Romanian Deadlift

Muscles Romanian Deadlift Works

Main muscleKeeping a slight bend in your knees, push your hips back and lower your torso, then drive your hips forward to stand again. The main muscles are your hamstrings and glutes. Your hamstrings lengthen and control the lowering phase, while your glutes extend your hips on the way up.

Supporting musclesYour erector spinae keeps your back from rounding. Your lats keep the bar close to your thighs to reduce stress on your lower back. Your forearms help you hold the bar securely.

How it should feelThe farther you push your hips back, the more stretch you should feel in your hamstrings. At the bottom, your hamstrings should feel loaded, and on the way up your glutes and hamstrings should squeeze together.

Signs you're offIf your lower back is the only place working, or if you bend your knees a lot and feel like you are squatting, you are losing the hip hinge. If the bar moves away from your thighs, your lower back may take over.

Remember thisKeep only a small knee bend, push your hips back, and lower only until you feel a strong hamstring stretch.

Muscles used

• Hamstringsback of the thigh from the glutes to behind the knee
• Glutesthe large muscles that make up your butt
• Erector spinaelong muscles running along both sides of the spine
• Latslarge side-back muscles running from the armpits toward the waist
• Forearmslower arms from the elbows to the wrists

Setting Up for Romanian Deadlift

Setup orderSet both hooks to upper-thigh height → Center the bar on the rack → Add matching plates → Lock the clips

• Rack hooks

  Set it like thisIf using a rack, set both hooks to the same notch so the bar sits between your upper thighs and just below your hips.

  How to checkFrom the front, the bar should sit between just below the hips and the upper thighs, with both ends level.

• Bar placement

  Set it like thisCenter the bar on the rack so a similar amount of bar extends past each side.

  How to checkMake sure the bar rests fully on both hooks and does not stick out farther on one side.

• Plates and clips

  Set it like thisSlide matching plates all the way onto both ends, then lock the clips right next to the plates.

  How to checkBoth sides should have the same weight, with no visible gap between each clip and plate.

Watch out forAvoid starting with the bar too low near the knees, off-center on the rack, or plates that are not fully loaded.

Stance for Romanian Deadlift

Foot widthPlace your feet about shoulder-width apart, and slightly bend your knees.

Where your weight goesPress the whole sole of each foot into the floor, and keep your heels down.

Upper body positionStart with the barbell close to the front of your thighs.

Why it mattersIf the bar moves away from your body, your lower back takes more stress and you may feel less work in the back of your thighs.

How to Grip for Romanian Deadlift

Grip typeHold the bar with both hands, with the backs of your hands facing forward.

Grip widthPlace your hands about shoulder-width apart, so your hands sit just outside your thighs when you hold the bar.

How hard to gripPlace the bar in the middle of your palms, and keep the backs of your hands in line with your forearms.

The Key Point for Romanian Deadlift

With your knees slightly bent, lower the bar close to your thighs while pushing your hips back.

Think of it like thisThe feeling of pushing against the back wall with your buttocks

Before the fixMy lower back is uncomfortable, or only my knees bend a lot.

After the fixThe back of the thigh stretches out, and the bar moves close to the leg.