Romanian Deadlift
Muscles worked: Hamstrings (assisted by glutes, back, forearms).
How to do it
- Put a barbell in front of you on the ground and grab it using a pronated (palms facing down) grip that a little wider than shoulder width.
- Bend the knees slightly and keep the shins vertical, hips back and back straight.
- Keeping your back and arms completely straight at all times, use your hips to lift the bar as you exhale.
- Once you are standing completely straight up, lower the bar by pushing the hips back, only slightly bending the knees, unlike when squatting.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Hips back until hamstrings scream
- Soft knees, flat back - the bar stays on your thighs
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 6 to 10 rep range, progressing in 5 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Loading the bar? Use the plate calculator, and check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Good Morning - hamstrings
- Seated Leg Curl - hamstrings
- Lying Leg Curl - hamstrings
- Dumbbell RDL - hamstrings
Track the romanian deadlift properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.