Jay Cutler not only built one of the most impressive physiques in bodybuilding history —but he also remained a consistent competitor, racking up four Mr. Olympia titles during a career that spanned more than 20 years. To stay stage ready, the man they call “The Quad Stomper” had to focus on more than just muscle to maintain his legacy. So, when it comes to moves like the deadlift, the big man knows that maximizing his gains came from an understanding of efficiency and safe practice. In a recent Instagram post, the competitor-turned-coach shared the top three mistakes that he sees people making.
Deadlifts are a compound exercise, recruiting the full body to lift the bar while stabilizing our frames. Primarily, deadlifts target your core, hip flexors, back, glutes, and hamstrings, but they also hammer your quads, calves, shoulders, and forearms. Since so much of the body is involved in lifting the barbell to around waist height and then lowering it back to the ground, special care needs to be taken in order to get the best reward from your reps while protecting your spine.
The Olympia icon told his 5.8 million Instagram followers that the No. 1 mistake he sees, is people overloading the barbell. “They tend do get down there, get ready to do the weight, and they can’t really move it,” says Cutler of this ego driven mistake. “You want to be able to move through the repetitions because you want to get that feel. Remember, it’s not only going to focus on your back, it’s gonna be your hamstrings, your glutes, everything,” A systematic review of the ideal loading weight for muscle building found that anything above 30% of your one-rep-max can induce hypertrophy. For rep volumes in the 8-12 range, 60% to 80% of your 1RM is a great ceiling, meaning that you can concentrate on form without needing to go too heavy.
2) Don’t stand too far away from the barbell
“You want to touch the bar to your shins, almost to the point where the bar drags over the shins,” demonstrated Cutler. “You want to pull through the body, keeping your head up. Keep the body position and pull the weight, almost like you’re pulling the bar straight through your body.”
Not only does getting closer to the bar put the focus on your glutes and hamstrings, but this preferred technique also reduces the load on your spine significantly. With the bar close to your shins, the hips and legs are primed to create power, while keeping the bar over your midfoot also bolsters balance.
3) Don’t round the back
“The third and final mistake is rounding the back,” shared Cutler. “You want to bend the knees a little bit. A lot of people tend to bend over and they round the back.” The bodybuilding legend pointed out that this approach will almost certainly lead to a back injury from spinal stress. “You never want to round your back. You want to keep the chest high, and like I said, pull through the body, okay? Do not round the back.”
In his demonstration, Cutler showed that he can avoid overarching, by bending his knees over the bar. “My head’s up,” he says, which has the effect of straightening his spine. So, next time you head for the deadlift, remember these solid tips from one of the best to ever do it.
