• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Training Guides » Pulling the Slack Out of the Bar Is Key for Strong Deadlifts

Pulling the Slack Out of the Bar Is Key for Strong Deadlifts

A crucial deadlift cue for every level fitness enthusiast!

Written by Jake Boly, CSCS
Last updated on July 27th, 2023

A strong deadlift is the culmination of strength, power, coordination, and technique. An athlete needs to possess a baseline level of all of these variables to efficiently perform strong deadlift singles and sets.

When it comes to technical efficiency, there are a lot of cues one can use for the deadlift to be successful. One of those cues — and, arguably, the most important — is pulling the slack out of the bar. This concept and cue is a skill that should be trained heavily for both the sumo and conventional deadlift during every training session.

If you’re brand new to deadlifting, or you’re starting to get serious about your strength training, then it’s important to spend some time understanding what it’s like to pull the slack out of the bar.

https://youtu.be/ZekmOILoQCU

What Is Pulling the Slack Out of the Bar?

Pulling the slack out of the bar is the relationship you create with your body, the floor, and the barbell to create tension before physically lifting weight. Essentially, it’s how we signal to our body that we’re getting ready to exert force and lift a heavy object. 

An easy way for beginners to visualize pulling the slack out of the bar is to think about it as a very light isometric hold. You’re pulling the bar and creating tension with the body ever so slightly without exerting energy to the point of fatigue. As a coach, if I came up to you and lightly pushed your shoulder backwards, and you’re pulling the slack out, then you wouldn’t really move or have your mechanics change.

Beginners, it’s worth pointing out that elite athletes will have different means of pulling slack out of the bar that they’ve developed over time. Sometimes you’ll physically see the barbell bend (often deadlift bars) due to the weight being lifted, but that’s not a necessary mechanism/visual for your success when first learning this concept and properly pulling the slack out. For most people, the act of pulling the slack out will be imperceptible to bystanders: it’s you creating tension in the body by pulling ever so slightly on the bar.

Pulling the slack out the bar is important for three main reasons:

  1. Maintaining strong technique when breaking the floor (initiating deadlifts).
  2. Ensuring setup is consistent and every rep is fluid.
  3. Priming the nervous system, muscles, and joints for external loading.

It’s common to hear that pulling the slack out of the bar is simply, “pulling up on the barbell before deadlifting”. And that’s not a wrong way to think about it like that, but it can be a bit limiting, especially for newer lifters. The whole body needs to be aligned when pulling the slack out of the bar.

After all, this cue isn’t really observable from an anatomical point of view, it’s something that is felt on a much more internal level.

For a true beginner, the concept of pulling the slack out of the bar can be difficult to understand at times, and it becomes much more important as weight gets heavier. That’s why it’s a useful skill to learn and sharpen early on in lifting careers.

Pulling Slack Out of the Bar
Pulling Slack Out of the Bar

Sumo and Conventional Deadlift Slack Pulling Tips

One of the best ways to approach pulling the slack out of the bar for the sumo and conventional deadlift is by creating a string of cues that create consistency during every rep. This can be extremely useful for mindset when pulling singles, and more importantly, multiple reps.

If you can create a string of cues for your lifting, then you can get into consistent positions quicker while achieving the benefits of pulling the slack out of the bar. Below, we’ve provided a few strings of cues you can try out for the conventional and sumo deadlift.

Remember, these cues are for creating tension with the body, floor, and barbell, and they’re not just simply “pulling up on the barbell”. 

Pulling the Slack Out of the Bar for the Conventional Deadlift

  1. Screw the feet into the floor.
  2. Hinge at the hips.
  3. Pack the lats (this will pull the bar into you).
  4. Belly breathe into the obliques.

Pulling the Slack Out of the Bar for the Sumo Deadlift

  1. Screw the feet into the floor.
  2. Wedge the hips behind the bar.
  3. Pack the lats (this will pull the bar into you).
  4. Belly breathe into the obliques.

Wrapping Up

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifter, pulling the slack out of the bar is crucial for success when pulling heavy weight. It’s a skill that should be sharpened regularly and can be make or break when moving maximal loads.

About Jake Boly, CSCS

Jake holds a Master's in Sports Science and a Bachelor's in Exercise Science. Jake formerly served as BarBend's Fitness and Training Editor.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap