Deadlift progress is rarely ever linear. You can consistently keep adding weight to the bar over a period of time, before a clear weakness in your lifting ability is eventually exposed. As the ultimate full-body exercise, training the entire posterior chain alongside the quads, arms and core, those weaknesses can emerge from almost anywhere.

‘It’s normal for people to struggle with the deadlift, leading to stunted progress and limited results,’ Mark Harris, Fitness Expert at Mirafit, says. ‘As this is a full-body movement, even a small weakness can become a major limiting factor as the weight increases. Because the deadlift relies on multiple muscle groups, specific weak points, such as the glutes, hamstrings, or upper back, can limit performance at different stages of the lift.’

Such sticking points can be countered with targeted isolation exercises. Here, Harris highlights the most common issues people face in the deadlift, and what they can do to work around them.

A lack of strength or tension through the posterior chain and hamstrings can make it difficult to initiate a heavy deadlift from the ground. A feeling of the bar being ‘glued’ to the ground highlights a lack of leg drive, with a couple of different deadlift variations helping to isolate these weaker areas.

‘Deficit deadlifts can be performed using a raised surface like a mini exercise step, and can improve strength off the floor, while Romanian deadlifts can help build posterior chain strength,’ Harris explains.

The Fix

Deficit Deadlift

Stand on an elevated surface – a mini exercise step, platform, or plates – with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend at your hips and knees and grab the bar overhand, your hands about shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back straight, pull your torso back and up, thrust your hips forward, and stand up with the bar. Then lower it, keeping it close to your body.

Start standing tall with your feet underneath your hips. Hold your weight (dumbbells or a barbell) in front of your thighs. Send your hips behind your heels with a flat back as if you’re ‘shutting a car door’ with your backside. Keep the knees directly above your heels and shins vertical to the floor. As you lower the weight, keep your shoulder blades drawn towards each other and head in line. Feel a stretch in your hamstrings. When the weight is below your knees, send your hips forward to return to the starting position.

Ever find you’re midway through the lift and the bar is too far in front of your body, causing you to topple forwards? You’re not alone. ‘This is not a great habit, as it can increase strain on the lower back and make the lift far less efficient,’ Harris says. ‘Keeping the bar close to the body is key for maintaining a safe and controlled movement, and this issue is often linked to a lack of upper back engagement, which makes it harder to maintain a consistent bar path.’

It’s an issue that is also linked to a lack of proper core bracing. Without correct bracing, lifters lose stability and place more strain on the lower back, reducing both efficiency and safety in the movement.

The Fix

Set your bench up to a 45-degree angle. Sit down on the bench with your chest on the pad top, feet planted. Squeeze your core and glutes. Pick up your dumbbells. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Drive with the elbow first, pulling it towards the ceiling and back towards your ribcage. Don’t lift the chest off the bench. Squeeze and pause at the top for a few seconds.

Start by grasping the bar tightly, with your palms over the bar instead of holding on with your fingers. Lift your legs off the floor and pull your shoulders down, squeezing to engage your upper back. Squeeze your abs and glutes so that your legs are slightly in front of your torso. Bend your knees slightly, then curl your legs up. Think about showing your butt to someone standing in front of you. Lower back down to the starting position under control.

‘For many, it’s not that their overall strength isn’t enough, but rather their ability to hold onto the bar that limits performance,’ Harris says. Because the forearms are a smaller muscle group than the likes of the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, it’s often what fatigues earliest when lifting heavy weight.

‘Incorporating dedicated grip training tools or accessories into workouts can help build this strength and improve overall lifting capacity.’

The Fix

Set yourself up holding a barbell in both hands, or gripping a dumbbell in each hand, with your forearms laying flat across a bench or on your thighs – your hands hanging loose over the edge, palms facing upwards. Allow your wrists to stretch all of the way back before curling the weight all of the way back up until your palms are facing you. Slowly lower and repeat. Once you complete your reps, flip the weights – and your forearms – so that your palms are facing the opposite way and repeat.

Use an overhand grip (palms facing away from you) slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. If this is too challenging or uncomfortable, try gymnastics rings. Engage your shoulders by pulling your shoulder blades down and back (active hang). Keep your body straight with legs together and avoid swinging. Think about engaging your core and pointing your toes out in front of your body. Hold this position for as long as you can.