Next to the squat the deadlift is one of the most badass lifts in training, allowing you to pull tremendous loads from the ground (and make you go a little bit cross-eyed too).

Here are 5 of my favourite helpful tips you can use to improve your deadlift.

1. Always begin your session with a proper warm up. Get your heart rate up and get your joints moving before your start taking any load. This will prime your body and give your central nervous system a chance to focus for what your are about to do.
2. Activate! Activate! Activate! Get those glutes and lats firing so that you are utilising the right muscles during your deadlift. This will also reduce any chance of injury while performing the deadlift.
3. Multiple warm up sets are key to get your body moving well with an empty barbell. Don’t rush to get the weight on the bar, and when you start adding load, begin with small increments.
4. Rest. Taking the right amount of rest between your working sets is vital to be able to continue to pull those heavy loads from the ground. This time lets your body recover so that you can do it over and over until you hit your max, so sit down, relax and let your body take a time out before you go again.
5. Cool down. You’ve just put your body through some serious stress and strain so it will need some time after your session to recover. Mobilising and stretching after each session gives your muscles the opportunity to relax and lengthen, and also prevent your muscles from tightening up when it begins to cool down.