If anyone on the planet has the right to tell you how to lift heavy, it’s Eddie Hall. The former World’s Strongest Man not only claimed the 2017 title but also shattered records with his jaw-dropping 500kg (1,102-pound) deadlift back in 2016 — a feat no one thought possible.
Now, Hall’s revealing the straightforward, no-nonsense tweaks that can transform your pull and – according to his YouTube channel – will “increase your deadlift by 20%.” And unlike many gym hacks out there, this advice comes straight from the man who’s lifted half a metric ton off the floor.
So, who better to learn from than the man who shattered all human expectations and became the first person in history to deadlift 500kg? We’ve scoured videos and articles from across the Internet to bring you the ultimate Eddie Hall Guide To Deadlifting.
“Brute Strength Is The Key To Strongman”
“Brute strength is the key to strongman,” Hall tells Muscle & Fitness. “If you’ve got that, you’re 90% there.”
That philosophy underpins his whole approach—build the raw power first, then fine-tune the form. But Hall’s quick to remind lifters not to get lost chasing the perfect setup at the expense of simple hard graft.
“Technique is important, but too many people get carried away trying fancy things and don’t put enough effort into the basics,” he says.
Still, the basics according to Hall are far from guesswork. The man from Stoke-on-Trent has condensed years of strongman training into a handful of brutally effective principles that any lifter can use to see serious results.
A Proper Deadlift Bar
In one video, shared to his popular YouTube Channel, Hall explains the importance of working with the correct equipment. In this case,
“You’ve got to have a good bar, he says. “A proper deadlifting bar is essential. You can’t deadlift on these standard sort of powerlifting bars, they haven’t got the right amount of sort of tensile strength in them to sort of give you that little bit of whip that you need to get a good deadlift out of.”
Hall then shows off his Texas deadlift bar – the very one he used in his record-breaking 500kg pull.
The Six-Rep Rule
Hall swears by what he calls the six-rep rule—a cornerstone of his own deadlift programming.
“The six-rep rule has been at the heart of my training since I started,” he says. “Find a weight that has you failing one to two reps before six. Each week, aim to complete that weight for six reps. Then increase the weight by 10% and aim to lift that six times.”
The simplicity is deceptive; this progressive overload system builds both strength and resilience. By constantly pushing that rep threshold, Hall says you’ll force your body to adapt week after week—no shortcuts, no gimmicks.
Incorporate Speed Work
While you might picture Hall’s training as all-out heavy lifting, he’s big on speed work for both power and longevity.
To sharpen the quickness of his pull, Hall includes a speed week in his deadlift rotation. His formula: load 60% of your one-rep max and hit eight sets of two reps, pulling as fast as possible.
“You’ll still develop power without damaging your body with heavy weight,” Hall says.
That explosiveness isn’t just about making the lift look cleaner—it’s about training your nervous system to fire faster, generating maximum force even before fatigue sets in.
Bar Close, Shins Scraped
Hall’s next golden rule is all about bar path. He’s blunt about it: if you’re not bleeding a little, you’re doing it wrong.
“Keep the bar as close to your body as possible,” Hall says. “Wear deadlift socks — as this will hurt a little — and drag the bar up your shins and thighs. If the bar moves away from your body, you’re using your lower back more, which is dangerous.”
That advice might sound brutal, but it’s biomechanically spot-on. The straighter the bar path, the more efficient — and safer — your pull becomes.
Footwork: “Feet Locked Straight, Like You’re on Train Tracks”
From there, Hall drills into what he calls the foundations — and first up is foot positioning.
“Foot positioning, nice and easy. For me, it’s got to be shoulder width, plus half an inch to an inch,” he explains. That stance, he says, distributes your body weight evenly and lets you “put all the power down through the floor.”
He warns against turning the toes outward: “That can throw you off balance as you lean forward. Feet locked straight, like you’re on train tracks. Create that foundation, and that’s when you can put as much power as you can through the heels.”
Grip: Go Wider to Lift Easier
Hall also points out that even small grip mistakes can sabotage your lift.
“If you’re gripping it too narrow, you’re still making the lift a lot harder for yourself, because you’re fighting against your own muscle mass,” he explains. “If you’ve got a wide grip, you’re able to droop the shoulders a bit, and it makes the lift that much easier, and you’re not fighting the muscles in your chest and your armpits.”
That small tweak in hand spacing can mean the difference between a failed lift and a new PB—especially when you’re fighting gravity with hundreds of kilos.
“If Your Technique Is S**t, Your Back Will Tell You”
Hall doesn’t sugarcoat things when it comes to bar placement and back safety.
“Does anybody ever notice that the second rep of a deadlift is always easier than the first rep?” he asks. “It’s closer to your body 9 times out of 10. What that tells me, if your first rep isn’t easier than your second rep, is that your technique is s**t.”
He’s seen plenty of lifters set the bar too far forward, forcing the lift over their toes and putting unnecessary strain on the lower back.
“If you suffer from back pain from deadlifting, that is the case,” Hall says. “You’ve got to think of a deadlift as an A to B movement, like a bench press. If you come off that line, you’re making it harder for yourself.”
The Little “1 Percents”
In another video of Hall sharing his advice for deadlifting, he stresses how tiny improvements when lifting can add 1% to your deadlift PBs. However, when these 1% improvements are added up, it can make for significant increases in your lifts.
For example, Hall says that he sometimes rubs Vaseline under his armpits before some of his biggest pulls – just to reduce the friction when pulling.
“But let’s say that takes 1% onto your max deadlift – when you get up to my sort of numbers, that’s 5 kilo, you know? The grip – that might be another 1%. But, again, that’s 10 kilo. It’s just all these little tips that add up,” Hall explains. “They can make a big difference to your lifting.”
From stance to grip to bar path, Hall’s approach strips deadlifting down to its most functional form — no fluff, just fundamentals done with precision and intent.
For Hall, mastering the deadlift isn’t about gimmicks or chasing trends. It’s about owning the foundations and putting relentless effort into the right things.
Featured image credit: YouTube/EddieHallTheBeast (screenshots)
