Reeves Deadlift 101 Video Tutorial
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Exercise Synopsis
Target Muscle Group
Hamstrings
Secondary Targets
Abs, Adductors, Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Lats, Lower Back, Quads, Traps, Upper Back
Execution
Compound
Force Type
Hinge (Bilateral)
Required Equipment
Barbell
Fitness Level
Advanced
Variations
None
Alternatives
None
Timer
Hour
Minute
Second
Stopwatch
00:00:00:00
Overview
The Reeves Deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings, while also engaging several other muscle groups as secondary targets, including the abs, adductors, calves, forearms, glutes, lats, lower back, quads, traps, and upper back. This variation of the deadlift is performed with a barbell, and its unique form emphasizes a full-body workout, with particular focus on the posterior chain. The exercise is effective for improving strength, posture, and muscle balance, making it a valuable addition to any strength training routine. Proper technique is crucial to avoid injury and maximize muscle activation throughout the movement.
How to Perform
Begin by positioning the barbell directly over your shoelaces, with your feet set about hip-width apart.
Push your hips backward and bend at the hips, lowering your torso until it’s nearly parallel to the floor. Keep a slight bend in your knees, but do not let them move forward.
Reach down to grip the barbell with your fingers using a semi-neutral grip, ensuring your arms are fully extended.
Drop your hips slightly and engage your lats by imagining you are trying to pinch something between your armpits, creating tension in your upper back.
Press through the entire surface of your feet and focus on driving the floor away as you stand up, initiating the movement from your legs and hips.
As you lift, make sure the barbell stays close to your body and moves in a straight line. Extend your knees and hips simultaneously until you’re fully standing.
At the top, make sure your hips are fully extended and your glutes are engaged, avoiding an excessive arch in your lower back.
To reverse the movement, push your hips back, hinging forward while maintaining control. Lower the barbell back toward the floor, keeping it close to your body.
Once the bar is back on the floor, reset your position, ensuring proper form, and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
Tips
Keep the crease of your armpit directly above the bar and aligned with the midfoot to ensure the bar moves in a straight line. This will help maintain proper form and prevent unnecessary movement.
As the weight increases, you may need to use lifting straps, especially if the grip width becomes challenging to maintain with heavier loads.
The deadlift is a hinge movement, not a squat. Avoid setting your hips too low, as this can place you in an inefficient position and limit your ability to lift heavier weights.
To keep the bar close to your body and ensure it moves vertically, focus on activating your lats. Use cues like "squeeze oranges in your armpits," "put your shoulder blades in your back pockets," or "imagine performing a straight-arm pulldown" to engage your lats properly.
Your hips should be positioned lower than your shoulders. You should be able to see the logo on your shirt before initiating the lift (i.e., "chest up"). Once your lats are engaged, this cue often becomes unnecessary, as it naturally elevates your chest.
Neck position varies by individual. Some lifters prefer to keep their neck neutral by tucking the chin, while others may benefit from looking slightly upward. If you have an athletic background with a tendency to extend, tucking your chin might be more effective. On the other hand, if you tend to be more flexion-dominant, especially in your upper back, looking up slightly may help create more extension. Experiment with both to determine which works best for your body type.
Aim for a vertical shin position, though this will depend on your spine and limb length. Focus on a position that allows you to maintain good mechanics and strength.
Toe angle should be adjusted based on your hip anatomy. Try different angles (slightly inward, outward, or neutral) to see what feels most natural for your body.
Avoid retracting your shoulder blades during the lift. This action can be mechanically inefficient, shortening your arms and increasing the range of motion, which may limit your performance.
Scraping the shins is not a requirement in the deadlift. It may occur more in sumo deadlifts, but with the correct arm and body positioning, the bar should travel vertically, and the shins will naturally move out of the way as your knees extend.
Focusing solely on keeping the weight on your heels may hinder your ability to engage your quads at the start of the lift, making it harder to initiate the movement. Instead, distribute your weight evenly across the entire foot, ensuring contact with the big toe, little toe, and heel for optimal power generation.
Keep your elbows locked out during the lift. Do not actively flex your triceps, but ensure that your elbows remain neutral. Any bending could put you at risk of a bicep injury, especially under heavy loads.
For single repetitions, it’s easier to drop the bar from lockout, especially if you’re using bumper plates or lifting on a platform. However, for multiple reps, control the descent to avoid excessive strain on your spinal erectors and minimize fatigue.
Ensure your knees are stacked directly over your feet. If your feet are too wide, you may encounter two problems: either your knees will collapse inward (valgus), or you’ll need to widen your grip, which increases the range of motion and reduces the efficiency of the lift.
How Not to Perform
Avoid Setting Hips Too Low: Setting your hips too low turns the deadlift into more of a squat, which can lead to inefficient movement patterns. This reduces the emphasis on the hamstrings and can cause unnecessary strain on the knees and lower back. Focus on hinging at the hips, keeping them above knee level.
Don’t Round Your Back: Rounding your back, especially in the lower back, can lead to serious injury. Always maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement. Engage your core and lats to protect your back and keep the torso rigid.
Don’t Overextend the Neck: Looking too far up or down during the lift can place strain on your neck and disrupt your body alignment. Keep your neck in a neutral position, aligning it with your spine, and avoid looking excessively upward or downward.
Avoid Jerking or Using Momentum: Jerking the bar off the ground or using momentum wastes energy and can lead to injury. Focus on controlled movement and initiate the lift smoothly by engaging the legs and hips. This will ensure that the force is generated from the target muscles.
Don’t Let the Bar Drift Away from Your Body: Allowing the bar to drift away from your body can place unnecessary stress on your lower back and reduce the effectiveness of the lift. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the entire movement by engaging your lats.
Don’t Lift with Your Arms: The deadlift is a lower body movement, and your arms should not be doing the lifting. If you’re pulling with your arms, you’re not fully engaging the posterior chain. Focus on driving the lift with your legs and hips, not your arms or upper body.
Avoid Locking Your Knees Too Early: If you lock your knees before your hips fully extend, you risk putting too much strain on the lower back and can lose the proper muscle engagement. Ensure your knees and hips extend simultaneously to avoid any imbalance or excessive stress on the spine.
Don’t Collapse Your Chest: Letting your chest collapse or rounding your upper back can shift the load away from the target muscles and compromise your posture. Keep your chest up and your back engaged to ensure proper lifting mechanics.
Don’t Let the Elbows Bend: Bending your elbows can place unnecessary stress on your biceps, especially when lifting heavy. Keep your elbows locked out throughout the movement to maintain tension in the posterior chain and prevent injury to the arms.
Avoid Shifting Your Weight to the Heels Only: Placing all your weight on your heels can limit the activation of your quads and make the lift less efficient. Distribute your weight evenly across the entire foot, ensuring contact with the big toe, little toe, and heel.
Don’t Overuse a Wide Stance: A stance that’s too wide can disrupt your body mechanics, forcing your knees to collapse inward or requiring a wider grip that increases the range of motion unnecessarily. Keep your feet about hip-width apart for optimal alignment and muscle engagement.
Avoid Using Excessive Weight Too Soon: Lifting too much weight without proper form can cause injuries and waste energy. Focus on gradually increasing the weight while maintaining correct technique. Always prioritize form over the amount of weight lifted.
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.
