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Yesterday Donald Trump Jr. posted a video on Instagram of him setting “a new personal Deadlift record” at 375 pounds. Impressive, for sure, until you look at Junior’s form which is anything but.




In his Instagram post, he acknowledges that “the form went to hell” because “at the extreme ends it gets tougher to stay perfect.”



While true, the answer to that isn’t to go for the extreme weight anyway. Instead, what he should have done is worked up to this “Deadlift record” by hitting perfect form on smaller amounts of weight before trying things out at 375 pounds. Having your form “go to hell” with this much weight could end in a pretty serious injury.


In the video he’s rounding his back so much he gave himself a solid chance of herniating a disc. And he started the entire experience wrong, with his chest pointed straight at the ground at the start of the motion instead of forward. While leaning forward like that seems more natural to start deadlifting, it also puts way too much stress on your back.

When lifting weight like that you also need to straighten your legs before involving your back, something Trump doesn’t quite pull off either. That’s something he would have been training his spine to handle at lower weights so this one wouldn’t have ended in such a curvature.


By our count, Trump hit five out of the seven common beginner deadlift mistakes, which isn’t good. Trump appears to be in a gym where we hope he’s working with a trainer. No one should attempt getting into deadlifts on their own. Instead, working with a professional that can help you add weight responsibly, and ensure you’re maintaining proper form so you don’t get injured as you move to higher and higher goals. You also want to prioritize doing things the “right” way to make sure you’re working the right muscle groups.

Here’s a video rundown of what proper form looks like:

While ultimately the goal is to lift heavier and heavier weights, start out small and work yourself up to those impressive lifts. Instead, focus on getting that form right. You’ll ensure you’re working the right muscle groups with the lift (the whole point in the first place), minimize your risk of injury, and be much stronger when you go to hit those personal records.