Jay Cutler Reveals 3 Deadlift Mistakes That Destroy Muscle Growth and Risk Back Injury

Jay Cutler not only built one of the most impressive physiques in bodybuilding history, but he also remained a consistent competitor, achieving four Mr. Olympia titles during a career that spanned more than twenty 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 comes from an understanding of efficiency and safe practice. In a recent Instagram post, the competitor turned coach shared the top three mistakes he sees people make.

Deadlifts are a compound exercise, recruiting the entire body to raise the bar while stabilizing our frames. Deadlifts primarily target your core, hip flexors, back, glutes and hamstrings, but they also hammer your quads, calves, shoulders and forearms. Because a large part of the body is involved in lifting the barbell to about hip height and then lowering it back to the floor, special care must be taken to get the best reward from your reps while protecting your spine.

Jay Cutler’s Top 3 Deadlift Mistakes

1) Don’t lift too heavy

The Olympia icon told his 5.8 million Instagram followers that the biggest mistake he sees is people overloading the barbell. “They tend to go there, get ready to carry the weight, but they can’t really move it,” Cutler says of this ego-driven mistake. “You want to be able to move through the reps because you want to get that feeling. Remember, it’s not just going to focus on your back, it’s going to 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 maximum can cause hypertrophy. For rep volumes in the 8-12 range, 60% to 80% of your 1RM is a great ceiling, meaning you can focus on form without having to do too much weight.

2) Don’t stand too far from the barbell

“You want to hit the bar up to your shins, almost to the point where the bar drags on the shins,” Cutler demonstrated. “You want to pull through the body, keeping your head up. Hold the body position and pull on the weight, almost as if you were pulling the bar straight through your body.”

Getting closer to the bar not only places emphasis on your glutes and hamstrings, but this preferred technique also significantly reduces stress on your spine. With the bar close to your shins, the hips and legs are ready to create power, while holding the bar above your midfoot also strengthens balance.

3) Do not round the back

“The third and final mistake is rounding the rear end,” Cutler said. “You want to bend the knees a little bit. Many people have a tendency to hunch over and round their back.” The bodybuilding legend pointed out that this approach will almost certainly lead to back injuries due to 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? Don’t round the back.”

In his demonstration, Cutler showed that he can avoid overarching by bending his knees over the bar. “My head is up,” he says, which has the effect of straightening his spine. So the next time you go for the deadlift, remember these solid tips from one of the best to ever do it.

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