The ultimate test of full body strength. Pick it up, put it down.
Keep the bar dragging close to your shins and thighs, don't let it drift forward.
The deadlift is the heaviest pull in the gym, and your back is what holds it together, every muscle from traps to lower back working flat out to keep your spine locked while the bar climbs. Your hamstrings and glutes supply the hip drive that actually stands the weight up, making it a full posterior chain effort from floor to lockout. Nothing else loads that much muscle at once, which is why it sits at the centre of strength training.
It's back-led with the hamstrings and glutes doing the hip drive, so it fits either day. Just count the recovery cost wherever you slot it, heavy pulls tax everything.
Usually the hips shoot up early or the bar drifts away from your shins. Pull the slack out first, keep the bar dragging up your legs, and drop the weight until your chest can stay lifted off the floor.
Double overhand as long as it holds, then straps for heavy back work. Mixed grip works but loads the arms unevenly, so if you use it, swap sides regularly.
