The deadlift: bracing before the bar moves

The deadlift punishes a poor set-up more than almost any other lift. Before the bar leaves the floor:

1. Bar over midfoot. Not over your toes. Roughly an inch from your shins.

2. Grip, then drop the hips. Reach down and take your grip with straight legs, then bend the knees until your shins touch the bar. If you squat down first, the bar drifts forward.

3. Take the slack out. Pull up gently until you hear the plates settle against the collars. You should feel tension through your lats and hamstrings before anything moves.

4. Brace. Big breath into the belly, not the chest. Brace as if about to be punched, then hold it for the whole rep.

5. Push the floor away. Thinking "push" rather than "pull" keeps your hips from shooting up first.

If your lower back rounds, the weight is too heavy or the brace failed. Neither is fixed by pulling harder.