How to do the Romanian Deadlift
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the barbell against your thighs.
- Push your hips back, keeping your back straight, and letting the bar slide down.
- Lower the bar close to your legs until your hamstrings reach their end range.
- Push your hips forward to return to the starting position, standing tall again.
- Maintain a slight bend in your knees throughout the movement.
Full technique — 7 steps
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and hold the barbell against your thighs.
- Set your shoulders back and down, then tighten your stomach before initiating the hinge.
- Unlock your knees slightly and keep that knee angle nearly unchanged throughout the rep.
- Push your hips straight back as the bar slides down close to your legs.
- Lower until your hamstrings reach their end range without losing spinal position.
- Drive your hips forward to bring the bar back up along your legs.
- Finish standing tall with hips fully extended and ribs in line with your pelvis.
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a squat
- Letting the bar drift forward
- Bending knees more on descent
- Lowering past hamstring mobility
- Leaning back at the top
Form cues
- Push hips straight back
- Keep bar on legs
- Slight knee bend
- Stop at hamstring limit
- Finish with glutes
