How to Film Your Deadlift: A Form-Check Recording Checklist

Make the Recording Useful Before Asking for Feedback#

An unclear recording makes a form check difficult for both a coach and an automated tool. This guide covers how to film a deadlift so the visible movement can be reviewed. For the movement cues themselves, use the linked six-point technique guide.

Do not attempt a heavy or painful lift just to obtain a video. Ask a coach or training partner to help if setting up a camera would interfere with your lifting or other gym users.

1. Secure the Phone Before Starting#

Use a stable support outside the path of the bar, plates and other people. Do not balance the phone where it could fall or become a trip hazard. Check gym recording rules and respect other people's privacy.

Start the recording before taking your grip. Never reach for the phone while supporting a loaded bar.

2. Keep the Whole Movement in Frame#

Include your head, feet, bar and plates from the starting position through the finish. Check the frame before the set so that the bar does not disappear when you stand up. Leave enough room around the movement to avoid cutting off joints that a reviewer needs to see.

Use lighting that makes the outline of your body visible. A brightly lit window behind you or equipment across the camera's view can obscure useful details.

3. Begin with a Side View#

A side recording can help a reviewer discuss the visible path of the bar and how the hips and shoulders move. Keep the phone stationary, rather than panning or zooming during the set. A two-dimensional view cannot reveal every part of the movement, so do not treat it as a complete assessment.

Avoid making precise angle or distance claims from a recording whose perspective is unknown. The purpose is a useful discussion, not a laboratory measurement.

4. Add a Separate Front or Rear View if Needed#

If your question concerns side-to-side movement, record another manageable set from a front or rear position. Do not assume that a second view proves the cause of an apparent difference. Clothing, plates and camera alignment can still hide important details.

Tell the reviewer which exercise variation and load you used. Changing the variation between recordings makes comparison less useful.

5. Compare Like with Like#

For later practice sessions, reuse a similar camera position, exercise variation and approximate load. Label the recording with the date and any cue you were practicing. Review a few repetitions rather than choosing only the most flattering one.

Ask one clear question: for example, whether the starting position is repeatable or whether the bar appears to drift during the pull. This is more useful than asking an automated score to summarize every part of your training.

6. Share the Recording with Context#

Explain whether you are learning a technique, reviewing a change or experiencing symptoms. A coach can help with practice and progression. If you have pain, the recording is not a substitute for a healthcare assessment.

Automated feedback estimates visible movement. It does not directly measure muscle activation, internal joint forces or the cause of pain, and no score guarantees injury prevention.

Choose the Guide for Your Question#

• For basic setup and practice, use the beginner deadlift form guide.
• If you have symptoms, read the pain and safety guide rather than diagnosing yourself from a video.
• For movement cues, use the six-point technique review.
• To make a useful recording, use the deadlift filming checklist.

Explore the deadlift exercise guide.