Barbell Romanian Deadlift

Equipment

Gym Equipment Needed

Muscle Group

Legs

Setup

Use a barbell and load a weight you can control through a full hip hinge without rounding your back. Stand on a flat, non-slip surface and use collars. Flat shoes or deadlift slippers work well. Chalk and straps are optional depending on grip strength goals.

Starting Position

Stand tall with feet about hip-width apart, bar held in front of your thighs with an overhand (or mixed) grip just outside your legs. Soften your knees slightly (a small, fixed bend). Brace your core, keep ribs down, and set your shoulders down and back. Engage your lats to keep the bar close (think “squeeze oranges in your armpits”). Maintain a neutral spine and keep your neck neutral with eyes slightly forward/down.

Execution

Inhale and brace. Begin the movement by pushing your hips straight back while keeping the slight knee bend consistent. Slide the bar down your thighs, keeping it close to your legs the entire time. Continue hinging until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings (typically when the bar reaches just below the knees to mid-shin), while maintaining a neutral spine and tight upper back. Pause briefly at the bottom without losing tension. Exhale and drive your hips forward by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings to return to standing, keeping the bar close as it travels back up your legs. Finish tall at the top without leaning back.

Tips on doing this exercise

Keep your knees soft and steady—the hinge comes from the hips, not deeper knee bend.

Think “hips back, chest proud, bar glued to legs.”

Stop your descent when your hamstrings limit you—don’t chase the floor with a rounded back.

Control the lowering phase (2–3 seconds down) to maximize hamstring loading.

If grip limits you, use straps for hypertrophy sets so hamstrings/glutes stay the focus.

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Common Mistakes

Rounding the low back or losing a neutral spine

Turning it into a squat by bending the knees too much

Letting the bar drift away from the body (increases back strain)

Dropping too low and losing hamstring tension/position

Hyperextending at the top by leaning back instead of finishing with glutes

Looking up excessively and cranking the neck

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Recommended Ranges

Strength focus: 3–5 sets of 4–6 reps (heavier, strict hinge)

Hypertrophy focus: 3–4 sets of 6–10 reps (controlled tempo, full stretch)

Accessory/hamstring emphasis: 2–4 sets of 10–12 reps (lighter, slow eccentric)
Rest 90–180 seconds between sets.

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