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Exercises

Stiff-leg deadlift alternatives: hamstring hinges for every setup

Published October 23, 2026

The closest stiff-leg deadlift alternative is the Romanian deadlift: the same barbell hinge with a little more knee bend, so you lift a bit more while your hamstrings still take a long stretch. If your lower back is the limit, a landmine RDL, cable pull-through or 45-degree back extension trains the same hinge with less load on your spine, and a seated leg curl works your hamstrings with none. At home, a dumbbell Romanian deadlift or dumbbell B-stance RDL replaces it with dumbbells, and band good mornings work with just a band.

What a stiff-leg deadlift alternative has to replace

The stiff-leg deadlift trains your hamstrings and glutes by hinging at the hips with your knees nearly straight, and your lower back holds the bar in place. Straighter knees mean a longer hamstring stretch than in most hinges, and it is hardest at the bottom, where that stretch is deepest.

A replacement has to keep the hip hinge and a long hamstring stretch.

How to do the stiff-leg deadlift

Barbell and landmine

With a bar, these keep the heavy hinge. Pick by what limits your stiff-leg deadlift: grip, hips or lower back.

Closest barbell swap

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The same hinge, but your knees bend a little more and the bar stops just below them, so you can usually lift a bit more. Your hamstrings still do most of the work.

How to do it

  1. Stand with a barbell at your thighs, hands just outside your legs, feet under your hips.
  2. Soften your knees and push your hips back, sliding the bar down your thighs.
  3. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched, usually just below the knee, with your back flat.
  4. Push your hips forward to stand up, glutes tight at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back
  • Bar stays on your legs
  • Back flat

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat: keep them soft and still.
  • Reaching for the floor: stop where your back would round.
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Barbell swap with the bar on your back

Good Morning

Hamstrings, Glutes

The bar sits on your upper back, so your grip never ends the set. Use light weights; the load sits far from your hips, so it is harder than it looks.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet roughly hip width and your knees slightly bent, fingers laced behind your head.
  2. Push your hips back and lower your chest toward the floor, keeping your back flat, until you feel a strong pull in your hamstrings.
  3. Push your hips through to stand up again.
  4. Once the hinge feels solid with no weight, load it: set a barbell across your upper back as for a squat, step out of the rack and repeat the same movement.

Cues

  • Hips back, not chest down
  • Back flat the whole way
  • Soft knees, fixed

Common mistakes

  • Rounding your lower back to reach further: stop each rep where your back would start to bend.
  • Turning it into a squat by bending your knees more as you go down: keep the knee bend the same throughout.
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Wide-stance barbell swap

Sumo Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

A wide stance with your hands inside your legs adds your inner thighs to the hamstring stretch. Pick it if a narrow stance bothers your hips.

How to do it

  1. Hold a barbell at your thighs with an overhand grip inside your legs, feet set wider than your shoulders and toes turned out.
  2. Unlock your knees a little and keep that bend for the whole set.
  3. Send your hips back and let the bar slide down your thighs and past your knees until your hamstrings and inner thighs are stretched.
  4. Keep your back flat at the bottom, then drive your hips forward to stand tall with your glutes squeezed.

Cues

  • Wide feet, hands inside
  • Knees bend once, then stay
  • Bar close to your legs

Common mistakes

  • Squatting the bar down by bending your knees more: the depth comes from your hips moving back.
  • Letting your knees cave in at the bottom: keep them pointed the same way as your toes.
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Easier on your lower back

Landmine RDL

Hamstrings, Glutes

The bar travels in an arc in front of you and you hold the end with both hands, which keeps the load closer and the path easier to control.

How to do it

  1. Load one end of a barbell in a landmine and stand facing it with the sleeve in front of your hips, holding the end with both hands.
  2. Soften your knees and set your back flat.
  3. Hinge at the hips and lower the bar end toward your shins until your hamstrings are stretched.
  4. Push your hips through to stand tall and repeat.

Cues

  • Hold the sleeve close to your body
  • Hinge, then stand
  • Flat back throughout

Common mistakes

  • Standing too far from the bar so it pulls you forward: keep the sleeve close enough to touch your legs on the way down.
  • Rounding at the bottom to touch the plate to the floor: you do not need to touch it.
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Cables and machines

When your lower back needs a break, these train the same muscles with your spine supported or unloaded.

Glute-focused swap

Cable Pull-Through

Glutes, Hamstrings

A rope between your legs pulls your hips back and your glutes drive them through, with little load on your spine. It favors your glutes over your hamstrings.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to a low pulley, turn your back to the stack and take the rope ends between your legs.
  2. Walk forward until the stack lifts, feet a bit wider than your hips.
  3. Hinge back, letting the rope pull your hands between your thighs, back flat and knees softly bent.
  4. Drive your hips forward to stand tall and squeeze your glutes at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back, then hips through
  • Arms just hold the rope
  • Squeeze your glutes to finish

Common mistakes

  • Squatting down instead of hinging: keep your shins near vertical and move your hips back.
  • Pulling with your arms or leaning back at the top: stand tall and stop.
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Machine swap

45-Degree Back Extension

Glutes, Hamstrings

Your legs are locked in while you hinge over the pad, so your hamstrings and glutes lift your torso. Hold a plate once bodyweight is easy.

How to do it

  1. Set the pad so it sits just below your hip bones, then hook your heels under the foot rollers.
  2. Fold your arms over your chest with your body in line with the bench.
  3. Bend forward at the hips until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
  4. Lift your torso back to a straight line with your legs, squeezing your glutes, and stop there.

Cues

  • Hinge at the hips
  • Stop at a straight line
  • Squeeze your glutes at the top

Common mistakes

  • Arching back past a straight line at the top: the rep ends when your body is straight.
  • Setting the pad too high so it blocks your hips: you should be able to fold freely over it.
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Hamstrings with no back load

Seated Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Sitting puts your hamstrings on a stretch with your hips bent, and the curl works them with nothing on your spine. Use it when your back needs a full break.

How to do it

  1. Set the backrest so your knees line up with the machine's pivot, and lock the thigh pad down firmly.
  2. Rest the lower pad just above your heels with your legs straight.
  3. Curl your heels down and back under the seat as far as they go.
  4. Let the pad rise slowly until your legs are straight again, and repeat.

Cues

  • Thigh pad snug
  • Pull heels under the seat
  • Two seconds on the way up

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips off the seat to finish the rep: tighten the thigh pad and lighten the stack.
  • Letting the stack crash between reps: control it all the way to straight legs.
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Dumbbells and bands

Lighter than a barbell, so work one leg at a time, slow the lowering and stop each set close to failure.

Best swap with dumbbells

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The same hinge with two dumbbells. Keep your knees softer than in a barbell stiff-leg deadlift so the dumbbells can travel past your knees.

How to do it

  1. Stand hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Push your hips straight back and let your torso fold forward, knees softly bent, the dumbbells brushing your legs.
  3. Lower until the dumbbells pass your knees and you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, with your back still flat.
  4. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top, and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells slide down your legs
  • Flat back, chin tucked

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat so the dumbbells go lower: the depth comes from your hips, and most people stop just past the knees.
  • Rounding your lower back at the bottom: end the rep where your back stays flat, and lighten the load if that is high.
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RIRLift's swap with dumbbells

Dumbbell B-Stance RDL

Hamstrings, Glutes

With your back foot as a kickstand, the front leg takes most of the load, so light dumbbells work like heavy ones. This is what RIRLift puts in the stiff-leg deadlift's place with dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand and slide one foot back so its toes sit level with the heel of the front foot.
  2. Put most of your weight on the front leg with a soft knee.
  3. Hinge forward by sending your hips back, lowering the dumbbells along the front leg until the back of that thigh is stretched.
  4. Drive the front hip forward to stand up, finish the set, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Front leg holds the weight
  • Back foot is only a kickstand
  • Hips square to the floor

Common mistakes

  • Sharing the load evenly between both feet: lift the back heel and keep only the toes down.
  • Twisting your hips open as you lower: keep both hip bones pointing at the floor.
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One leg, dumbbell or bodyweight

Single-Leg RDL

Hamstrings, Glutes

The whole load goes on one leg and you have to balance, so even bodyweight is hard. Use it when your dumbbells are light.

How to do it

  1. Stand on your left leg with a dumbbell in your left hand and the standing knee softly bent.
  2. Hinge forward at the left hip while your right leg extends straight behind you, keeping your hips level.
  3. Lower until your torso and back leg are close to parallel to the floor or the standing hamstring stops you.
  4. Drive the left hip forward to come back up, then finish the set before switching sides.

Cues

  • Back leg and torso move as one
  • Hips level, back toes down
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Opening the hip so the back leg rotates out: point the back toes at the floor the whole time.
  • Touching the free foot down between reps to rebalance: slow down and hold a wall with your free hand if needed.
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Best swap with a band

Band Good Morning

Hamstrings, Lower Back

Standing on a band looped over your shoulders gives you a hinge with no weights. Use high reps and pause at the bottom.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the band with your feet hip-width, loop or handles held at the fronts of your shoulders.
  2. Soften your knees and keep that bend.
  3. Push your hips back and tip your chest forward with a flat back until you feel your hamstrings stretch.
  4. Drive your hips forward to come back to standing.

Cues

  • Hips go back first
  • Spine stays long
  • Stop at the hamstring stretch

Common mistakes

  • Rounding your upper back: keep your chest open and the handles pinned to your shoulders.
  • Bending your knees more and more: the hips move, the knees stay where they started.
Build a session with Band Good Morning

Example sessions without the stiff-leg deadlift

Session 1

Lower back tires before your hamstrings

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentLandmine, Adjustable Cable, Seated Leg Curl

You train in a gym, and heavy stiff-leg deadlifts leave your lower back more tired than your hamstrings.

The landmine RDL keeps a loaded hinge on an easier path, the cable pull-through trains your glutes with little spine load, and the seated curl works your hamstrings with none. 10 working sets.

Hamstrings and glutes
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Landmine RDL1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–10 2 2 min
Cable Pull-Through 3 × 10–15 2 75 s
Seated Leg Curl 3 × 10–12 1 75 s
How to run it
Use it for a few weeks, then try bringing a barbell hinge back in.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of its rep range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Barbell gym, want a heavier hinge

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Hyperextension

You train in a gym with a barbell and a back extension bench and want to keep your hamstring work heavy.

The Romanian deadlift is the heavy hinge, with lower reps and long rests, the sumo Romanian deadlift adds a wide-stance hinge for your inner thighs, and the back extension finishes with higher reps. 10 working sets.

Hamstrings and glutes
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Romanian Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Sumo Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–10 2 2:30 min
45-Degree Back Extension 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
How to run it
Once or twice a week, away from your heaviest squat or deadlift day.
How to progress
When every Romanian deadlift set hits 8 reps at the RIR shown, add 5 to 10 lb. On the other two, add reps to the top of the range, then add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Home, dumbbells and a band

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Resistance Bands

You train at home with a pair of dumbbells and a long band.

Dumbbells are lighter than a barbell, so the session uses higher reps, puts most of the load on one leg in the B-stance RDL, and finishes with band good mornings close to failure. 10 working sets.

Hamstrings and glutes
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift1 warm-up set first 4 × 10–15 1 90 s
Dumbbell B-Stance RDLSets are per leg. 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Band Good Morning 3 × 15–20 1 45 s
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Take three seconds to lower each rep.
How to progress
Add reps until every set hits the top of its range, then move up a dumbbell or use a thicker band.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What can I do instead of a stiff-leg deadlift?

The Romanian deadlift is the closest swap. Good mornings, landmine RDLs, cable pull-throughs and 45-degree back extensions train the same hinge, and dumbbell B-stance RDLs work at home.

What is a stiff-leg deadlift also called?

It is often called a straight-leg deadlift. It is close to a Romanian deadlift, with straighter knees and a lower reach.

Is a stiff-leg deadlift better than a Romanian deadlift?

Neither is better. The stiff-leg deadlift gives your hamstrings a longer stretch with a bit less weight; the Romanian deadlift lets you go a little heavier. Pick one and progress it.

Is there a machine that can replace the stiff-leg deadlift?

The 45-degree back extension is the closest, since you hinge at the hips with your legs fixed. A seated leg curl adds the hamstring work with nothing on your back.

What is a good stiff-leg deadlift alternative for a sore back?

A cable pull-through and a seated leg curl train your glutes and hamstrings with little or no load on your spine. A landmine RDL is a good next step back into hinging.