Dumbbell Deadlift

Setup

1. 01Place a dumbbell on the floor at the outside of each foot.
2. 02Stand with feet hip width apart, toes forward.
3. 03Hinge at the hips and bend the knees to grip both dumbbells with a neutral grip.
4. 04Flatten the back, pull the shoulders down, and take the slack out of the arms.

Execution

1. 01Brace, then drive the floor away by extending hips and knees together.
2. 02Keep the dumbbells close to the legs as you rise.
3. 03Finish tall with glutes squeezed and shoulders back.
4. 04Hinge back down under control until the dumbbells touch or approach the floor.

Checkpoints

• -Spine holds a neutral line from floor to lockout.
• -Hips and shoulders rise together out of the bottom.
• -Dumbbells track vertically alongside the legs.
• -Lockout is full hip extension, not a lean-back.

Common mistakes

• -Rounding the lower back to reach the floor.
• -Squatting the weight up with the hips too low.
• -Letting the dumbbells drift forward away from the body.
• -Cutting the eccentric and dropping into the next rep.