How To Do a Romanian Deadlift

Whether you're a runner or a powerlifter, anyone can benefit from incorporating Romanian deadlifts into a regular workout routine. The strength exercise—also known as RDLs or stiff-leg deadlifts—helps to build muscle along the back of the body, which includes the hamstrings and glutes. Learn more about RDLs, their benefits, tips for how to do them, and more.

How To Do a Romanian Deadlift

Mastering the Romanian deadlift takes some practice. You'll want to learn the proper hip hinge movement before progressing to the full exercise.

Tips for the Hip Hinge Movement

Sherry Ward, an NSCA-certified personal trainer and CrossFit Level 1 coach, told Health that beginners should focus on nailing down the hip hinge. In other words, you should bend at the hips to send your butt back with your spine straight.

Ward also suggested practicing the hinge using a light barbell or dumbbell and doing single-leg Romanian deadlifts with no weights or light weights to strengthen both sides of the body before incorporating the Romanian deadlift with a heavy barbell.

Steps for the Romanian Deadlift

Once you've mastered the hip hinge movement pattern, it's time to add Romanian deadlifts to your workout routine. Here's how:

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart with a slight bend in your knees and a barbell placed in front of you.
2. Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your spine long and straight as your torso reaches toward the floor.
3. Grip the barbell with both hands at shoulder distance apart, plugging your shoulders back and down to secure your spine and brace your core. Look down and slightly forward to align your neck with the rest of your back and avoid hyperextension.
4. Tighten your glutes, hamstrings, and core, and drive your feet into the ground to stand up straight, lifting the weight to about your upper thighs.
5. Squeeze your glutes and lock out your hips at the top.
6. Repeat the movement by lowering the weight somewhere between your knees and toes (depending on your flexibility), torso parallel to the ground while maintaining a flat back, slight bend in the knees, and core engaged.
7. Repeat this for your desired reps and sets.

Romanian Deadlift vs Deadlift

One of the main differences between an RDL and a regular deadlift is where you start with the weight. RDLs begin with you holding the weight at your hips. Deadlifts require you to pick up the weight from the ground to do the move.

Also, unlike the conventional deadlift, you perform the Romanian deadlift with only a slight bend in the knees.

"The stiffer leg position in the Romanian deadlift puts more emphasis on the hamstrings than the conventional deadlift," Roxie Jones, a NASM-certified personal trainer and certified strength and conditioning coach, told Health.

Tips for Doing Romanian Deadlifts

It's important to ensure you do any exercise moves correctly. If you want to perfect a Romanian deadlift, the following tips can help.

Keep Your Back Flat

Be careful not to over-hinge at the hips (or bend too far forward). "Don't go past 90 degrees. Stop the movement at a flat back, with your torso parallel to the floor," advised Jones.

Over-hinging at the hips can lead to rounding of the back and bending at the knees. "My favorite cue I use with clients and in group classes is to feel your pant pockets reach the other side of the room as you bend at the hips," said Ward.

Keep a Neutral Spine

An important form tip to remember when doing the Romanian deadlift: Focus your gaze about two feet in front of you throughout the entire movement.

"Since the Romanian deadlift is called a stiff-leg deadlift, think stiff neck as well," said Ward. "Lead with a proud chest as the torso and shoulders lower, and rise at the same time with the barbell to prevent the shoulders from rounding forward."

Keep the Barbell Close to Your Body

During the lift, engage your glutes and core as tight as possible. "A lot of times, I see people letting go of their back or abs, meaning the back starts to round out," said Jones.

Ward added that positioning the barbell close to the body will help to prevent that rounding. "Chances are the farther away the barbell is from the body, the more you risk rounding your back during the lift, but keeping the barbell closer to you will activate the lats," said Ward.

3 Romanian Deadlift Variations To Try

Doing different RDL variations will help you build the mobility, coordination, and strength to master it. Using different grips and isolating specific muscles, the following Romanian deadlift exercises strengthen the back of the body in new ways.

Sumo Deadlift

The sumo deadlift uses a wider stance, which means you may be able to lift heavier, said Ward. The way to do a sumo deadlift is as follows:

1. Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward. Hinge your torso forward at the hips, keeping your spine long.
2. With a barbell in front of you on the floor, grip it with both hands shoulder-distance apart (arms inside legs), plugging your shoulders back and down to secure your spine and brace your core. Be sure to align your neck with the rest of your back to avoid hyperextension.
3. Tighten your glutes, hamstrings, and core, and push through your feet to stand back up. Squeeze your glutes and lock out your hips at the top.
4. Lower the weight between your knees and toes, maintaining a flat back, and repeat.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

This exercise challenges the core and isolates one side of the body with a heavy load. This can help strengthen body alignment while addressing imbalances between your left and right sides.

Here's how to do a single-leg Romanian deadlift:

1. Stand with your weight on your right leg and hold onto a kettlebell (or dumbbell) with your left hand. Pull your shoulders back and down to brace your core and keep your chest proud.
2. Pressing your right foot firmly on the ground and maintaining a slight bend in the right knee, hinge your torso forward at the hip as you lift your extended left leg behind you. You should keep a straight line from your shoulders to your left heel.
3. Squeeze your glutes and core to help you maintain your balance and stop when your body is parallel to the floor.
4. Press through your right foot and send your hips forward to stand back up. Repeat, then switch sides.

Wide (or Snatch) Grip Romanian Deadlift

With this Romanian deadlift variation, you're using the same hip hinge mechanics. However, you're holding the barbell with a wider grip. This requires more lat and core activation, said Ward.

Doing a wide-grip Romanian deadlift entails the following:

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart with a slight bend in your knees. Hinge your torso forward at the hips, keeping your spine long.
2. With a barbell in front of you, grip it with both hands wider than shoulder distance apart, plugging your shoulders back and down to secure your spine and brace your core. Be sure to align your neck with the rest of your back to avoid hyperextension.
3. Tighten your glutes, hamstrings, and core, and push through your feet to stand back up, pulling the weight up to about your upper thighs. Squeeze your glutes and lock out your hips.
4. Lower the weight between your knees and toes, maintaining a flat back, and repeat.

What Are the Benefits of a Romanian Deadlift?

RDLs have a few benefits related to their effects on muscles, mobility, pain, and posture.

Builds Muscle

An RDL is a type of resistance training exercise. When you do resistance training, you're helping build muscle. "By strengthening the muscles in your posterior chain, explosive movements, such as sprints and jumps, benefit from the Romanian deadlift by maximizing hip extension," said Ward.

Improves Mobility

The Romanian deadlift can do much more than help build muscle. "[It] can improve mobility and flexibility [of the hips] as well as unlock faulty movement patterns, which will decrease the risk of injury," said Ward.

Minimizes Back Pain

Ward added that the exercise can help prevent and minimize low back pain. Back pain is a common cause of discomfort that can pop up due to muscle imbalances, like a weak back. The pain can be associated with poor core strength.

Stabilizes Core Muscles

People with difficulty engaging their core when lifting heavy weights will also find that the Romanian deadlift forces them to brace their abs. This bracing can help prevent arching or rounding the low back, which is why an RDL is such a great core stabilizing move.

The Romanian deadlift relies heavily on movement from the hips with a neutral spine. It also helps you build a stronger connection between your upper and lower body.

How To Incorporate the Romanian Deadlift Into Your Workouts

Ward and Jones had the following recommendations for Romanian deadlifts:

• Add them to your workouts when you want to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and core.
• Alternate RDLs with another hamstring exercise to max out the muscles.
• Do RDLs at the start of your workout.
• Err on the side of caution and start lighter with the weight you choose.
• Keep the weight challenging, but not so much that it causes you to lose your core stability or forces your back to round or arch.

A Quick Review

A Romanian deadlift is an exercise move you can do for strength training, and it also helps with back pain, flexibility, and posture. To do an RDL, remember to keep your back flat, your spine neutral, and the barbell close to your body. You can also do RDL variations, like a sumo deadlift, to challenge your core and further increase your ability to lift heavier weights.