Romanian deadlift: how to do it, and what to swap it for

How to do the Romanian deadlift

The RDL loads your hamstrings in a deep stretch with more weight than any curl, and because every rep starts from the top you can control the depth instead of pulling from a dead stop. It is the hinge to learn first for muscle.

Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Single-Leg RDL, Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Muscles the Romanian deadlift works

The Romanian deadlift works your hamstrings and glutes, with your lower back and adductors holding the position. It loads them hardest at the bottom, where your hamstrings are at their longest, and gets easier near lockout, so the bottom half of each rep is the part that counts.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the Romanian deadlift

Romanian deadlift variations

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  Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

  Pick it when you have no barbell or the bar's fixed path pulls you off your legs; the dumbbells can travel at your sides.

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  Single-Leg RDL

  Pick it when one hamstring lags or you only have light weights, since one leg needs far less load to reach the same effort.

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  Stiff-Leg Deadlift

  Pick it when you want a longer stretch: each rep starts from the floor with straighter knees, so it suits lifters with flexible hamstrings.

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  Landmine RDL

  Pick it when a straight bar keeps drifting forward; the landmine's arc holds the weight close to you for you.

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  Sumo Romanian Deadlift

  Pick it when you want more inner thigh in the movement or a wide stance feels better on your hips.

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  Snatch-Grip Deadlift

  Pick it when you want more upper back work from the same hinge, at the cost of using less weight.

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Romanian deadlift alternatives

No barbell

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  Dumbbell Good Morning

  Use it at home: a dumbbell held at your chest gives the same hips-back hinge without a bar.

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  Kettlebell Swing

  Use it with one kettlebell when you want the hinge fast and explosive for higher reps.

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  Band Pull-Through

  Use it when all you have is a band and an anchor point.

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When your lower back tires first

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  Cable Pull-Through

  Use it when your lower back tires before your hamstrings; the cable pulls you backward instead of down.

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  Hip Thrust

  Use it when glutes are the goal and you want heavy hip extension with your back supported on a bench.

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Hamstrings only

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  Lying Leg Curl

  Use it when you want hamstring work with no hinge to learn and no grip limit.

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  Seated Leg Curl

  Use it as your main curl: sitting puts your hamstrings in a longer position than lying.

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  Nordic Hamstring Curl

  Use it with no equipment and a partner or something to hook your heels under; it is hard, so start with slow lowering only.

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Heavier hinge

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  Trap Bar Deadlift

  Use it when you want to move the most weight from the floor with a more upright back.

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  Good Morning

  Use it when you want the bar on your back instead of in your hands, so grip stops being the limit.

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Romanian deadlift vs deadlift

A conventional deadlift starts every rep from the floor with your knees bent and finishes standing; it is built for moving the most weight. A Romanian deadlift starts standing, keeps your knees nearly still and only goes as low as your hamstrings allow, so the weight never rests between reps.

That makes the RDL the better pick for building hamstrings and glutes, because it keeps them under tension in the stretch, and the conventional deadlift the better pick for raw strength off the floor. If you do both in a week, deadlift heavy for low reps and use the RDL for 8–12.

How low should you go on an RDL?

Go as low as your hips keep travelling backward with a flat back. For most people that is just below the knee to mid-shin. Touching the floor is not the goal: once your hips stop moving back, any extra depth comes from rounding your spine, not from your hamstrings.

To find your depth, do a set facing a mirror sideways or film it, and note where the bar is when your hips stop. Use that point every rep, and it will drop slowly as you get used to the stretch.