How to do the Stiff Leg Deadlift
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the barbell close to your thighs.
- Push your hips back, keeping your back straight and legs relatively straight.
- Lower the bar until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings—don't round your back.
- Push your hips forward to return to a standing position, bar against your thighs.
Full technique — 7 steps
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, bar held against your thighs, and knees only slightly unlocked.
- Set your shoulders down and back, tighten your stomach, and keep the bar close.
- Push your hips straight back as the bar slides down your thighs and shins.
- Keep your knees nearly fixed while hinging, with your spine neutral.
- Lower until your hamstrings reach their end range without losing back position.
- Drive your hips forward to raise the bar along the same close path.
- Stand tall with hips fully extended and the bar against your thighs.
Common mistakes
- Bending knees into a squat
- Letting the bar drift forward
- Rounding the lower back
- Forcing extra range from the spine
- Leaning back at the top
Form cues
- Hinge, don't squat
- Slight knee bend
- Drag bar up legs
- Stop at hamstring limit
- Keep ribs down
