Programming
Oct 14, 2026
6 min
How many days a week should you lift?
Two full-body days beat five rushed ones. How we decide frequency for busy members.
By Theo Brandt
Bar over mid-foot before anything else moves.
Most deadlift problems start before the bar leaves the floor. When a new member's back rounds or the bar drifts forward, the cause is almost always in the setup. Here are the five checkpoints we teach every lifter at Taconite, in the order we teach them.
The five checkpoints
01
Bar over mid-foot
Stand so the bar sits over the middle of your foot, about an inch from your shins. Look down: you should see the bar over your shoelaces, not your toes.
02
Grip just outside your legs
Hands close enough that your arms hang straight down, without your thumbs brushing your thighs on the way up.
03
Shins to the bar
Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar. Don't move the bar to your shins.
04
Chest up, back set
Squeeze the bar, pull your chest up and think "long spine." Your hips end up wherever they need to be; don't force them low.
05
Push the floor away
Take a breath, brace and press through the whole foot. The bar should travel in a straight line, close to your legs.
If the bar moves before you pull, your setup moved too. Reset and start from checkpoint one.
Three common mistakes
Squatting the deadlift. Hips too low pushes your knees into the bar's path. Let the hips sit higher.
Yanking the bar. Pull the slack out first: you'll hear the bar click against the plates.
Looking at the ceiling. Keep your neck in line with your back; eyes a few feet ahead on the floor.
How heavy to start
Start with a weight you could lift 10 times with clean form and do 5. Add 5 to 10 pounds a session while every rep looks the same. If you have back pain or a past injury, talk to your doctor or physical therapist before loading up, and tell your coach.
Want someone to check your setup? Every free week includes a coach session. Book yours.
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