Legs · Bodyweight
Axle Deadlift
How to do the axle deadlift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet hip-width apart and a thick axle bar over your mid-foot. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees to grip the fat bar with a flat back. Drive through your heels, extending your hips and knees to stand tall, then lower the bar under control back to the floor. The thick handle taxes your grip harder than a standard bar.
- 1Feel your hamstrings and glutes load as you hinge back
- 2Keep your back flat and the bar close to your legs
- 3Fight to keep your grip locked on the thick bar
Common mistakes
- Avoid rounding your back or letting the bar drift forward
- Do not jerk the bar off the floor; build tension first
- Avoid hyperextending at the top; stand tall and stop
Muscles worked
The axle deadlift mainly works the forearms, glutes, lower back, and hamstrings, with the quads, upper traps, upper abs, and calves assisting.
- ForearmsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackPrimary
- HamstringsPrimary
- QuadsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
Kovo programs the axle deadlift for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.