Legs · Barbell · Compound · Intermediate
Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift starts standing and lowers the bar down the thighs by pushing the hips back, with a small knee bend that stays fixed. It stops when the hamstrings run out of length, usually around mid-shin, rather than at the floor.
- Main muscles
- Hamstrings, Glutes
- Also working
- Lower Back, Forearms, Traps
How to do it
- Stand tall holding the bar at your hips with a roughly shoulder-width grip, either unracked from hip height or deadlifted up from the floor. Feet about hip width.
- Bend the knees slightly and brace. That knee bend is the one you keep for the whole rep.
- Push your hips straight back and let the bar slide down your thighs. Your torso tips forward as the hips go back; your back stays flat.
- Keep lowering until you feel a strong stretch in the hamstrings or your lower back starts to want to round, whichever comes first. For most people that is between just below the knee and mid-shin.
- Drive the hips forward and squeeze the glutes to stand back up, keeping the bar against your legs.
Cues
Short phrases to think during a set.
- “Hips back, not down”
- “Drag the bar down your legs”
- “Same knee bend all the way”
Common mistakes
- Letting the knee angle change. If the knees keep bending and the hips drop, it has become a squat; if they lock straight, it has become a stiff-leg deadlift. Set the bend at the top and hold it.
- Letting the bar drift forward off the legs, which shifts the load onto the lower back. Pull it into your thighs on the way down.
- Rounding the lower back to reach lower. Depth comes from hamstring length, and the rep ends where the flat back runs out.
- Loading past what you can hold in position. If the back rounds or the grip opens before the hamstrings are stretched, the weight is too heavy for the set.
The short version
The RDL is mostly used as a hamstring and glute exercise, not as a test of how much you can lift. It works the hamstrings in a long, stretched position under a load you can control, and because it starts at the top and never touches the floor it is usually less tiring than a full deadlift. A lot of programs put it on a second lower-body day for that reason.
The two things that go wrong are knee bend and depth. Push the hips back and keep the knees where you set them, or the lift turns into a squat. Stop when the hamstrings are stretched or the back starts to round. Touching the floor is not the goal.
Why people do it
- Loads the hamstrings through a long stretch, which is a big part of why it is used for hamstring growth
- Works the glutes and spinal erectors along with the hamstrings
- Usually less fatiguing than pulling from the floor, so it is easier to fit in more than once a week
- Teaches the hip hinge that the conventional and sumo deadlift depend on
- Uses only a barbell, so you can add weight in small steps
Drawbacks
- Grip often gives out before the hamstrings do, so heavier sets usually need straps
- Usable depth is capped by hamstring flexibility, which limits range for many beginners
- Leaves strong hamstring soreness for the first few weeks, which can get in the way of running or the next leg session
- The lower back still accumulates fatigue, which adds up if you program RDLs after heavy deadlifts in the same session
Sources
- Romanian Vs conventional deadlift · Barbell Medicine
- Barbell Medicine: The 8 Best Glute and Hamstring Exercises · Barbell Medicine
- Romanian Deadlift With Straps? · Barbell Medicine
Questions
What is the difference between an RDL, a stiff-leg deadlift and a conventional deadlift?+
An RDL starts standing, keeps a slight fixed knee bend and stops at a hamstring stretch. A stiff-leg deadlift keeps the knees straighter and often goes further toward the floor, sometimes starting from it. A conventional deadlift starts on the floor with much more knee bend, so the quads do more of the work.
How low should I go on RDLs?+
Go until you feel a strong hamstring stretch with a flat back, and stop there. That is usually somewhere between just below the knee and mid-shin.
Why do I feel RDLs in my lower back instead of my hamstrings?+
The usual reasons are the bar drifting away from your legs, the back rounding at the bottom, or the knees bending so the hips drop instead of moving back. Go lighter, keep the bar on your thighs, and lower more slowly until you can feel the hamstrings stretch. Some lower-back work is expected, since the erectors hold your torso in position.
Is it okay to use straps on RDLs?+
Yes. The RDL is meant to train the hamstrings and glutes, and straps keep a weaker grip from capping the load. Train your grip separately if it matters to you.
Can RDLs replace deadlifts?+
For building hamstrings and glutes, many lifters use RDLs as their main hinge and do fine. If you compete in powerlifting or want a heavy pull from the floor, you still need to practise the deadlift itself.
Swaps on other equipment
Each has the hamstrings as its main muscle and is also a pull, on a different piece of equipment.
Variations
Conventional Deadlift · Stiff-Leg Deadlift · Single-Leg RDL · Good Morning
Other hamstring exercises
- Prowler Sprint · Other
- Reverse Band Sumo Deadlift · Barbell
- Reverse Hyperextension · Machine
- Romanian Deadlift from Deficit · Barbell
- Runner's Stretch · Bodyweight
- Seated Band Hamstring Curl · Other
Written for this site from the sources listed above. Last reviewed October 20, 2026. How this site is put together · Report a mistake