Prep, 2 minutes
- Hip hinges: 10, slow, hands on your hips or a dowel along your back.
Why: they groove pushing the hips back while your shins stay close to vertical. - Glute bridges: 10, with a 2-second squeeze at the top.
Why: they warm up the hips that finish the lift. - Cat-cow on all fours: 5, slow.
Why: it moves your spine gently both ways before you hold it still under load. - Straight-arm band pulldowns: 10.
Why: they rehearse keeping the bar close and pulling the slack out.
Sumo? Add 5 slow side lunges each side.
Warm-up sets
Deadlifts start from the floor, so bar height matters.
| Set | Weight | Reps | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bar with full-size plates, or the empty bar on blocks | 5 | Pull the slack out, then push the floor |
| 2 | About 40% | 5 | The same start position every rep |
| 3 | About 60% | 3 | Brace before the bar moves |
| 4 | About 80% | 1 | Full set-up, like a work set |
With iron plates, a proper start height usually means 20 kg plates: 60 kg (135 lb with 45s). Bumper plates reach full height at lighter weights.
Work them out for any top set with the free Warm-up Calculator.
Rest: short at first, then about 2–3 minutes before the top set.
Why this shape: warm-up sets that climb toward the working weight are what research on strength warm-ups supports. Deadlifts have no studies of their own, so this follows the general findings.
Practise your cue: "Get tight, then push the floor away."
From VCS coaching: deadlift-day add-on (2 minutes)
- Single-leg glute bridge: 10 a side. Squeeze at the top, ribs down.
- Straight-arm pulldown, light: 15. A bracing drill: learn what "lats on" feels like so the bar stays close.
- Lower back tight today? Cat-cow, McGill Big 3 and dead bugs first; skip the deep back stretch.
The full 15-minute routine and all 24 drills: The 15-minute warm-up.
If something feels off
- Back feels tight but not painful? Add a warm-up set, or use smaller jumps.
- Aim for the same back position on every rep. Some upper-back rounding is common in strong deadlifters. Research hasn't shown that bending the spine while lifting causes back pain, but most of those studies used light, everyday loads.
- Sharp pain, pain spreading down a leg, or pain building rep to rep? Stop deadlifting for today. Numbness, tingling or weakness in the legs: check Red flags now.
About these pages
This is general education, not medical, physiotherapy or personal coaching advice. We are not your doctor or physiotherapist, and we don't diagnose or treat injuries. Each page summarises published research and health guidance in our own words, with the sources linked. Everyone is different, so use what fits and leave what doesn't. If something hurts, an ache isn't improving, or you notice anything on our Red flags page, stop and see a qualified professional, such as a doctor or a registered physiotherapist. How you use this content is your choice and your responsibility. Terms
Credits. Warm-up routines and drills: VCS coaching (Visser Coaching Systems). Research summaries: the sources listed on each page.