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Romanian deadlift
It's the best exercise for the back of the thigh and the one that best teaches a movement you'll use everywhere: moving your hips without moving your back. You start standing, the bar never touches the floor, and the point isn't to go low but to go down well.
What it works
- Hamstrings, the back of the thigh, which do the main work
- Gluteus maximus, especially on the way back up
- Your whole back, working without moving so it doesn't round
How to do it
- 1Stand with the bar
Take it off the rack or lift it from the floor. Feet hip-width apart, bar against your thighs, arms straight.
- 2Soft knees, not bent knees
A tiny bend in the knee that stays the same throughout the movement. If you bend them more, it turns into a different exercise.
- 3Push your hips back
This is the key move. Your hips go back as if you were closing a drawer with your butt, and your torso lowers as a result, not because you're bending down.
- 4Go down close to your legs
The bar brushes your thighs the whole way. Lower it until you feel the stretch in the back of your thigh, usually just below the knee, and stop there.
- 5Come back up by driving your hips
Rise by bringing your hips forward, not by pulling with your back. At the top, stand tall and squeeze your glutes, without leaning back.
The mistakes you see most
- Squatting down by bending the knees. If your knees bend, the load gets shared and the hamstrings stop stretching. The movement comes from the hips.
- Rounding your back to go lower. Lower isn't better. The range ends where your flexibility ends with your back in position; one more inch and it's your back doing it.
- Letting the bar drift away from your body. Every inch of distance is extra leverage on your lower back. The bar stays in contact.
- Craning your neck up. Looking straight ahead into the mirror forces your neck into a strained position. Your gaze follows your torso.
Variations
- With dumbbells. Same movement, easier to set up and more comfortable for learning.
- Single-leg. With one dumbbell and the free leg reaching back. It works your balance and exposes differences between sides.
- With a hex bar. Easier on the grip, with the weight closer to your body.
- Good morning. With the bar on your back instead of in your hands. Same hip movement with much less weight: it's more demanding on the back.
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from a regular deadlift?
The conventional deadlift starts on the floor, bends the knees more and moves more weight. The Romanian starts standing, keeps the knee almost fixed, doesn't reach the floor and focuses on stretching the hamstrings.
How low should I go?
As far as you can without your back changing shape. For many people that's just below the knee; for others, mid-shin. Going lower doesn't add anything.
I feel it more in my lower back than in my thigh
It's usually too much weight, the bar drifting away from your body, or not really pushing your hips back. Try with dumbbells and half the weight, with your back to a wall, touching it with your butt as you go down.
How many reps?
Six to twelve works well. Since it doesn't start from the floor, it allows somewhat longer sets than the conventional deadlift without the technique falling apart as much.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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