You do a version of it every day. Reaching into the dryer. Picking a toy up off the floor. Lifting a bag of dog food out of the trunk. Bending over the sink to wash your face. Every time you bend forward from your hips, you’re doing a hip hinge, and the Romanian deadlift is one of the best ways to make that movement strong.
The Romanian deadlift, usually called the RDL, is a favorite of strength coaches for a reason. It trains your hamstrings and glutes, the big muscles on the back of your body, while teaching you to bend with a long, strong spine. It works with dumbbells, a barbell or a kettlebell, and it can be scaled for nearly anyone.
It’s also a lift that can feel confusing at first. Do your knees bend or not? How low should you go? Why do you feel it in your back instead of your legs? This guide answers all of that, step by step, so you can do your RDLs with confidence.
A quick note: This guide is general fitness information from coaches, not medical advice. If you have back pain, a recent injury, are pregnant or are newly postpartum, check in with your healthcare provider or a physical therapist before adding new strength work.
The short answer
- 🍑What it isA hip hinge
Start standing, push your hips back and lower the weight along your legs, then stand tall.
- 🎯MusclesHamstrings and glutes
Plus the muscles along your spine, your upper back and your grip.
- ⚠️Top mistakesRounding and squatting
Keep your back long and your knees softly bent, not deeply bent.
- 📅How oftenAbout twice a week
Two or three sets as part of a full body routine is a great place to start.
Watch it first
This short, no-fuss demo comes from Nuffield Health, a UK healthcare charity that runs hospitals, clinics and gyms. Their personal trainers made this RDL tutorial, and it’s become one of the most watched RDL videos on YouTube, with millions of views. It’s under a minute, so it’s easy to watch a few times before you try it.
A tip for watching: the first time, just watch. The second time, watch only the hips. The third time, watch only the back. You’ll notice that the hips move back, the back stays long and the knees barely change. That’s the whole movement.
What a Romanian deadlift is
An RDL is a deadlift variation that starts from standing instead of from the floor. You hold the weight in front of your thighs, push your hips back to lower it along your legs, then drive your hips forward to stand back up. The weight never touches the floor between reps, which keeps your muscles working the whole time.
According to NASM, the lift gets its name from Romanian Olympic weightlifter Nicu Vlad. American coaches watched him do this movement during a visit to the United States in the early 1990s, asked what it was, and the name “Romanian deadlift” stuck.
The key feature of an RDL is that most of the movement happens at your hips, not your knees. NASM explains that you keep a very slight bend in your knees, while the main movement comes from hinging at the hips. Bend your knees too much and it turns into a regular deadlift or a squat. Lock them completely straight and it becomes a stiff-legged deadlift, which is a different variation.
Hips back, spine long, knees soft. That’s the whole secret.
Learn the hip hinge first
Before you pick up any weight, it helps to practice the hinge on its own. These three drills take just a few minutes and make a big difference.
- The car door. Stand with your hands on your hips. Imagine your hands are full and you need to close a car door behind you with your bottom. Push your hips straight back. Notice how your torso tips forward on its own, and your knees soften a little. Stand back up by squeezing your glutes.
- The wall tap. Stand about a foot in front of a wall, facing away from it. Push your hips back until your bottom lightly touches the wall, then stand up. As it gets easier, scoot a few inches farther from the wall. This teaches you to move your hips back instead of down.
- The dowel. Hold a broomstick along your back so it touches the back of your head, your upper back and your tailbone. Hinge forward. If any of those three points lose contact, your back is rounding or arching. Only go as low as you can while all three stay in touch.
ACE’s coaching notes on the RDL highlight this idea: teaching people to push their hips back is what creates a good stretch through the glutes and hamstrings. If you can do these drills smoothly, you’re ready for weight.
How to do a Romanian deadlift, step by step
We’ll describe the dumbbell version, since it’s the easiest place to start at home or in the gym. The same steps apply to a barbell or kettlebell.
- Stand tall. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing your legs. Set your feet about hip-width apart, toes pointing forward.
- Set your upper body. Stand tall with your chest open and your shoulders gently pulled down and back. Imagine you’re holding an orange in each armpit. Your arms stay long.
- Soften your knees. Unlock them just slightly, and keep them at about that angle for the whole rep.
- Brace. Take a breath in and gently tighten your stomach, as if you’re about to be poked in the belly.
- Hinge. Push your hips straight back as you let the dumbbells slide down the front of your thighs. Your torso tips forward as your hips move back. Keep the weights close to your legs the whole way.
- Feel the stretch. Keep lowering until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, usually somewhere around your knees to mid-shin, as long as your back stays long. Your weight should feel balanced toward the middle and heels of your feet.
- Stand up. Breathe out as you push your feet into the floor and drive your hips forward to stand tall. Think of squeezing your glutes at the top.
- Finish tall, not leaning back. At the top, stand straight with your hips under you. There’s no need to lean back or push your hips forward past your body.
Take about two or three seconds on the way down and one or two seconds on the way up. The lowering part is where a lot of the good work happens, so don’t rush it.
Your quick form checklist
Run through this list from the ground up before every set:
- FeetAbout hip-width apart, weight balanced between the middle of your foot and your heels.
- KneesSoftly bent and staying at about the same angle the whole rep.
- HipsMoving back on the way down and forward on the way up.
- BackLong and flat from your tailbone to your head.
- CoreGently braced the whole time.
- NeckIn line with your spine, eyes on the floor a few feet in front of you.
- ShouldersDown and back, not rounded toward the floor.
- WeightsClose to your legs, traveling in a straight line up and down.
- FeelA stretch in the backs of your thighs and work in your glutes, not strain in your lower back.
Muscles worked
The RDL is a compound exercise that trains the whole back side of your body, sometimes called the posterior chain.
| Muscle | Where it is | What it does in the RDL |
|---|---|---|
| Hamstrings | The backs of your thighs | Control the lowering, then help pull your hips forward to stand up |
| Gluteus maximus | Your bottom | The main muscle that drives your hips forward at the top |
| Erector spinae | Along both sides of your spine | Hold your back long and steady |
| Adductors | Inner thighs | Help extend the hip and keep your legs steady |
| Upper back and lats | Between and around your shoulder blades | Keep your shoulders back and the weight close to your body |
| Core | Your whole trunk | Brace to protect your spine |
| Forearms | Lower arms and hands | Hold on to the weight |
What the research says about RDLs and hamstrings
A 2014 study from the University of Memphis, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, compared hamstring muscle activity during four exercises: the leg curl, good morning, glute-ham raise and Romanian deadlift. The glute-ham raise and the RDL produced significantly more muscle activity than the other exercises. During the lowering phase, the RDL had the highest activity in the biceps femoris, one of the main hamstring muscles. A caveat: the participants were 12 experienced lifters lifting heavy weights, so it doesn’t tell us everything about beginners.
It’s also worth being balanced. A 2021 study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that a Roman chair back extension activated the glutes and hamstrings more than the RDL, while the RDL activated the hamstrings more than a seated machine back extension. In other words, the RDL is an excellent hamstring and glute exercise, but it isn’t the only one. A mix of exercises tends to serve you best.
RDL vs regular deadlift
The names are similar, but the lifts feel quite different. Here’s how they compare:
| Romanian deadlift | Conventional deadlift | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | Standing, weight already in your hands | Weight on the floor |
| Knee bend | Slight, stays about the same | More bend, knees straighten as you lift |
| Main movement | Hips move back and forward | Hips and knees both move |
| Main muscles | Hamstrings and glutes | Glutes, quads, hamstrings and back |
| Weight touches the floor? | No, it stays off the floor between reps | Yes, each rep starts from the floor |
| Good for | Learning the hinge, hamstring and glute strength | Lifting heavier loads off the ground |
Many coaches teach the RDL before the conventional deadlift, because starting from standing makes it easier to set up a strong position and learn the hinge on its own.
Why the RDL is worth learning
Here’s what a strong hip hinge can do for your everyday life and your training:
- Safer lifting at home. The RDL teaches you to bend from your hips while keeping your back long, the same pattern you can use to pick up laundry baskets, car seats and grocery bags.
- Stronger glutes and hamstrings. These muscles power walking, running, climbing stairs and standing up from the floor.
- Hamstring resilience. A 2025 randomized trial in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that six weeks of RDLs or Nordic hamstring curls both led to structural changes in a key hamstring muscle. The authors note these changes are thought to help protect against hamstring strains, though more research is needed to confirm the RDL lowers injury rates.
- Better running. Strong hamstrings and glutes support your stride. If you’re training for a race, our first half marathon guide pairs well with a little strength work.
- Room to grow. You can make RDLs harder for years by adding weight, slowing the tempo or switching to single-leg versions.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
These are normal parts of learning. Spotting them means you’re paying attention.
1. Rounding your back
ACE calls rounding the spine one of the most common RDL mistakes, and NASM notes it can happen throughout the lift or just at the bottom. The fix: Only go as low as you can with a flat back. Lighten the weight, keep your chest open and practice the dowel drill.
2. Bending your knees too much
If your knees bend more and more as you lower, your RDL starts turning into a squat or regular deadlift and your hamstrings get less of the work. Equinox puts it simply: limiting knee bend is what turns a deadlift into an RDL. The fix: Set your soft knee bend at the top and keep it there. Think “hips back,” not “sit down.”
3. Locking your knees straight
The opposite problem. Fully locked knees can make the move feel harsh on the backs of your knees and lower back. The fix: Keep a slight, relaxed bend.
4. Letting the weight drift forward
When the weights swing out in front of you, more stress goes to your lower back. The fix: Keep the weights close to your legs, almost brushing them. Gently squeezing your shoulder blades down and back helps hold them in.
5. Forcing too much range
Barbell Logic notes that the two most common RDL errors, extra knee bend and a rounding back, both come from trying to force more range than your hamstrings are ready to allow. The fix: Stop at the point of a good stretch. Your range will likely improve with practice.
6. Squeezing too far at the top
Leaning back or thrusting your hips past your body at the top puts your lower back in an arched position. The fix: Finish standing straight, with your ribs over your hips.
7. Looking up
Craning your neck to watch the mirror throws off your spine. The fix: Keep your gaze on the floor a few feet ahead, and let your head move with your torso.
8. Rushing
Dropping quickly and rebounding out of the bottom means less control. The fix: Slow down on the way down, pause for a moment, then stand up smoothly.
How low should you go?
There’s no single right depth. Your range depends on your hamstring flexibility, your build and how well you can keep your back long. For many people, that’s somewhere between just below the knees and mid-shin.
The best rule: go as low as you can while your back stays flat, then stop. If your back starts to round or your knees start to bend more to get lower, you’ve passed your current range. Barbell Logic sums it up well: tightness matters more than range of motion for this lift.
A good cue is to think about pushing your hips back as far as possible rather than pushing the weight toward the floor. When your hips stop moving back, you’ve reached the bottom.
RDLs and your lower back
You might wonder whether a lift like this is wise if your back sometimes bothers you. The research is encouraging, with some important nuance.
A 2015 randomized trial in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy compared a high-load lifting program built around the deadlift with low-load motor control exercises in 70 people with recurring low back pain. Both groups also received education about pain. Both approaches helped, and neither was clearly better overall. A follow-up analysis suggested people with lower pain levels at the start were more likely to benefit from deadlift training. These studies used the conventional deadlift, not the RDL, under the guidance of physical therapists.
So the takeaway isn’t “deadlifts fix back pain” or “deadlifts hurt your back.” It’s that, for many people, learning to lift well, gradually and with guidance, can be part of a healthy back. If you have back pain, work with a physical therapist to find the right starting point.
Stop if you feel sharp pain, pain that shoots down your leg, numbness, tingling or weakness, or pain that lingers or gets worse after your workout. Check in with your healthcare provider or a physical therapist before continuing. A deep stretch in your hamstrings and some muscle soreness a day or two later are normal; sharp or worsening pain is not.
Variations to try
| Variation | How it’s different | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell RDL | A dumbbell in each hand | Beginners and home workouts |
| Kettlebell RDL | One kettlebell held with both hands | Keeping the weight close and centered |
| Barbell RDL | A barbell, usually started from a rack | Lifting heavier over time |
| Staggered stance or B-stance RDL | One foot slightly behind for balance | Working one leg more, with support |
| Single-leg RDL | Balance on one leg as the other reaches back | Balance, glutes and hip stability |
| Banded RDL | Stand on a resistance band | Travel, gentle days, learning the pattern |
| Tempo RDL | Lower over three to four seconds | Control and building strength with lighter weights |
How to choose your weight
RDLs use big muscles, so many people are surprised by how much they can handle once the form clicks. Start light anyway, and let your form lead the way.
- Start with your hinge. Do a set with no weight or a light dumbbell to warm up the pattern.
- Pick a starting weight. Many women begin around 10 to 20 pounds per hand with dumbbells, but there’s no wrong number.
- Do a test set of 10. Move slowly and focus on the stretch.
- Adjust. If you could have done 5 or more extra good reps, go heavier next set. If your back rounded or your knees started bending more, go lighter.
- Aim for “two or three left.” A good working weight usually leaves two or three good reps in the tank.
- Progress slowly. Add a rep or two, or a little weight, when the top of your range feels easy.
If your grip gives out before your legs do, that’s common. Try a slightly lighter weight for now, or use dumbbells that are easier to hold.
How to add RDLs to your week
The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 guidelines recommend training all your major muscle groups at least twice a week, and note that the biggest gains come from simply doing some strength training at all. RDLs are an easy way to cover the back of your legs.
Here’s an example of how RDLs might fit into your routine. Treat it as a sample, not a prescription:
- BeginnerTwo full body days a week. RDLs: 2 sets of 10, resting about a minute and a half between sets.
- BuildingTwo or three full body days. RDLs: 3 sets of 8 to 10, with a single-leg or B-stance version on one of the days.
- StrongerTwo lower body days. One day heavier barbell RDLs for 3 sets of 6 to 8, another day dumbbell RDLs for 3 sets of 10 to 12.
A balanced full body session might look like this example:
- Goblet squat: 2 to 3 sets of 10
- Romanian deadlift: 2 to 3 sets of 10
- Push-ups, incline or floor: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12
- Dumbbell bent-over row: 2 to 3 sets of 10
- Dead bug or side plank: 2 to 3 rounds
New to rows? Our guide to the dumbbell bent-over row uses the same hinge position, so the two lifts pair beautifully. Short on time? Try our 20-minute dumbbell workout.
RDLs during pregnancy and postpartum
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists encourages women with uncomplicated pregnancies to do both aerobic and strength-conditioning exercise before, during and after pregnancy, with their provider’s guidance. A strong hinge is especially useful in motherhood, when you’re lifting car seats, laundry and little ones all day.
- Get the green light first. Talk with your provider before starting or continuing strength training during pregnancy or after birth.
- Shorten your range as your bump grows. A slightly wider stance and a smaller range of motion often feel better. Your balance changes too, so a supported version, with one hand on a counter, can help.
- Breathe. Exhale as you stand up instead of holding your breath.
- Go lighter. Pregnancy isn’t the time to chase personal records.
- Postpartum, start gently. If you notice leaking, pelvic heaviness, pain or doming along the middle of your belly, a pelvic floor physical therapist can help you progress safely.
Our guide to postpartum exercise and where to start has more gentle first steps.
What you need
You can start RDLs with almost nothing. Here are some options to compare. These are general Amazon searches, not specific product picks. We don’t earn anything from these links.
- A pair of dumbbells. Search hex dumbbells
- A kettlebell for single-weight RDLs. Search kettlebells
- A long resistance band for travel and warm-ups. Search long resistance bands
- A dowel or broomstick for practicing the hinge. Search mobility dowels
- Flat-soled shoes or bare feet for a stable base. Search flat training shoes
Myths
- Myth #1What you’ve heard
“RDLs are a back exercise.”
The truthYour back works to hold position, but the main movers are your hamstrings and glutes.
- Myth #2What you’ve heard
“You have to touch the floor.”
The truthGo only as low as your back stays flat. For many people, that’s around the knees or mid-shin.
- Myth #3What you’ve heard
“Deadlifts are bad for your back.”
The truthDone gradually with good form, hinging can be part of a strong, healthy back for many people.
- Myth #4What you’ve heard
“Keep your legs perfectly straight.”
The truthA soft knee bend is part of a proper RDL.
- Myth #5What you’ve heard
“Women should stick to light weights.”
The truthYour glutes and hamstrings are strong. Build up gradually, and let your form set the pace.
The bottom line
The Romanian deadlift is one of the most useful lifts you can learn. It strengthens your hamstrings and glutes, teaches your body to bend safely from the hips and carries over to everything from running to lifting your kids.
Practice the hinge first. Start light. Push your hips back, keep your back long and your knees softly bent, and lower only as far as your form allows. Stand up by driving your hips forward and finish tall. Do it about twice a week, and let the weight creep up over time. Strong is built one patient rep at a time.
Sources
- Nuffield Health: Romanian Deadlift (video)
- Nuffield Health
- NASM: Romanian deadlift basics
- ACE: The Do It Better series, the Romanian deadlift (2025)
- McAllister and colleagues, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2014): Muscle activation during various hamstring exercises
- Cissik: Summary of McAllister hamstring EMG findings
- Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2021): Romanian deadlift vs back extension muscle activation
- ACSM: Romanian deadlift vs Nordic hamstring exercise (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2025)
- Aasa and colleagues, JOSPT (2015): Low-load motor control vs high-load lifting for low back pain
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Deadlift vs motor control exercises for low back pain, with Berglund (2015) follow-up
- Equinox: Form check, barbell Romanian deadlift (2026)
- Barbell Logic: The Romanian deadlift
- Powerlifting Technique: Deadlift vs Romanian deadlift
- American College of Sports Medicine: 2026 resistance training guidelines
- McMaster University via Medical Xpress: Train all major muscle groups at least twice a week
- ACOG Committee Opinion 804: Physical activity and exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period
This article is for general information and isn’t medical advice. If you have pain, an injury, a health condition, or are pregnant or postpartum, talk with your healthcare provider or a physical therapist before starting a new exercise.
- Strength training
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Hip hinge
- Dumbbells
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Questions
Good questions.
What muscles does the Romanian deadlift work?
The RDL mainly works your hamstrings and glutes. The muscles along your spine, your upper back, your core and your grip also work to hold the position and keep the weight close.
What’s the difference between an RDL and a deadlift?
An RDL starts standing with a slight, steady knee bend, and the weight doesn’t touch the floor between reps. A conventional deadlift starts with the weight on the floor and uses more knee bend, so it brings in more of your quads.
How far down should I go in an RDL?
Lower until you feel a strong hamstring stretch while your back stays flat, often somewhere between just below the knees and mid-shin. Stop when your hips stop moving back or your back starts to round.
Why do I feel RDLs in my lower back?
Your back muscles do work to hold your position, but strain usually means the weight is too heavy, the weights are drifting away from your legs, your back is rounding or you’re going lower than your hamstrings allow. Lighten the load, keep the weights close and shorten your range.
Should my knees bend during a Romanian deadlift?
Yes, slightly. Keep a soft bend that stays about the same throughout the rep. Bending more turns it into a squat or regular deadlift, while locking your knees turns it into a stiff-legged deadlift.
How many sets and reps of RDLs should a beginner do?
A good starting point is 2 sets of 10 reps about twice a week, with a weight that leaves two or three good reps in the tank. Build gradually from there.
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