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Exercise Library · Legs

Romanian Deadlift

A hip hinge that loads the hamstrings and glutes through a long stretch: push the hips back, keep the back flat, and slide the bar down your legs.

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01

Exercise Type

A compound hip-hinge exercise for the posterior chain — the muscles along the back of your body. Unlike a regular deadlift it starts from standing and the bar never rests on the floor between reps, so the hamstrings stay under tension the whole set.

Compound Hip hinge Posterior chain Lower-body Free weight
Equipment
Barbell & plates (or dumbbells)
Level
Intermediate
Rep range
6–12 reps × 3–4 sets
Tempo
2.5 s down · 0.5 s hold · 2 s up
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02

Starting Position

  • Take the bar from a rack set at mid-thigh height (or deadlift it up from the floor), holding it with an overhand grip just outside your thighs.
  • Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, the bar resting against your thighs and your shoulders pulled back and down.
  • Unlock your knees into a slight bend, brace your core and look at the floor about two metres ahead.
Stand tall, eyes aheadShoulders backBar against the thighsKnees soft, slightly bentWeight over mid-foot
Side view — standing tall with the bar against the thighs
● Top — breathe in, brace↓ Hips back — hold breath■ Bottom — feel the stretch↑ Hips forward — breathe outbar path
One rep ≈ 6 s · red glow = hamstrings working · dashed line = bar path
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03

Movement

  • Push your hips straight back as if closing a car door with your backside. Your torso tips forward with a flat back while your knees keep the same slight bend.
  • Let the bar slide down the front of your thighs, staying in contact with your legs, until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings — usually just below the knees.
  • Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall again. Finish upright; don’t lean back at the top.
Set · 1 s
Down · 2.5 s
Hold · 0.5 s
Up · 2 s
■

04

End Position

  • At the bottom your torso is roughly 45° to nearly parallel with the floor, depending on your hamstring flexibility.
  • The bar is around knee level or just below, touching or very close to your legs, with your hips pushed well behind your heels.
  • Your back is still flat, your neck is in line with your spine and your shins are close to vertical — the knees have not moved forward.
hips backBack flat, not roundedNeck neutralBar near the kneesShins near vertical
Side view — bottom of the hinge, hamstrings fully stretched
just outside the thighs ≈ shoulder-widthoverhand grip — palms face you, arms straight
thumbfingersfull grip — thumb wrapsover the fingersclose-up, bar end-on
Front view of the grip, and a close-up of the hand around the bar
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05

Hand Position

  • Use an overhand grip (palms facing you) with hands just outside your thighs, about shoulder-width apart.
  • Wrap your thumbs all the way around the bar and squeeze it hard. Use chalk or lifting straps if your grip gives out before your legs.
  • Keep your arms straight and relaxed like hooks — don’t bend the elbows. Pull the bar gently back into your legs so it never drifts forward.
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06

Leg Position

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward or turned out only slightly.
  • Set a soft bend in your knees (about 15–20°) at the start and keep it fixed. The knees don’t bend more as you go down — the movement comes from the hips.
  • Keep your shins close to vertical and your weight over the middle of the foot and heels, with the whole foot flat on the floor.
hip-width, toes forwardknees soft,not lockedfront view

From the front

soft, fixedknee bendShins near verticalWhole foot flat

Side view, at the bottom

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07

Breathing

↓

Breathe In

Breathe in deeply at the top, before you start to hinge. Fill your belly and brace your abs so your back stays flat as your torso tips forward.

■

Hold

Hold that breath as you lower the bar and through the brief pause at the bottom. If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, don’t hold your breath — breathe out steadily as you come up, and check with your doctor first.

↑

Breathe Out

Breathe out as you drive your hips forward, once the bar passes your knees on the way up, finishing as you stand tall. Re-breathe and brace before every rep.

TopBottomBar passes kneesTop
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08

Between Sets

1

Put the bar back in the rack, or hinge down with a flat back and set it on the floor — never drop it from the top with a rounded back.

2

Rest 2–3 minutes after heavy sets of 6–8, or 90 seconds for sets of 10–12. Walk around and shake out your grip.

3

Keep the hamstrings loose with easy leg swings rather than long static stretches. Re-chalk or adjust straps, and run through your setup cues.

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09

Major Muscles Exercised

  • Back
    Back · thigh

    Hamstrings

    Back of the thigh — lengthen under load and pull the hips forward

  • Back
    Back · buttocks

    Gluteus maximus

    Buttocks — drives the hips forward to stand up

  • Front
    Front · inner thigh

    Adductor magnus

    Inner thigh — a strong hip extender in the stretched position

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10

Minor Muscles Exercised

  • Back
    Back · either side of the spine

    Erector spinae

    Hold the back flat against the pull of the bar

  • Back
    Back · side of the back

    Latissimus dorsi

    Keep the bar pulled back against the legs

  • Back
    Back · upper back

    Upper back (trapezius & rhomboids)

    Keep the shoulders back and the chest up

  • Front
    Front · abdomen

    Core (abs, obliques)

    Brace the trunk to protect the spine

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11

Joints

JointAction during the Romanian deadlift
HipThe main mover — flexion as you hinge down, extension as you stand up
KneeHeld in a slight fixed bend; very little movement
SpineHeld neutral and still — braced, not rounding
ShoulderHeld back and down; slight extension keeps the bar close
AnkleStable, with the shins close to vertical
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12

Closest Variation: Stiff-Leg Deadlift

The one difference

Your knees stay almost straight instead of keeping a soft bend.

Soft, fixed knee bendBar at the kneesHips pushed back
Romanian deadlift — bottom
Knees almost straightBar lower, mid-shinTorso tips further
Stiff-leg deadlift — bottom

What that changes — compared with the Romanian deadlift

  • Main muscle emphasis

    ↑

    Hamstrings work harder because straighter knees stretch them further; the glutes do a little less.

  • Range of motion

    ↑

    The bar travels lower — to mid-shin or the floor instead of around the knees.

  • Joint & spine stress

    ↑

    The torso tips further forward, so the lower back holds more of the load at the bottom.

  • Difficulty to learn

    ↑

    Needs good hamstring flexibility to keep the back flat with the knees straight.

About the same: load you can lift, balance & stability demand, grip demand.

Role: Progression· Harder

Choose the stiff-leg deadlift if…

  • ✓You already do RDLs with a flat back
  • ✓You want a bigger hamstring stretch
  • ✓Your hamstrings are flexible enough to stay flat-backed

Stick with the Romanian deadlift if…

  • ✓Your back rounds when your knees straighten
  • ✓You want the glutes and hamstrings to share the work
  • ✓You are still learning the hip hinge
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13

All Variations at a Glance

Each variation changes one thing about the Romanian deadlift. Read down a column to see what changes, how hard it is, and what that does — every effect is compared with the regular Romanian deadlift.

↑ more than the Romanian deadlift ↓ less = about the same

Scroll sideways to see all 6 variations →

Closest ↑ above Stiff-Leg Deadlift Dumbbell RDL B-Stance RDL Single-Leg RDL Deficit RDL Snatch-Grip RDL
What changes Knee bend: soft → almost straight Equipment: barbell → two dumbbells Stance: both feet → one foot leading, back foot for balance Stance: two legs → one leg Range: floor → standing on a 5–10 cm platform Grip: shoulder-width → very wide
Role Progression· Harder Lateral· Similar difficulty Lateral· Similar difficulty Progression· Harder Progression· Harder Lateral· Similar difficulty
Load you can lift = / ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓↓ ↓ ↓
Main muscle emphasis ↑ hamstrings = ↑ front-leg glute ↑ glutes incl. medius ↑ hamstrings ↑ upper back
Range of motion ↑ = / ↑ = = ↑↑ ↑
Balance & stability demand = ↑ ↑ ↑↑ = =
Joint & spine stress ↑ lower back = ↓ lower back ↓↓ lower back ↑ lower back =
Grip demand = = ↓ ↓ = ↑↑
Difficulty to learn ↑ ↓ = ↑↑ ↑ ↑
Equipment Barbell Dumbbells Dumbbells Dumbbell or kettlebell Barbell, platform Barbell

Arrows are estimates based on how each change alters the movement, not measured values.

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14

Alternates

Different exercises that train the same muscles — useful when you lack equipment or want variety. They are not versions of the Romanian deadlift itself.

Conventional Deadlift

Lifted from the floor with more knee bend, so the quads help and much heavier loads are possible.

Best for: Whole-body strength

Barbell

Good Morning

Bar on the upper back instead of in the hands; the load sits further from the hips.

Best for: Hamstrings and lower back

Barbell, squat rack

Cable Pull-Through

A cable pulls you backward between your legs; easy to learn and gentle on the back.

Best for: Learning the hip hinge

Cable machine

Kettlebell Swing

A fast, explosive hinge that throws the bell forward instead of a slow lowering.

Best for: Power and conditioning

Kettlebell

45° Back Extension

Hips fixed on a pad while the upper body hinges down and up; no grip needed.

Best for: Glutes and lower-back endurance

Back-extension bench

Start light and master the hip hinge before adding weight. Stop if you feel sharp pain in the lower back or hamstrings.