The deadlift is one of the most debated movements in strength training. Whenever I open questions for a podcast, seminar, or Q&A, deadlift technique, injuries, and programming always come up. It’s the lift people either love to hate—or hate to love. I’ve always had a bias against it, not because I think the movement itself is inherently bad, but because it’s a grind that carries a cost.
But here’s the thing: the deadlift isn’t going anywhere. It’s a cornerstone in powerlifting, strongman, CrossFit, and general fitness. Everyone does it in some form, whether they call it training or just picking up a box off the floor. So instead of arguing whether the deadlift should or shouldn’t be done, the real question is this: how do we approach the deadlift in a way that makes sense for performance, safety, and longevity?
The Injury Conversation: Myths vs. Reality
When people say, “Deadlifts are dangerous,” they usually cite anecdotes or viral videos of ugly PR attempts circulating online. But the statistics tell a different story.
Roughly 70% of all gym-related emergency room visits come from dropped weights, equipment malfunctions, or “miscellaneous” accidents—think of plates left lying around, benches tipping, or dumbbells hitting toes. These are not deadlifts, squats, or strongman yokes; they are just poor gym habits.
When we zoom in on actual lifting injuries, the rates across strength sports are surprisingly low. In powerlifting, incidents occur around 2.6 to 3.7 per 1,000 training hours. Strongman has a higher rate—around 5.5 per 1,000 hours, with 82% of athletes reporting injuries at some point—but still, compare that to football (36%) or soccer (16%) and strength sports look tame.
The takeaway? If you’re avoiding the deadlift because you’re “afraid of getting hurt,” you’re missing the bigger picture. Injuries happen in every sport. The deadlift isn’t the villain—it’s how people perform and program it.
Why the Deadlift Gets a Bad Rap
The deadlift is unique compared to other lifts for two big reasons:
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You can lift more with bad form.
A squat done poorly usually ends in a missed lift. Same with a bench. But in the deadlift, you can round your back, hitch, grind like a fishing rod bent in half, and lock it out. That false sense of accomplishment reinforces bad habits. -
It’s not individualized by body type.
The bar starts at the same height for everyone. Tall lifter, short lifter, long arms, short arms—it doesn’t matter. Unlike the squat or bench, where leverages dictate bar path, the deadlift floor height is fixed. For some lifters, that means the mechanics are brutally unfair.
Combine those two factors with the fact that the deadlift looks deceptively simple (“the bar’s on the ground, just pick it up”). You have the perfect recipe for overconfidence and underpreparedness.
The Hip Hinge Problem
Here’s where most deadlifts fall apart: people don’t know how to hip hinge.
A proper deadlift is a squat followed by a Romanian deadlift. If you can’t RDL well, you probably can’t deadlift well. Most lifters can’t control the eccentric portion of the movement, either. In squats and benches, you lower the bar under control. In deadlifts, most people drop it. They miss critical motor learning, tendon strengthening, and positional awareness.
If you want to fix your deadlift, start here:
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Master the RDL. Take ~60% of your max deadlift and hinge from the top down. Control the eccentric. If you can’t, you’re not ready for heavy pulls from the floor.
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Use block pulls to build positions. Start with the bar four inches off the ground and lower with control. Gradually work your way down.
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Snatch-grip variations. A wider grip forces lighter loads and builds upper back strength. It’s a built-in limiter that keeps ego out of the equation.
Do this for three to four months, and 90% of technique issues disappear.
Sumo vs. Conventional: Kicking the Can
A lot of lifters avoid their weak points by switching to sumo. Don’t get me wrong—sumo is a legal competition style and an excellent option for specific body types. But here’s the trap: if you’re avoiding conventional because you “just can’t get it right,” you’re probably dodging the movement pattern you should be improving.
Sumo shortens the range of motion and reduces the hinge demand. That’s why many lifters feel instantly better switching styles. But if your hip hinge sucks, sumo won’t fix it. It just pushes the problem further down the road until it bites back.
The Psychology of the Deadlift
Another reason people get hurt on deadlifts has nothing to do with biomechanics—it’s psychology.
Missing a squat or bench feels dangerous because the bar is on you. Failing a deadlift feels “safe” because the bar’s on the floor. That perception makes lifters more willing to push past their limits before they’ve earned it.
But failing a deadlift is often more taxing than succeeding. Grinding out a missed rep can wreck you for the rest of a training day—or in competition, wreck you for the rest of the events. Experienced lifters know when to pull back. That wisdom only comes with time, mistakes, and sometimes, regret.
Longevity and Cost vs. Reward
This is the conversation no one wants to have. Yes, pulling massive weights feels incredible. Yes, it’s a badge of honor. But everything in training comes with a cost.
Lower backs and shoulders pay the biggest price in strength sports. Poor deadlifts compound over time, stacking wear and tear until the bill comes due. I’ve known dozens of lifters—myself included—who eventually needed hip replacements. Was it worth it? For me, yes. I don’t regret the choices I made under the bar. But I will if I can help younger lifters delay or avoid that price.
Longevity in lifting comes down to two things:
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Training smart. Programming with the long game in mind, not just next week’s PR.
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Executing the basics perfectly. Most breakdowns in technique come not from advanced cues but from ignoring the fundamentals: even grip, balanced stance, bar over mid-foot, and bracing.
It’s not sexy, but it keeps you lifting for decades instead of years.
Coaching the Deadlift: Keeping It Simple
At a recent event, we worked with a wide demographic—beginners, experienced lifters, and even competitors fresh off a meet. The surprising thing? They were all making the same mistakes.
Cues like:
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Bar too far from the shins
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Shoulders shrugged instead of packed
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Elbows flared or bent
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Uneven grip or stance
These are beginner mistakes, but they also occur in advanced lifters. The difference is that advanced lifters are just “stronger at doing it wrong.”
The best coaches don’t overload lifters with technical jargon. They pick one or two specific cues, fix the most significant leaks, and let the rest fall into place. Four or five universal cues will solve 80% of deadlift problems. The rest is refinement.
Prehab, Warm-Ups, and the Illusion of Prevention
Let’s talk about “prehab.” The term itself sets you up for failure. If you walk into a session thinking, “I need prehab,” you’re subconsciously telling yourself you’re broken and preparing for rehab.
Instead, consider it a warm-up that prepares you for the work ahead. That doesn’t mean fatiguing a weak joint before heavy training. It means priming the body: mobility, activation, and blood flow. If your “prehab” takes 30 minutes before you can touch a bar, the problem isn’t your warm-up—it’s your program or your exercise selection.
Proper injury prevention doesn’t come from bands and fluff work. It comes from:
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Good programming (appropriate volume, load, recovery)
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Solid technique (executing the basics consistently)
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Lifestyle habits (sleep, nutrition, stress management)
Prehab isn’t a magic bullet. Smart training is.
The Beginner’s Mindset
Whether you’ve been lifting for six months or twenty years, the best approach to the deadlift—and lifting in general—is to keep a beginner’s mindset.
We all assume we know how to walk, breathe, and brace. But put someone into a proper neutral pelvis position, ask them to breathe and brace, and most realize they’ve never done it right. I’ve seen this with beginners, collegiate athletes, and even 900-pound squatters.
The basics are the circle we all return to. Your deadlift issues today resemble your problems when you started: uneven stance, poor bracing, and bar drifting out. The difference is that you’re just stronger now, so the consequences are higher.
Stay humble. Stay curious. Treat every session as a chance to refine, not just load the bar heavier.
Final Thoughts: The Deadlift Is a Tool, Not a Religion
The deadlift is just a tool. It can build a brutally strong back, teach grit, and carry over to sports and life. It can also wreck you if approached with ego and ignorance.
My advice is simple:
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Don’t fear the deadlift. The stats don’t back up the idea that it’s uniquely dangerous.
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Don’t worship it either. It’s not the only way to build strength.
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Earn the right to pull from the floor. Master hip hinges, RDLs, and block pulls first.
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Respect the cost. Every max-effort pull takes something from you. Please make sure the reward is worth it.
The deadlift isn’t good or bad—it’s what you make it. Train it smart, and it will give back more than it takes. Train it stupid, and it will collect the debt eventually.
