During a deadlift, which correction moves the shoulders over the bar by adjusting hip height?

• A. Raise the hips to move the shoulders over, or slightly in front of, the bar.
• B. Lower the hips and keep the shoulders behind the bar.
• C. Keep hips fixed and rotate wrists.
• D. Move the bar forward by extending the elbows.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that the position of the shoulders over the bar is driven by hip height and torso angle in the starting position. When the hips are raised, the torso becomes more vertical and the shoulders move forward to stack directly over the bar (or slightly in front). This alignment keeps the bar over the midfoot, promotes a straight, vertical bar path, and helps maintain a neutral spine during the lift.

Lowering the hips tends to push the shoulders behind the bar, which disrupts the bar path and makes it harder to keep the bar aligned over the middle of the stance. Rotating the wrists doesn’t affect where the bar sits relative to the body, and moving the bar forward by extending the elbows changes the bar path in a way that doesn’t correct shoulder alignment.