Technique for the big lifts

Lifting is comparatively safe. A review of injury studies across the weight-training sports found rates of roughly 0.24 to 1 injury per 1,000 hours in bodybuilding-style training, low compared with common team sports. The shoulder, lower back and knee were the most common sites ^[1]. Good technique and sensible loading are aimed squarely at those three.

Brace before you move. Take a breath into your belly and tighten your trunk as if about to be nudged, then lift. Holding that breath through the hardest part of a heavy rep (the Valsalva manoeuvre) raises intra-abdominal pressure, which may help keep the trunk rigid ^[2]. It also spikes blood pressure briefly, so if you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, get medical advice and breathe out through the effort.

Use the fullest range you control. Full range of motion is one of the few variables the ACSM's 2026 position stand links to better strength gains ^[3].

Technique is individual. Limb lengths and hip structure change what a good squat or deadlift looks like. Use cues to find positions that are stable and pain-free for you. Film a set from the side now and then, and consider a session with a qualified coach when learning the barbell lifts.

Setup. Bar across the upper back (not the neck), hands as close as your shoulders allow. Feet about shoulder width, toes turned out 15 to 30 degrees. Brace.

Cues.

• Hips and knees bend together; sit down between your heels.
• Knees track in line with your toes. They can travel past them.
• Keep the whole foot planted and drive the floor away.

Common faults. Heels lifting (try a slightly wider stance, or small plates under the heels while ankle range improves). Knees collapsing inwards on the way up. Chest dropping so the lift turns into a good-morning: usually the load is too heavy.

Depth. Aim for hip crease level with or below the knee if you can hold position. Concerns that deep squats damage healthy knees aren't supported: a biomechanical review concluded deep squats do not increase injury risk to passive tissues when technique is learned properly and load is progressed gradually, and that heavier partial squats may be the worse bargain ^[4]. Training the lower body through a full range also appears to build more muscle than partial range ^[5]. Stance, bar position and build all change how a squat loads the ankle, knee, hip and spine, so expect yours to look a little different from the next person's ^[6].

Scale it. Goblet squat, squat to a box, or leg press.

Setup (conventional deadlift). Bar over mid-foot, about 2 to 3 cm from the shins. Feet hip width. Bend down and grip just outside your legs, then bring shins to the bar without moving it. Chest up until your back is flat. Brace.

Cues.

• Squeeze the bar and pull the slack out before it leaves the floor.
• Push the floor away; keep the bar touching your legs all the way up.
• Finish by standing tall. Don't lean back.

Common faults. Rounding the lower back as the bar breaks from the floor. Hips shooting up first. Bar drifting away from the body. Jerking the bar instead of building tension.

Scale it. Learn the Romanian deadlift first with dumbbells or a light bar: soft knees, hips travel back, weight slides down the thighs to mid-shin, back flat. Then try the trap bar, or pull a barbell from raised blocks. Reset each rep from a dead stop while you're learning.

Setup. Eyes under the bar. Pull shoulder blades back and down into the bench and keep them there. Feet flat on the floor. Grip a little wider than shoulder width so forearms are vertical at the bottom. Wrists stacked over elbows, thumbs around the bar.

Cues.

• Lower under control to the lower chest, elbows about 45 to 70 degrees from your sides.
• Touch lightly; don't bounce.
• Press up and slightly back towards the rack.

Common faults. Elbows flared straight out at 90 degrees. Shoulders rolling forward at the top and losing the shoulder-blade position. Hips lifting off the bench. Benching heavy without safeties or a spotter.

Safety. Never use clips on the bar if you're benching alone without safety arms, so you can tip the plates off if stuck. Better still, set the safeties or ask for a spot.

Scale it. Dumbbell bench press, push-ups (hands elevated on a bench to make them easier), or a machine chest press.

Setup. Bar on the front of the shoulders, grip just outside shoulder width, forearms vertical. Feet hip width. Squeeze glutes and brace so the ribs stay down.

Cues.

• Move your head back slightly to let the bar pass, then bring it through so the bar finishes over the middle of your foot.
• Press in a straight vertical line.
• Finish with arms locked and shoulders shrugged up slightly.

Common faults. Leaning back and turning it into a standing incline press (the load is too heavy or the glutes are switched off). Bar looping forward around the face. Stopping short of lockout.

Scale it. Seated dumbbell press with back support, half-kneeling single-arm press, or a landmine press if overhead range is limited.

Setup (barbell row). Hinge as for a Romanian deadlift until your torso is between 45 degrees and parallel to the floor. Flat back, arms hanging straight.

Cues.

• Pull the bar to the lower ribs or upper stomach; think elbows to hips.
• Pause for a beat at the top.
• Lower until arms are straight. Torso angle doesn't change.

Common faults. Standing more upright with every rep. Heaving with the hips. Cutting the range short at both ends.

Scale it. Chest-supported row, one-arm dumbbell row with a hand on the bench, or seated cable row. These take the lower back out of the equation and are just as useful for building the back.

Setup. Grip slightly wider than shoulders, palms away (palms facing you makes a chin-up, which most people find easier). Start from a dead hang with arms straight.

Cues.

• Start by pulling shoulder blades down, then drive elbows towards your ribs.
• Chin clears the bar without craning the neck.
• Lower all the way under control.

Common faults. Half reps that never reach straight arms. Kicking or swinging. Shrugging up to the ears at the top.

Scale it. Lat pulldown, band-assisted pull-ups, or slow negatives: jump or step to the top position and lower over 3 to 5 seconds for sets of 3 to 5.

Effort and muscle burn are expected. Sharp, pinching or shooting pain is a signal to stop the set. Reduce the load, shorten the range to the pain-free part, or swap to a similar exercise for the day.

Pain that returns each session, wakes you at night, or comes with numbness or weakness needs assessment by a physiotherapist or sports doctor before you keep loading it.