What is the correct form for a deadlift?

Question

I asked my gym instructor to check my deadlift form last night and he said I was doing it wrong. According to him:

• My hips were too low at the starting position - he says the hips should be as high as possible (the legs almost straight but not locked, remaining like this for the whole movement)
• The bar should not touch the floor
• Use a mixed grip

On the way down, I feel my hamstrings stretching because my legs are so straight doing it like this. (I'm not naturally flexible and its hard for me to touch my toes) All the effort in this movement seems to come from the lower back

Is he plain wrong, teaching me a different kind of deadlift, or correct?

What's the correct way to deadlift?

Answer 1

Mehdi wrote a nice article about this question.

Always start with the bar on the floor. Pulling from the safety pins is a Rack Pull. Deadlifting top down is a Romanian Deadlift. With conventional DEADlifts the bar must always start on the floor. Here’s how to Deadlift in 5 easy steps:

1 . Stand with the bar above the center of your feet – your stance should be a bit more narrow than shoulder-width to give your arms room.

2 . Grab the bar overhand so your arms are vertical to the floor – if your hamstrings are tight, do Squat 2 stands to boost your hip flexibility.

3 . Bend through your knees until your shins hit the bar which must remain above the middle of your feet. Shoulder-blades directly over the bar.

4 . Lift your chest but don’t squeeze your shoulder-blades like on Squats. Just put your shoulders back & down, head inline with rest of your spine.

5 . Pull - keep the bar close to your body, roll it over your knees and thighs until your hips and knees are locked. Do not lean back at the top.

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/

Answer 2

Mehdi's article is good, but there are some subtle things that are not emphasized in that article which are spelled out in great detail in Rippetoe's Starting Strength book. If you are experiencing scraped up shins, the following tips will help.

• The bar wants to travel in a straight line perpendicular to the ground. If you have the bar too far out in front, you will experience pain as the bar swings in.
• The bar should be about midfoot. See Medhi's instructions in step 1 for more detail.
• Your hips will be higher than with squats, but your knees will bend until the shins touch the bar (without it rolling)
• Straighten your knees first. This is a strong movement that will get the bar off the floor, and clear the path for the bar to get over your knees.
• Straighten your torso second. The back should be perfectly straight with the head in a neutral position. When you set the lift your shoulders are back and the chest up.
• To put the bar down, bend at the torso first until the bar is below the knees. Then bend the knees until you are in the starting position again.
• The bar should not be scraping your body, nor should it be way out in front. Medhi's instruction #5 is what is causing the red bruises and scrapes.

These subtleties helped me improve my deadlift tremendously and made weights that felt heavy before seem light now.