By Mike Shilling, Recovery & Training Editor · Updated 27 June 2026
The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a hip-hinge exercise where you lower a barbell or dumbbells down the front of your legs by pushing your hips back, then stand tall by squeezing your glutes, and it is the single best move for building strong hamstrings and glutes. Unlike a conventional deadlift, it starts from standing, keeps your knees only slightly bent, and stops at mid-shin rather than the floor, which keeps constant tension on the back of your legs. It is a staple in almost every serious strength programme because it builds the whole posterior chain while being kinder to your lower back than heavy floor pulls. Here is how to do it properly, the muscles it works, and how to get the most from it.
You can use a barbell or a pair of dumbbells. The cues are the same either way: this is a hip hinge, not a squat, so the movement comes from your hips travelling backwards, not your knees bending.
The cue that fixes most RDLs
Think "hips back, not down". A Romanian deadlift is a hinge, so your hips should travel a long way backwards while your knees stay quiet. If your knees keep bending and your hips drop straight down, you are squatting the weight and you will lose the hamstring stretch that makes the lift work. Push the hips back, keep the bar glued to your legs, and let your hamstrings tell you when to stop.
The Romanian deadlift is a posterior chain exercise, meaning it trains the muscles down the back of your body that drive hip extension.
If you want to load these muscles harder over time, a good barbell is the standard tool, while a pair of adjustable dumbbells lets you train single-arm and split-stance versions and nudge the weight up gradually.
Squatting it instead of hinging. The most common error is bending the knees too much and dropping the hips straight down, which turns the RDL into a stiff, awkward squat and kills the hamstring stretch. Keep the knees fixed at a slight bend and push your hips back instead.
Rounding the lower back. Letting your spine bend forward under load is the main thing that makes the RDL risky. Keep your chest proud and your back flat, and stop lowering the instant your back starts to round. A rounded back means you have run out of hamstring flexibility, not that you need to go deeper.
Letting the bar drift away from your legs. If the bar swings forward off your thighs, the leverage on your lower back skyrockets. Keep the bar (or dumbbells) brushing your legs the whole way down and up, almost shaving them.
Going too low. More range is not always better. Lower only to the point where you can still hold a neutral spine, which for many people is just below the knee. Chasing the floor usually means rounding the back.
Hyperextending at the top. Standing up and leaning back to "lock out" stresses the lower spine for no benefit. Finish by standing tall and squeezing your glutes, with your ribs stacked over your hips, then start the next rep.
Once the standard RDL feels solid, these versions keep things progressing and target slightly different areas.
The RDL works best as a controlled accessory lift rather than a one-rep-max grind, so leave a rep or two in the tank and keep the form crisp.
Add a small amount of weight once you can hit the top of your rep range with a flat back on every rep. If your lower back ever takes over from your hamstrings, drop the weight and tidy up the hinge before loading again.
To see all of these cues in motion, this form tutorial from a reputable physiotherapy channel is worth a watch.
The RDL pairs perfectly with a hip thrust to build the glutes from both a stretched and a contracted position, and it slots neatly into any lower-body session in our workouts hub.
The Romanian deadlift mainly works your hamstrings (the muscles down the back of your thighs) and your glutes, with your spinal erectors and upper back working hard to hold a flat, braced position. Your forearms and grip also get a workout from holding the bar. It is the classic posterior chain builder, so it trains the whole back of your body in one move.
A conventional deadlift starts from the floor with bent knees and is a mix of a squat and a hinge. A Romanian deadlift starts from standing, keeps the knees only slightly bent and fixed, and is almost pure hip hinge, so the weight stops at mid-shin rather than touching the floor. The RDL keeps constant tension on the hamstrings and is gentler on the lower back, which is why it is a favourite accessory lift.
Lower the bar until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings while keeping your back flat, which is usually just below the knees or to mid-shin. The NSCA advises lowering only until a neutral spine can no longer be maintained, then stopping. If your lower back starts to round, you have gone too far, so shorten the range until your mobility improves.
Yes, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts are excellent and often better for beginners. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs and hinge the same way you would with a barbell. Dumbbells let the weights travel slightly to the sides of your legs, which can feel more natural and lets you work each side evenly. A pair of adjustable dumbbells makes it easy to add weight over time.
They are one of the best glute and hamstring builders because they load those muscles in a deep stretch, which is a strong driver of muscle growth. To bias the glutes a little more, push your hips back further and squeeze them hard as you stand tall at the top. Pairing RDLs with hip thrusts covers the glutes from both a stretched and a shortened position.
Start light enough to keep a flat back and feel the work in your hamstrings, not your lower back. Most people learn the pattern well with 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps using a moderate weight. Add small amounts once you can complete every rep with clean form, and treat the RDL as a controlled accessory lift rather than a max-effort grind.
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