Deficit Deadlift

Muscles worked by the Deficit Deadlift

Primary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlutesGluteus MaximusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Secondary

LatsLatissimus DorsiQuadsQuadriceps FemorisTrapsTrapezius

Also called: erector spinae, spinal erectors, lower back muscles, back extensors, glute, glutes.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Deficit Deadlift

1. Stand on a small platform with a loaded barbell over your midfoot.
2. Hinge down and grip the bar just outside your knees.
3. Drive through your legs to stand up while keeping the bar close.
4. Lock out your hips and knees at the top.
5. Lower under control and repeat.

Form tips

• Keep your back flat; the extra depth makes rounding more likely.
• Use less weight than your conventional deadlift to maintain positioning.
• Take the slack out of the bar before initiating the pull.

At a glance

Deficit Deadlift in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Barbell Deadlift
• Bodyweight Good Morning
• Dumbbell Deadlift
• Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
• Good Morning
• Hex Bar Deadlift
• Kettlebell Deadlift
• Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "deficit-deadlift",
  "name_en": "Deficit Deadlift",
  "name_de": "Defizit-Kreuzheben",
  "name_es": "Peso Muerto en Déficit",
  "description_en": "A deadlift performed standing on a low platform, extending the range of motion to build strength off the floor.",
  "description_de": "Ein Kreuzheben im Stand auf einer kleinen Erhöhung, das den Bewegungsweg verlängert und die Startkraft vom Boden verbessert.",
  "description_es": "Un peso muerto ejecutado sobre una plataforma baja que amplía el recorrido y exige más a isquiotibiales y glúteos.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "pull",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "advanced",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "back",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "latissimus_dorsi",
    "quadriceps",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "shoulder_safe",
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "deadlift",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand on a small platform with a loaded barbell over your midfoot.",
    "Hinge down and grip the bar just outside your knees.",
    "Drive through your legs to stand up while keeping the bar close.",
    "Lock out your hips and knees at the top.",
    "Lower under control and repeat."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe auf einer kleinen Erhöhung mit einer beladenen Langhantel über dem Mittelfuß.",
    "Beuge dich herunter und greife die Stange knapp außerhalb der Knie.",
    "Treibe durch die Beine, um aufzustehen, dabei die Stange nah halten.",
    "Strecke Hüfte und Knie oben vollständig durch.",
    "Kontrolliert absenken und wiederholen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "De pie sobre una plataforma pequeña con una barra cargada sobre el medio del pie.",
    "Bisagra hacia abajo y agarra la barra justo por fuera de las rodillas.",
    "Empuja con las piernas para ponerte erguido manteniendo la barra cerca.",
    "Bloquea caderas y rodillas en la parte superior.",
    "Baja de forma controlada y repite."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep your back flat; the extra depth makes rounding more likely.",
    "Use less weight than your conventional deadlift to maintain positioning.",
    "Take the slack out of the bar before initiating the pull."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte den Rücken trotz der tieferen Startposition durchgehend neutral.",
    "Baue Ganzkörperspannung auf, bevor sich die Stange vom Boden löst.",
    "Nutze weniger Gewicht als beim klassischen Kreuzheben vom Boden."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén la columna neutra en todo el recorrido ampliado.",
    "Usa menos peso del que mueves en tu peso muerto habitual.",
    "Domina el peso muerto convencional antes de probar esta variante."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/deficit-deadlift-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/deficit-deadlift-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "deficit-deadlift");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.