Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)

HingeBB

Top-down hip hinge starting from lockout, lowering the bar under control with a soft, constant knee bend to maximally stretch the hamstrings and glutes without touching the floor between reps.

Demo: Squat University

Sets

3

Reps

6-10

Rest

2 min

Contraindications

Active hamstring strain — reduce range of motion and load significantly. Disc pathology can be aggravated by repeated flexion-extension cycles under load. SI joint dysfunction — monitor pelvis position closely.

Setup

Stand holding the bar at hip level, feet hip-width. Slight, fixed knee bend maintained throughout.

Execution

  1. 1Push hips straight back, maintaining the same knee angle
  2. 2Keep the bar in contact with the thighs as it travels down
  3. 3Lower until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, typically to mid-shin
  4. 4Never let the bar leave your hands or fully de-load like a stiff-leg deadlift
  5. 5Drive hips forward to return to standing, squeezing glutes at the top

Key cues

  • Hips back like closing a car door with your butt
  • Soft knee bend held constant, not a squat
  • Bar skims the thighs the entire rep
  • Stop when you feel the hamstring stretch, not when you run out of ROM elsewhere
  • Stand tall and squeeze glutes at the top, don't hyperextend

Common faults

  • Turning it into a squat by bending the knees more on the way down
  • Rounding the lower back to chase extra range of motion
  • Bar drifting away from the legs
  • Hyperextending the lumbar spine at the top
  • Losing the fixed knee angle and turning it into a stiff-leg deadlift

Tweaks

  • Deficit RDL for extra range
  • Tempo RDL (3-5 sec eccentric)
  • Single-leg RDL for unilateral carryover

Regressions

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

Muscles

Primary: Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus

Secondary: Erector Spinae, Latissimus Dorsi

Notes

Eccentric-biased, top-down movement — the hamstrings never fully de-load, unlike a stiff-leg deadlift.

Sources

Attribution: Squat University