Demonstration
Watch the Form Demo
Technique
How to Do the Barbell Romanian Deadlift
- Deadlift the bar to standing or take it from a rack at hip height, hands just outside your legs.
- Set your feet at hip width with a soft bend in the knees that stays constant throughout.
- Push your hips straight back, letting the bar slide down your thighs while your back stays flat.
- Lower until you feel a deep stretch in the hamstrings, typically around mid-shin.
- Drive your hips forward to stand tall, squeezing the glutes without leaning back.
- Keep the bar in light contact with your legs for the entire rep.
Anatomy
Muscles Worked
Do This
Form Cues
- Push the hips back and keep the bar in contact with the legs.
- Keep a soft knee bend but do not turn it into a squat.
- Stop when the hamstrings stop stretching, usually around mid shin.
- Think about pushing your hips back to a wall behind you rather than lowering the bar down.
Avoid This
Common Mistakes
- Squatting the weight down instead of hinging.
- Rounding the lower back to reach the floor.
- Letting the bar drift away from the legs, which loads the lower back.
- Chasing the floor. Range ends where your hamstrings and flat back say it does, not at the plates touching down.
More to Explore
Variations & Related Exercises
Variations of this lift
Stiff Leg Barbell Deadlift
B-Stance Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Barbell Deadlift
Trains the same muscles
1.5 Rep Barbell Squat
Barbell Box Squat
Barbell Front Squat
Barbell Good Morning
Barbell Hip Thrust
Barbell Lunge
Put It Into Practice
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