Romanian DeadliftMuscles Worked
The Romanian deadlift works your hamstrings most, loading them in a deep stretch as you hinge, while your glutes drive your hips forward, your lower back holds a flat spine and your calves keep you balanced. Unlike a conventional deadlift, each rep starts at the top and the bar never rests on the floor.
PrimaryHamstrings
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
- Type
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
How to do it
- Take the bar from a rack at about mid-thigh height, or deadlift it from the floor, and stand tall with an overhand grip just outside your thighs.
- Unlock your knees slightly and keep that bend fixed for the whole set.
- Push your hips straight back and let the bar slide down your thighs, keeping your back flat and the bar close.
- Lower until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, usually around mid-shin, without letting your back round.
- Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top without leaning back.
Form tips
- Think of closing a car door behind you with your hips, because the movement is a hinge, not a squat.
- Keep the bar touching your legs all the way down so the load stays on your hamstrings instead of pulling you forward.
- Stop the descent where your back would start to round, even if that is above your knees at first.
Why it made the list
No. 1 of 12
Best Hamstring Exercises
The best hamstring exercise. Stretch under load through the full hip-hinge pattern. Hits hamstrings through hip extension.
More hamstring exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Romanian Deadlift sets in KasMaker and watch your hamstrings, calves, glutes, and lower back fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
