The CrossFit Open reveals everything: strengths, weaknesses, nerves, and grit. Every year, we’re challenged with some familiar — and some not-so-familiar — movements, testing not just fitness, but confidence under pressure. If you want to thrive in the Open, it comes down to preparation and understanding the fundamentals.
In this article series, we’re breaking down the movements most commonly seen in the CrossFit Open with clear tips, smart training progressions, and insights from CrossFit’s expert trainers. Whether you’re chasing Quarterfinals, a higher leaderboard spot than last year, or simply showing up to put in honest work, these articles are designed to help you move better, train smarter, and step into the competition with confidence.
If this series inspires you to dive deeper and learn more about training and movement, check out our course library, including the foundational Level 1 Course (available online or in person), or other online options on nutrition, anatomy, scaling, and more. See all available courses here.
Registration for the 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard, is live now with the first workout being announced Feb. 26. It’s proving season — will you be ready?
The Deadlift
The deadlift transfers to any movement that originates with pulling a load from the ground.
Gaining competence in movements such as the clean, snatch, sumo deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, or picking anything up off the floor will mean proficiency in the deadlift in order to complete the movement patterns correctly.
No barbell? No problem.
The equipment that we use matters little. Dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, and medicine balls are all fine as long as the mechanics are sound."
Points of Performance
Several key points of performance need to be executed correctly to be successful in the deadlift:
- Stance will vary based on leg and torso length. Feet should be somewhere between hips and shoulders.
- Bar starts at mid-shin with the athlete gripping the bar outside the shins, and the bar in contact with the body.
- Shoulders are higher than hips, and hips should be higher than the knees in the setup. This may change based on the height of the athlete. A taller athlete will have less incline between shoulders and hips in the setup.
- Back should be braced and in a neutral position. This will translate to a rigid torso and no movement between the hips and shoulders through the lift.
- Shoulders and hips rise at the same time when initiating the lift.
- Bar stays in contact with the body throughout the lift.
- Drive through the heels on the initial pull as the knees move back, and the chest lifts in unison.
- To reset, retrace the same path on the way down, pushing the hips back and regaining the rigid neutral position of the torso.
- Once the bar has crossed the plane of the knees, the knees rebend, and the bar returns to the starting position.
Dial in the Mechanics
When an athlete stalls while trying to get stronger in the deadlift, take notice of the mechanics.
Not performing this lift correctly can result in faults that decrease the overall contribution of major muscle groups. For example, an incorrect setup position where the athlete is too low (squatty) at the initiation of the pull decreases the amount of contribution from the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings) and instead relies heavily on the weaker structures of the quads and hip flexors.
Common Faults
One of the most common faults in the deadlift is starting with the hips too high or too low in the setup. If the initial setup position of the deadlift is incorrect, it will be very difficult to correct anything that happens after that.
Ensuring that the spine is in a strong, braced, neutral position is imperative to the successful mechanics of this lift. Think of the torso as a block of cement to understand the amount of stability that is needed.
Timing is also a key component of the deadlift, and one with which athletes often miss the mark. Correct timing of this lift requires that the knees extend as the chest is lifted. A common fault is driving the knees back without lifting the chest. This will result in a straight-leg deadlift position. While that can be a valuable lift in and of itself, it is not the mechanics we are looking for in a traditional deadlift.
The opposing fault to the timing fault is lifting the chest without pulling the knees back. This will result in the bar moving in an arced pattern around the knees rather than a straight path up the body.
A major flaw in the deadlift is any change in the neutral spine. The spine remaining neutral and braced throughout this lift ensures the safety of our spine and, therefore, should be non-negotiable. Athletes should only lift loads that allow them to maintain this position.
To get the most bang for your buck in the deadlift, keep the bar close to your body. Keeping the load close to the body will result in the most muscular contribution in the most efficient movement pattern. This means that we need to maintain contact between the bar and their body throughout the lift.
Getting Stronger
Simply put, gaining strength in any lift requires time under tension. Spending time working on improving mechanics, as well as at increased loads, will result in gaining overall strength in the lift.
For other ways to gain strength, try resistance work with bands, deadlifts with odd objects, and sumo deadlifts, which can all be beneficial to gaining overall strength.
Jumping on the GHD can help, too. Working the muscle groups used in the deadlift in alternative settings can also add to overall strength gains. For example, increase time spent doing movements such as hip extensions, back extensions, GHD sit-ups, and static holds.
