How to Stop Hyperextending on Deadlift Lockout

Why "Squeezing Your Glutes" Is Wrecking Your Deadlift

To stop hyperextending on deadlift lockout, you must think "hips forward," not "lean back," finishing in a perfectly straight, solid line from your ankles to your shoulders. You're probably leaning back because someone told you to "squeeze your glutes as hard as you can" at the top. It's the most common deadlift cue, and for many people, it's the exact reason their lower back hurts. When you over-squeeze your glutes without bracing your core, you force your pelvis to tilt forward and your lumbar spine to arch backward into hyperextension. You think you're finishing the lift with power, but you're actually putting your spinal discs in their most vulnerable position, right at the moment of peak compression. The goal isn't to create a backbend; it's to complete the hip hinge. A perfect lockout is a quiet, stable, standing plank. Your glutes and hamstrings do the work to get you upright, and your abs lock you in place. The violent lean-back you see some people do is not a sign of strength; it's a sign of poor motor control and a major injury risk. You're losing stability and leaking force right at the finish line, which ultimately limits how much you can lift safely. The fix is simpler than you think, and it starts by unlearning that one bad cue.

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The Invisible Line: What a Safe Lockout Actually Looks Like

The reason you hyperextend is because you think of the lockout as a separate movement-an extra pull or lean-back you add at the end. This is the #1 mistake. The lockout isn't an extra step; it is the *destination*. Your only goal is to move from a hip-hinge position to a standing position. That's it. A perfect deadlift lockout looks like a perfect standing posture. Imagine a straight, rigid line running from your ankles, through your knees, hips, and up to your shoulders. Your body should form a solid column, braced and stable. The work is done by your glutes and hamstrings driving your hips forward to meet the bar. Your spinal erectors-the muscles running up your back-should be firing isometrically to keep your spine neutral and safe, not contracting to pull you into a backbend. When you lean back, you're asking your spine to become a primary mover, a job it was never designed for under that kind of load. You're essentially doing a standing back extension with 200, 300, or 400 pounds in your hands. This is why it feels so sketchy and why your lower back feels “crunchy” or tight after deadlifts. The goal is to finish with your hips and then stop. The moment your hips and knees are fully extended, the lift is over. Any movement after that is not only unnecessary, it's dangerous. You now understand the mechanics: finish with the hips, stand tall like a plank. But knowing this and executing it under a 225-pound load are two different things. How can you be 100% certain you're not hyperextending on your 5th rep when fatigue sets in? Can you see the difference between your first rep and your last?

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The 3-Step Reset for a Perfect Deadlift Lockout

Fixing your deadlift hyperextension requires breaking a bad habit and replacing it with a new, stronger motor pattern. This isn't about thinking more; it's about giving your body better cues. You may need to reduce the weight by 10-20% for the first couple of weeks to get this right. The goal is perfect execution, not ego. Once you master this, your old max will feel easier and safer.

Step 1: Film Your Set from the Side

You cannot fix what you cannot see. Your feeling of what's straight is wrong, otherwise you wouldn't be searching for this. Set your phone on a bench or tripod, level with your hips, directly to your side. Record a warm-up set with about 50% of your working weight and one of your main working sets. When you watch it back, look for one thing: at the very top of the lift, do your hips travel forward past your ankles and do your shoulders lean back behind your hips? If they do, you're hyperextending. A correct lockout will show your shoulders, hips, and ankles stacked in a perfectly vertical line. This video is your unbiased coach. It doesn't lie. Use it every deadlift session until the vertical line is automatic.

Step 2: Use the "Hips to Bar" Cue

Forget "squeeze your glutes." Your new cue is "bring your hips to the bar." As the bar passes your knees, your entire focus should be on driving your hips forward aggressively. Think about powerfully thrusting your pelvis into the barbell. This cue does two things perfectly: it forces your glutes to fire to complete hip extension (the real goal), and it makes it mechanically impossible to lean back, because your forward momentum stops when your hips make contact with the bar. The lift is finished. You're standing tall, bar in hand, with a neutral spine. This is a much more active and effective cue than passively trying to "stand up straight."

Step 3: Brace Your Abs at the Top

This is the final piece that locks everything in place. Hyperextension is a failure of anterior (front) core control. To prevent your back from arching, you must create a wall of stability with your abs. As you drive your hips forward to meet the bar, simultaneously brace your abs as if you're about to be punched in the stomach. This abdominal contraction creates a rigid torso and prevents your pelvis from tilting forward, effectively blocking the hyperextension. The combination is powerful: your glutes drive the hips forward, and your abs create a hard stop. The lift ends in a position of total body tension-a standing plank. This is what a strong, safe lockout feels like. It's not loose and relaxed; it's tight, controlled, and powerful.

Step 4: Add Corrective Accessory Work

To drill this new pattern, add exercises that teach pure hip extension. After your deadlifts, perform 3 sets of 15 bodyweight or lightly weighted glute bridges. Lie on your back and focus on squeezing your glutes to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Pause for a second at the top, feeling your glutes and braced abs. This reinforces the correct end position. On a separate training day, perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 heavy Kettlebell Swings. The swing is the perfect teacher for an explosive hip hinge, forcing you to use your hips to move the weight, not your back.

Your Lockout Will Feel Weaker at First. That's a Good Sign.

When you implement these changes, your deadlift is going to feel different. It will probably feel harder and maybe even a little weaker at the top. This is a positive sign. It means you've stopped using your lower back as a crutch and are now forcing your glutes to do 100% of the work to finish the lift. Don't panic and revert to your old, dangerous form.

In the First 2 Weeks: You will likely need to drop the weight on the bar by 15-20%. Your only goal is to execute every single rep with a perfect, stacked lockout. Film your sets. Focus on the "hips to bar" and "brace abs" cues. It will feel robotic and slow at first. That's fine. You are building a new, better habit.

By Month 1: The new movement pattern will start to feel more natural. You should be able to work back up to your previous weights, but the lockout will feel dramatically different. Instead of feeling a sketchy lean-back, you'll feel a solid, powerful "thud" as your hips meet the bar and your whole body locks into a rigid column. Your confidence at the top of the lift will increase significantly.

After 2-3 Months: The correct lockout will be your default. You won't even have to think about it anymore. Because you're no longer leaking force through an unstable spine, you'll find that you can handle more weight than before. Your deadlift will not only be safer, but it will also be stronger. The nagging lower back tightness you used to feel after deadlift day will be gone, replaced by the satisfying soreness of well-worked glutes and hamstrings.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Role of Glute Squeezing at Lockout

You should still squeeze your glutes, but the intent matters. The cue isn't "squeeze as hard as possible." It's "squeeze to stand up straight." The glute contraction is what brings your hips to full extension. Once your hips are extended and you're standing tall, the job is done. Any further squeezing will cause the lean-back you're trying to fix.

Differentiating Lockout from Shrugging

Many lifters confuse finishing a deadlift with shrugging or pulling their shoulders back. The lockout is completed by the hips. Your shoulders should remain in a neutral, packed position, with your lats engaged to keep the bar close to your body. Do not try to finish the lift by rowing the bar or pinching your shoulder blades together.

Using a Belt for Lockout Issues

A lifting belt is a tool to increase intra-abdominal pressure, giving your core a surface to brace against. It can help reinforce the "standing plank" feeling at the top, but it will not fix bad mechanics. If you hyperextend, a belt won't stop you. Fix your form first, then use a belt to enhance your brace on heavy sets.

Sumo vs. Conventional Deadlift Lockout

The principle of a safe lockout is identical for both sumo and conventional deadlifts. The goal is always to achieve a neutral spine by bringing the hips to full extension. Hyperextension is equally dangerous in both stances. The cues "hips to bar" and "brace your abs" work perfectly for both styles of deadlifting.