Setup and loading
Start standing with the bar. Lower it close to your thighs, never away from your body.
How to do the romanian deadlift step by step
- Stand holding the bar with your knees unlocked.
- Push your hips back as if closing a door with your butt.
- Lower until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, usually around mid-shin.
- Return by driving your hips forward.
Form cues
- Your knees barely move
- The bar brushes your thighs and knees
- Neutral spine and shoulders over the bar
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a squat by bending your knees
- Going lower than your neutral spine allows
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Sets and reps for your goal
Hypertrophy
3 x 8-12 · 3 s lowering3-4 sets of 6-12 reps (up to 15-20 on isolation exercises) at 65-80% of your max. Rest 1 to 2 minutes.
Get close to failure (0-3 reps in reserve) and control the lowering for 2-3 seconds. Accumulate 10-20 sets per muscle per week.
Max Strength
4 x 5-63-6 sets of 1-6 reps at 80-90% of your max (1RM). Rest 2 to 5 minutes.
Leave 1-3 reps in reserve. If your technique breaks down, lower the weight: strength is built with good reps.
A guide for healthy adults. Adjust the load to your level and see a professional if you have an injury.
Check your form
Film yourself from the side or ask someone to watch, then tick what you get right.
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Sports it suits
Gear for this exercise
- Olympic barbell and platesTo keep progressing on the big lifts with heavy loads.
- Adjustable dumbbellsSave space and replace a whole dumbbell rack at home.
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Variations and similar exercises
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