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Romanian Deadlift anatomy plate showing the working muscles

Back · Hip hinge

Romanian Deadlift

The romanian deadlift is a barbell hip hinge movement for the back. Here is the setup, the execution, the mistakes worth avoiding, and how to program it.

Equipment

Barbell

Trains

Back

Level

Intermediate

HINGE AT HIPSSOFT KNEES

Muscles worked

Glutes and hamstrings drive it, spinal erectors and lats hold position. This is the pattern that builds a posterior chain.

Set up

  1. 1

    Stand with the barbell close to the body, feet about hip width, weight through the whole foot.

  2. 2

    Set the chest tall and pull the shoulders down, then take a breath and brace before anything moves.

  3. 3

    Soft knees, not bent knees. This is a hip movement, the knees only unlock.

How to do it

  1. 1

    Push the hips straight back and let the torso travel forward as a unit.

  2. 2

    Feel the hamstrings load. HINGE AT HIPS

  3. 3

    Drive the hips forward to stand, finishing with the glutes rather than leaning back.

  4. 4

    Lock out tall, ribs down. Do not hyperextend at the top.

Common mistakes

  • Turning it into a squat

    Fix: Hips travel back, not down. The knees stay soft the whole time.

  • Rounding at the bottom

    Fix: Stop where the back stays flat. Range comes from hamstring length, not lower back.

  • Leaning back at lockout

    Fix: Finish tall with the glutes squeezed and the ribs down.

How to program it

Sets

3 to 4

Reps

6 to 10

Rest

2 to 3 min

One heavy hinge per week is plenty for most people. Recovery cost is high.

No gym version

Single leg Romanian deadlift holding one dumbbell, or a hip thrust with your shoulders on the couch.

Questions

More back work

Knowing the lift is the easy part.

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