Barbell Complex - Stiff Leg Deadlift - Clean - Step

The Barbell Complex combines multiple movements for a full-body workout. You perform a stiff leg deadlift followed by a clean and a step-up in a fluid sequence.

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the barbell in front of your thighs.
  2. Lower the barbell by bending at the hips and keeping your legs straight, engaging your hamstrings.
  3. Once the barbell reaches mid-shin, explosively pull it up to your shoulders in a clean motion.
  4. From the clean position, step up onto a platform or step with one foot, then return to the starting position.

How to perform the Barbell Complex - Stiff Leg Deadlift - Clean - Step

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Complex - Stiff Leg Deadlift - Clean - Step using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your deltoids.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your deltoids rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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Variations of Barbell Complex - Stiff Leg Deadlift - Clean - Step

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