Exercise guides · Hamstrings
How to do a Romanian deadlift
How to perform the Romanian deadlift — the hinge, how far to lower, and why it should be felt in the hamstrings rather than the lower back. Plus how it differs from a conventional deadlift.
- The top — standing tall, bar against the thighs, shoulders back.
- The bottom — hips pushed back, bar grazing the shins, back still flat.
- Primary muscles
- hamstrings
- Also works
- glutes and spinal erectors
- Equipment
- barbell
- Type
- compound, hinge
- Level
- beginner
- Also called
- Barbell Rdl, Rdl, and Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is the most useful hamstring exercise there is, and the one whose whole value depends on a distinction people miss: it is not a deadlift done from the top. It is a hip hinge with a nearly-fixed knee angle, and the depth is decided by your hamstrings running out of stretch, not by the plates reaching the floor.
Get that right and it fixes weak hamstrings, builds glutes, and reinforces the exact position your conventional deadlift needs. Get it wrong and it is just a lower back exercise with unnecessary risk.
The set-up
- Start standing, not from the floor. Take the bar out of a rack at hip height or deadlift it up first.
- Grip just outside your thighs, overhand, and stand tall with the bar resting against your legs.
- Set your feet hip-width, toes forward. Pull your shoulders back and down and brace your abs.
- Soften your knees to a slight bend — around 15° — and then hold that angle. It should not change during the rep.
The rep
- Begin by pushing your hips backwards, not by bending forward. Imagine reaching your backside toward a wall a foot behind you.
- Let the bar slide down your thighs, staying in contact with your legs the whole way. If it drifts away from you, your lower back is now doing the work.
- Keep lowering until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings and no further. For most people that is somewhere between mid-shin and just below the knee — the plates do not need to touch the floor.
- Stop the moment your lower back wants to round. That point is your depth, and it will improve over months.
- Return by driving your hips forward into the bar. Finish standing tall with the glutes squeezed — not leaning back.
Common mistakes
- Squatting it instead of hinging
- If your knees bend progressively as you descend, the load shifts to the quads and the hamstrings never get stretched. Knees set at a soft angle at the start, unchanged throughout — that constraint is what makes the exercise work.
- Chasing depth you do not have
- Touching the floor is not the goal, and forcing it is how the lower back ends up rounding under load. Lower to the end of your hamstring range, wherever that currently is.
- Letting the bar drift forward
- Every centimetre the bar moves away from your legs increases the load on your spine and reduces it on your hamstrings. Keep it shaved against the thigh and shin.
- Going too heavy
- RDLs done at deadlift weights turn into ugly partial deadlifts. A weight you can control through a full stretch will do far more for your hamstrings than one you can only half-lower.
Sets and reps
RDLs sit best in the 6–12 rep range, where the stretch under tension is the point. They are far less fatiguing than conventional deadlifts, so they can run twice a week comfortably.
| Goal | Prescription | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle | 3–4 sets of 8–12 | Slow on the way down — three seconds is not too slow. |
| Strength support | 3–4 sets of 6–8 | Run on the day after or opposite your heavy deadlift. |
| First year lifting | 3 sets of 10 | Light. Learn the hinge before adding meaningful weight. |
Variations worth knowing
- Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
- Easier to keep close to the legs and easier to load progressively in small jumps. A good place to learn the pattern.
- Single leg Romanian deadlift
- One leg at a time. Far lighter loads, big balance demand, and excellent for evening out a side-to-side difference.
- Conventional deadlift
- The full lift from the floor. Trains the same hinge with more quad involvement, more weight, and a much higher recovery cost.
Questions
What is the difference between a Romanian deadlift and a conventional deadlift?
A conventional deadlift starts on the floor, involves substantial knee bend, and ends each rep with the bar back on the ground. An RDL starts at the top, keeps the knee angle fixed, and lowers only as far as the hamstrings allow. One is a full-body pull; the other is a hamstring and glute exercise.
How far down should I lower the bar?
Until you feel a strong hamstring stretch and your lower back is still flat — usually somewhere between just below the knee and mid-shin. Range is individual and it improves. Depth bought with a rounded back is not depth.
Why do I feel RDLs in my lower back instead of my hamstrings?
Usually one of three things: the bar is drifting away from your legs, your knees are locked completely straight, or you are going deeper than your hamstring flexibility allows. Fix them in that order.
Should the plates touch the floor between reps?
No. The tension staying on the hamstrings for the whole set is a large part of the effect. Reset your breath at the top instead.
Can I do RDLs on the same day as squats?
Yes, and it is a common pairing. Put them after the squats and expect to use less weight than on a dedicated day.
Straps or no straps?
Use them once your grip becomes the limit — on a hamstring exercise there is no reason to let your hands cap the training effect. For lighter sets, go without.
Log it the moment you rack it.
Type “romanian deadlift 3x5 at 80kg” and it's recorded, charted, and checked against your best.
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