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  • Gluteus maximus
  • Barbell
  • Intermediate

Barbell Romanian deadlift

The barbell Romanian deadlift works your hamstrings and glutes, with your inner thighs, lower back, and arms helping. Start with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, stopping with about 3 reps in reserve. To build muscle, do 2 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

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Video on the way

We film every move with real women. Until then, follow the steps and the 3 tips.

  1. Tip 1Hips back, not down
  2. Tip 2Keep the bar close
  3. Tip 3Flat back the whole time

Where you should feel it

In your hamstrings, which stretch on the way down, and in your glutes on the way up. Your lower back only works to hold your spine steady.

Main muscles
Semitendinosus and semimembranosus, biceps femoris, and gluteus maximus
Also working
Adductor magnus, spinal erectors, forearms, and latissimus dorsi

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the bar just outside your thighs with straight arms.

  2. Soften your knees, without bending them further, and push your hips back as the bar slides close to your thighs.

  3. Lower with a flat back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, usually with the bar around knee level or a bit below.

  4. Come back up by driving your hips forward until you are standing tall, glutes squeezed, without leaning back.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake

    Rounding your back to go lower.

    How to fix it

    Only go as low as your back stays flat. The range comes from your hips moving back, not your spine.

  • Mistake

    Bending your knees too much and turning it into a squat.

    How to fix it

    Keep your knees slightly bent and still. Your hips do the moving.

  • Mistake

    Letting the bar drift away from your body.

    How to fix it

    Keep the bar almost touching your thighs on the way down and up, shoulders slightly in front of it.

Sets and reps for your goal

GoalSetsRepsReps in reserveRest
Getting started2 to 38 to 12360 to 120 s
Muscle and definition2 to 46 to 121 to 31.5 to 3 min
Max strength3 to 53 to 62 to 32.5 to 4 min

Max strength (3 to 6 reps) only once your form is solid, always with 2 to 3 reps in reserve.

Reps in reserve: how many more reps you could still do with good form when you end the set.

Variations

Same movement, other equipment

  • Dumbbells

    A dumbbell in each hand, close to your thighs. Easier to set up and to do at home.

  • Single leg

    One standing leg while the other reaches back as you hinge. Calls for balance and a steady standing hip.

  • Cable pull-through

    The cable comes from behind, between your legs. Great for learning to push your hips back.

At home or with more support

Taken? Swap it for one of these

They work the same main muscle.

Keep exploring

Sources

  • Sets and reps

    Currier BS, D'Souza AC, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851-872.

    Full textPubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Delgado J, Drinkwater EJ, et al. Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension. J Strength Cond Res. 2019;33(10):2595-2601.

    PubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Martín-Fuentes I, Oliva-Lozano JM, et al. Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0229507.

    Full textPubMedDOI

Review

Draft. This guide is waiting for review by a certified strength and conditioning professional.

Updated October 31, 2026