Romanian Deadlift

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Grip the bar standing upright, feet hip-width. Shoulders long, lats engaged, ribcage over pelvis; knees slightly bent.
2. 2Starting position. Bar against the thighs, hips/knees extended without hyperextending, braced 360°. Weight spread across mid-foot/heel.
3. 3Concentric phase. Push the floor away and extend the hips forward from the bottom position. Keep the bar close to the body; back angle and knee bend change together under control. Squeeze the glutes at the top — don't hyperextend the lower back.
4. 4End position / lockout. An upright stance, hips fully extended, the bar calm; don't yank the shoulders back.
5. 5Eccentric phase. Push the hips far back and guide the bar down along the legs. Knees stay soft but don't progressively bend deeper. The descent ends once the pelvis stops tilting, the bar drifts from the body, or spine position is no longer controlled — not necessarily at the floor.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Inhale/brace before every rep, hold through the deepest point, exhale on the way up. Reset at the top on longer sets.
7. 7Valid rep. A reproducible individual depth marker, the bar close to the body, a clear hip hinge, stable knee/spine position, and a full hip lockout without hyperextension.

Common mistakes

• Turning the RDL into a squat

  Fix: Cue "hips to the wall" — the knees shouldn't travel far forward.

• Bar drifting away from the body

  Fix: "Lock the armpits; keep the bar on the leg."

• Treating the floor as a mandatory endpoint

  Fix: Use an individual shin/ankle marker instead of forcing extra range.

• Hyperextending the lower back at the top

  Fix: "Stand tall, don't lean back" — the hip lockout doesn't need extra extension.

Safety

• Older adults: hinge pattern, grip, and recovery matter — consider a dumbbell or machine variant, or adjust range.
• Spine: significant external torso moment — use an individually cleared load/range corridor.
• Hip: loaded flexion/extension — needs a symptom-free range.
• Shoulder and elbow/wrist: heavy grip demand — check straps or grip choice after assessment.
• Cardiovascular concerns or reduced bone density: heavy load needs individual professional clearance.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionEGYM Hip Thrust— A more guided hip extension if torso or grip is the limiter.
• progressionConventional Deadlift— Moves toward floor-lifting and max-strength specificity, once you can also control a safe starting position.
• alternativeBulgarian Split Squat— A unilateral option with less absolute load, for a stimulus-to-fatigue or asymmetry goal.
• prerequisiteConventional Deadlift— Teaches the hinge and bracing pattern — not a sufficient entry criterion on its own.