One exercise that I REALLY hope you’re including in your workouts...whether you’re trying to get bigger, stronger, or leaner...is the deadlift.

I believe that EVERYONE (if you can) should be doing some form of deadlifts (straight bar or trap bar). They work the whole body...the deadlift is literally my favorite exercise and has been since I started doing them 25+ years ago.

=> For a complete course that teaches you how to deadlift safely and effectively, check out the Basement Badass program here

However, there’s a lot more to the exercise than just pulling the weight off the floor. You want to make sure you’re doing the exercise with proper form, so that you avoid injury and maximize your results.

One of the MOST common mistakes I see people make with the deadlift is trying to “jerk”, or accelerate, the bar off the floor explosively.

You MAY see some advanced lifters do this successfully, but in my opinon I don't think ANYBODY needs to be doing this, and increases risk of injury from the lift by doing so.

The deadlift is not an "explosive" lift at the start, especially when you get into heavier loads. You need to imagine "squeezing the bar" off the floor with power...not with "pop."

Check out this video from my friend Forest Vance to learn more about this mistake, and for some great cues on how to fix it:

Another good tip when for when you start going heavy...pull a bend into the bar before you pull it off the ground. When using very heavy loads, if you yank the bar off the ground, it might pop up, but the plates will "bounce" up then bounce right back down, pulling the bar back towards the floor.

If you pull a bend into the bar BEFORE you pull the plates off the ground, you avoid this bounce-back issue and you'll have an easier time off the floor.

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Now, if you're interested in a program that you can do AT HOME (in your basement, for example...you probably know by now, that's where I train!), Forest has recently released an excellent training program called "Basement Badass."

It's a program centered around short workouts done with minimal equipment, with a focus on strength and power...and it'll help you build muscle and lose fat while getting stronger.

It's excellent stuff.

Learn how to become a Basement Badass here... :)