapse inward (valgus) during the lift can strain the hips and knees, leading to potential injuries. Keep your knees tracking in line with your toes and over your feet for optimal alignment.
Don’t Rush the Descent: Lowering the bar too quickly or without control can lead to improper form and unnecessary strain on the spinal erectors. Focus on controlling the descent with your lats and hamstrings, lowering the bar smoothly without losing tension.
Avoid Using Momentum: Swinging or jerking the body to lift the bar will waste energy and increase the risk of injury. Focus on a controlled, smooth movement throughout the entire lift, ensuring that you’re using the right muscles to lift the weight.
Don’t Ignore Your Core: Failing to engage your core can lead to lower back strain. Always tighten your core before lifting to protect your spine and maintain proper posture throughout the movement.
Avoid Overextending at the Top: At the top of the lift, don’t lean back or overextend your hips. This can cause unnecessary strain on your lower back. Lock your hips out by standing tall and squeezing your glutes, without overexaggerating the movement.
Don’t Lift Without Proper Warm-up: Jumping straight into heavy deadlifts without a proper warm-up can lead to injury. Make sure to perform dynamic stretches and warm-up sets to activate the muscles you'll be using and prepare your body for the load.
Variations
Variations of fitness exercises refer to different ways of performing a specific exercise or movement to target various muscle groups, intensities, or goals. These variations aim to challenge the body differently, prevent plateaus, and cater to individuals with varying fitness levels.
Alternatives
Alternative exercises in fitness refer to different movements or activities that target similar muscle groups or serve the same training purpose as the primary exercise. These alternative exercises can be used as substitutes when the original exercise is unavailable or challenging to perform due to various reasons such as equipment limitations, injuries, or personal preferences.
