Barbell Mixed Grip Deadlift

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with the barbell positioned over the middle of your feet.
2. Hinge at the hips and grip the bar just outside your shins using a mixed grip: one palm facing you (overhand) and one palm facing away (underhand).
3. Lower your hips until your shins touch the bar, keeping your chest up and back flat.
4. Pull your shoulder blades back and down to 'set' your lats and create tension throughout your torso.

How to do it

1. Take a deep diaphragmatic breath and brace your core as if preparing for a punch.
2. Drive through the floor with your legs, keeping the bar in constant contact with your shins and thighs as you stand up.
3. Exhale forcefully as you reach full hip extension, squeezing your glutes at the top without hyperextending your lower back.
4. Hinge at the hips to lower the bar under control, maintaining a flat back until the plates touch the floor.

Form checklist

• Keep the bar close to your center of gravity at all times.
• Maintain a neutral spine from your neck to your tailbone; do not round the lower back.
• Keep your arms completely straight; never attempt to bend the elbow of the underhand arm.
• Ensure your weight is distributed through the mid-foot and heels, not the toes.

Pro tips

• Switch which hand is underhand between sets to prevent developing muscular imbalances in the traps and biceps.
• Pull the 'slack' out of the bar by applying upward tension until you hear the bar click against the plates before you start the actual lift.
• Think about 'pushing the floor away' with your feet rather than pulling the bar up with your back.

Make it harder

• Perform 2-second pauses just below the knee during the ascent to increase time under tension.
• Stand on a 1-2 inch platform (deficit deadlift) to increase the range of motion and demand on the hamstrings.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the barbell mixed grip deadlift work?

The barbell mixed grip deadlift primarily targets the calves, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and trapezius, and also works the erector spinae and obliques as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the barbell mixed grip deadlift?

The barbell mixed grip deadlift uses barbell and weight plate.

Is the barbell mixed grip deadlift good for beginners?

The barbell mixed grip deadlift is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• Band DeadliftBeginner · calves, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and trapezius
• Barbell Hang Clean Below The KneesAdvanced · calves, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and trapezius
• Barbell Snatch From BlocksAdvanced · adductors, calves, glutes, hamstrings, lats, quadriceps, serratus anterior, and trapezius
• Dumbbell DeadliftIntermediate · calves, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and trapezius