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A great way to add mass to your back, entire lower body and forearms. How to do a deadlift correctly: Stand before the weight in a solid, shoulder width stance (may be up to six inches wider), shin to the bar. You are about to bend over and pick up a heavy object before you and this should be your mental approach.

Bend at the waist and at the knees equally and at the same time. Grasp the bar fully and securely in an over grip or an alternate under/over grip about waist width (may be up to six inches wider for comfort). Looking straight ahead, your spine in a powerful flat position (not stooped over or rounded), focus, regulate your breathing, breath in deeply and steadily pull the bar to a full military position. Keep the bar close to the body and exhale as full force is exerted. Pause for a second of contraction and slowly bend your knees and low back as you return to the starting position and repeat.

The Stance
There are two types of deadlift stances being used today: the conventional style and the sumo style. With the conventional style the lifter takes a stance about shoulder's width and the arm will hang straight outside the knees. This stance utilizes more of the quads and low back...so keep those hips down and that back straight.

The second stance is sumo. Sumo stance is a position any where from past shoulder's width to a more extreme wide stance. Of course the arms will hang inside the knees. as you can see, the sumo stance gets the lifter a little closer to the floor so the bar actually has less distance to travel. Also the lifter is starting in more of a half squat position. As we all know you can half squat much more than full squat. With this stance more of the stress is taken off the low back and put on the hips and glutes. Which stance is the best...well world records have been set by lifters using both stances. This subject could be discussed to the end of time, so my suggestion is to try both styles and see which is the best for your body type.

Feet and Shin Position.
Feet should point out to a 45 degree angle. The shins should be two to three inches from the bar and then when you actually bend down, the shins will touch the bar. Most of the weight will be on the heels of the feet just like the squat. During ascent the bar will travel as close to the leg and shins as possible.

Hand Position
With either stance a reverse grip should be used. That is with one hand turned in and the other turned out. This will help keep the bar in your hand. Do not use a hook grip...hold the bar high up on the palm to compensate for any roll of the bar when pulling the weight up. The grip should start with the index finger and the little finger bordering the knurling in the middle of the bar. If you are having trouble with the weight twisting the body to one side or banging the shins, try moving the opposite hand in to the middle just slightly to compensate.

Head Placement and Where To Look
Just like the form for squats, the head should be up, the hips down, and the back flat. I can't over emphasize the importance of this bit of advice, simply because it will help the lifter avoid low back injuries. By keeping the hips down, the stress is taken off the low back and put on the more powerful quadriceps. Keeping the eyes and head up, aids in keeping the spine in proper position.

The Belt
The belt is utilized to maintain lumbar integrity through ascent and descent. Get a belt that is as wide in the front as in the back. The lifting belt should be worn as low as possible. It is not necessary to have it super tight, but just snug. This will enable the abdominal muscles to maintain adequate pressure to keep the spine in proper position.

A Word On Training
There is no place for touch and go repetitions when doing the deadlift. If you are going to do reps, treat each rep as a single. Slowly set the bar to the floor, reset, and pull again. Another word of warning, this is a very safe mass building exercise when done in correct form. Remember....keep the head and eyes up, the shoulders back, the back flat, and the hips down. Psyche your self up really well, let out a mighty yell and pull like crazy!