Why You are Failing on the Deadlift and How to Fix It

Is there a certain point in the deadlift that you consistently fail at but you don’t know why or how to fix it?

This article will discuss common failure points and the accessory exercises that will target and develop these weak spots allowing you to blow through sticking points and plateaus.

The first sticking point that plagues many lifters is getting the bar moving off the floor. If you are missing at the floor, it is most likely an issue of improper setup or weak quads that are not providing the necessary leg drive. We’ll take a look at the setup first, then some exercises to strengthen the quads.

To set up for the deadlift, you should begin with the bar approximately over mid foot. This should put 2-3” between the bar and your shins. As you grab the bar, push the shins forward to touch the bar, and drop the hips until you shoulders are directly in line vertically with the bar. This is the biggest problem I see in the setup for the deadlift. The hips are either too low and the shoulders are behind the bar causing the bar to be pulled “through” the shins (excessively bloody shins after every session) or the hips are left too high, the shoulders are in front of the bar, and the hips shoot up immediately upon the start of the lift. The second one is the most prominent and the most dangerous since it puts all the stress on the lower back and basically turns it into a stiff legged deadlift.

To fix this, just film yourself from the side and ensure you start every rep with the shoulders directly in line with the bar. Do not perform touch and go reps, restart each rep from a dead stop and ensure your form is correct on each rep.

To strengthen the quads, we can not only use quad dominant assistance lifts, but we can also tweak our main lifts to target the weaknesses. The list below covers a few of my favorites, starting with some main lift variations and moving into assistance lifts as the list continues. Bands and/or chains can be added for additional stimulus.

1. Conventional Deficit Deadlifts
2. Front Squats
3. Zercher Squats
4. Close Stance Belt Squat
5. Close Stance Leg Press w/ Feet Low on Platform
6. Close Stance Hack Squat w/ Feet Low on Platform
7. Leg Extension
8. Sissy Squat
9. Bulgarian Split Squat

The next common sticking point for most lifters is at the knee. This is the point where the bar is the furthest away from the hips so the stress on the low/mid back will be at its greatest. Using this logic, we can come to the conclusion that a miss at the knees is most likely due to a weak low/mid back or, to a lesser degree, the hips/glutes. I will list a few of my favorite assistance lifts to strengthen each of these muscle groups below.

1. RDL
2. Good Morning
3. Hip Thrust
4. Wide Stance Box Squat
5. GHR
6. Reverse Hyper
7. 45 Back Extension

The final common sticking point is at lockout. Normally this is due to a weak upper back or weak glutes that are unable to push the pelvis through. I’ll share some of my favorite exercises to bring up these lagging groups below.

Glutes/Hips:

1. Glute Bridge
2. Hip Thrust
3. Sled Power Walking (Long strides, pull through the heel)
4. Sled or Cable Pull Throughs
5. Reverse Hyper
6. Sumo Stance Belt Squat
7. Glute Ham Raise
8. RDL or Goodmorning

Upper Back:

1. Any chest supported row w/ elbows flared to target the upper back
2. Upright Row (I like to do these on the cable machine with handles or a rope so I can take a couple steps back and target the mid/lower traps with a somewhat horizontal plane instead of the purely vertical like is done with a barbell or dumbbells.)
3. Power Clean/Snatch
4. High Pulls

While this list is not completely exhaustive, it should cover the most common failure points and give you a good idea of what lifts you need to be abusing to progress and blow through your sticking points.