Romanian Deadlift
HamstringsBarbellIntermediate
A foundational hip hinge that builds the entire posterior chain.
Muscle worked
Hamstrings, Glutes
Equipment
Barbell, Dumbbells
Difficulty
Intermediate
Time per set
30-60s
How to perform
Step by step, every rep
01
Set up
Stand with feet hip width apart, barbell in front of your thighs. Soft bend in the knees that you'll keep the whole rep.
02
Brace
Pull your shoulders down and back. Take a breath and tighten your core like someone's about to punch you in the gut.
03
Hinge
Push your hips back as if you're closing a car door with your backside. The bar stays in contact with your legs the whole way down.
04
Stop
Go as far as your hamstrings let you without rounding your back. For most people that's mid shin to just below the knee.
05
Return
Drive your hips forward to stand up. Squeeze your glutes hard at the top. That's one rep.
Common mistakes
Avoid these
✕
Rounding your lower back
Kills the glute and hamstring stretch and puts load on your spine. Fix: Only go as deep as you can stay flat. Range comes with mobility, not with ego.
✕
Bending the knees like a squat
This turns it into a conventional deadlift and takes tension off the hamstrings. Fix: Set the knee bend at the start and lock it. It's a hinge, not a squat.
✕
Letting the bar drift away from the body
Lengthens the lever and hammers your lower back. Fix: Keep the bar in contact with your legs the whole descent. Shave the shins.
✕
Going too deep
You lose the stretch at the point where your lower back starts to round. Fix: Watch yourself in a mirror and stop at the moment your back begins to curve.
Progressions
Scale it up or down
Make it easier
- Dumbbell RDL: easier to feel the hinge pattern
- Single leg RDL with a dumbbell
- Good morning with a light load
Make it harder
- Deficit RDL: stand on a plate for more range
- Tempo RDL: 4 seconds down, 1 second up
- Paused RDL: hold for 2 seconds at the bottom
How to program it
Sets, reps, rest
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build Strength | 3-4 | 5-8 | 2 min | Heavy with a flat back. Not an ego lift. |
| Build Muscle | 3-4 | 8-12 | 75-90s | Moderate. Feel the hamstrings stretch every rep. |
| Build Endurance | 2-3 | 12-15 | 60s | Lighter. Slow eccentric, 3 seconds down. |
Want this exercise programmed into a full plan?
Learning the form is step one. Fitting it into a plan built around your body, your equipment, your schedule and your food is what actually changes things. Fuel your sessions with enough protein using the Indian Food Database.
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