Every time you bend down to pick up a laundry basket, a toddler or a bag of groceries, you’re doing a version of the same movement: the hip hinge. The Romanian deadlift (RDL for short) is the gym exercise that trains it, and it’s one of the best ways to build strong hamstrings, glutes and a sturdy back.
This guide shows you how to do the Romanian deadlift safely, step by step, the most common mistakes and how to fix them, and easier versions you can do at home with no equipment, plus harder ones for the gym.
Push your hips back like you’re closing a car door with your bottom. That’s the hinge.
Watch it first. The Romanian deadlift is also called the straight leg deadlift, and that’s the name Miles uses in his short video below. In under 2 minutes, he coaches a full set using the M3 Muscle Finder Method. Whatever you call it, this guide keeps a slight, soft bend in your knees.
What is a Romanian deadlift?
In a regular deadlift, you lift a weight from the floor and bend your knees quite a lot. In a Romanian deadlift, you start standing up, keep your knees only slightly bent, and lower the weight by pushing your hips backward until you feel a stretch in the back of your thighs. Then you squeeze your glutes and stand back up.
It mainly works your hamstrings (the muscles on the back of your thighs), your glutes (your bottom) and the muscles along your spine, which hold your back steady.
Why it’s worth learning
- Stronger, bigger hamstrings. In a 6-week study of 32 young adults, training the Romanian deadlift twice a week increased hamstring size and lengthened the muscle fibers about as much as the Nordic hamstring curl, a well-known (and much harder) hamstring exercise.
- May help protect against hamstring strains. When a high school track team added 3 sets of 3 single-leg RDLs to its warm-up, mild to moderate hamstring strains dropped compared with the season before. It was one team, not a controlled trial, and severe strains didn’t change, so think of it as a promising extra, not a guarantee.
- Real-life strength. Lifting things off the floor safely is a skill you’ll use your whole life. Strength training in general is linked with better movement control, walking speed and independence as we age.
How to do a Romanian deadlift in 6 steps
Learn it first with a broomstick or no weight at all.
- Stand tall. Feet about hip-width apart, holding the weight in front of your thighs with your arms straight.
- Soften your knees. Bend them slightly, and keep them at about that bend for the whole rep.
- Brace. Take a breath and gently tighten your stomach. Keep your shoulders pulled slightly back and down.
- Push your hips back. Slide the weight down the front of your legs, close to your body, as your hips move backward. Your chest tips forward as a result, but your back stays long and flat, from your head to your tailbone.
- Stop at the stretch. Lower until you feel a strong stretch in the back of your thighs, or until your back starts to round. For most people that’s somewhere around the knees to mid-shin.
- Stand up. Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward to stand tall. Don’t lean back at the top.
Tempo tip: take about 3 seconds to lower and 1 to 2 seconds to come up. The slow lowering is where your hamstrings work the hardest. In his video, Miles goes even slower, about 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up, breathing in on the way down and out on the way up. Both work, so pick the pace that lets you feel your hamstrings.
Miles’s tip: the M3 Muscle Finder Method
The M3 Muscle Finder Method is how Miles builds the mind-muscle connection: you focus on feeling the muscle that should be doing the work, which helps you keep a good, safe posture in your lower back. For this move, that muscle is the back of your legs (your hamstrings). His cues from the video:
- Set up first. Set your feet with your ankles straight under you, take an even grip about shoulder-width apart, and get your shoulders in position before you move.
- Move from the hips. Focus on your hip position and keep your weight over the arches of your feet.
- Stretch, then squeeze. Feel the back of your legs stretch as you lower, then pull with them and tighten at the top.
- Slow and even. Count about 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up, so you feel the muscles work both ways.
Common mistakes and easy fixes
| What you see | Why it happens | Try this |
|---|---|---|
| Rounding the back | Going lower than your hamstrings allow, or a weight that’s too heavy | Stop where you feel the stretch. Lighten the weight. Practice with a broomstick along your back (touching your head, upper back and tailbone). |
| Squatting instead of hinging | Bending the knees too much | Think “hips back,” not “down.” Keep the same small knee bend the whole time. |
| Weight drifting away from the legs | Arms hanging forward | Keep the weight brushing your thighs and shins, like you’re shaving your legs with it. |
| Leaning back at the top | Overdoing the finish | Just stand tall and squeeze your glutes. Your ribs stay down over your hips. |
| Feeling it in the lower back, not the hamstrings | Usually rounding, or not pushing the hips back enough | Reduce the range and the weight, slow down, and focus on the stretch in the back of the thighs. |
Pick your version
Weights below are only examples. Start lighter than you think you need.
| Version | Good for | How to do it |
|---|---|---|
| Wall hip hinge | Total beginners, older adults | Stand about a foot (30 cm) from a wall, facing away. Push your hips back until your bottom taps the wall, then stand up. Move farther away as you improve. |
| Broomstick hinge | Learning to keep your back flat | Hold a broomstick along your back so it touches your head, upper back and tailbone. Hinge without losing any of the 3 contact points. |
| Backpack or household RDL | Training at home | Hold a backpack with books, a water jug or a bag of rice in front of your thighs. |
| Dumbbell or kettlebell RDL | Building strength | Start with about 4–12 kg (roughly 10–25 lb) in each hand, or one heavier weight held with both hands. |
| Single-leg RDL | Balance and one side at a time | Hinge on one leg while the other leg reaches back. Hold a wall or chair for balance at first. |
| Barbell RDL | Experienced lifters ready to go heavier | Start standing with the bar (taking it from a rack is easiest). Learn it with a qualified coach if you can. |
Try it today: a 10-minute hinge session
- Warm up (2–3 minutes): march in place, then do 10 wall hip hinges.
- Main work: 3 sets of 8–12 reps of your version, lowering for about 3 seconds each time. Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
- Check yourself: film one set from the side. Is your back flat? Do your hips move back more than your knees bend?
- Next week: add 1–2 reps or a little weight. That’s progressive overload, the key to getting stronger over time.
Pair the RDL with squats for a simple lower-body workout. Our guide to how to squat properly walks you through it.
Hips back. Back flat. Feel the stretch. Stand tall.
What if you have back pain?
For some people, careful deadlift training can actually help. In one study of 35 people with low back pain who trained the deadlift for 8 weeks under a physiotherapist’s supervision, those who started with less pain and disability and better back-muscle endurance were the ones who benefited. That’s why it’s smart to get checked first and build up slowly with a professional if your back hurts.
When to check with a professional
The Romanian deadlift is safe for most people who start light and build up slowly. Check with a doctor or physiotherapist first if you have current back pain, a recent back, hip or hamstring injury or surgery, are pregnant, or have a condition that affects your balance or bones. Stop any exercise that causes sharp or shooting pain.
Keep learning in the Workouts & Training hub, watch movement breakdowns in the Watch library, and fuel your training with our guide to how much protein you need. New to M3 Fit Club? Begin at Start Here.
For coaches
Teach the hinge pattern unloaded first (wall taps, dowel along the spine), then add load. Cue “hips back” and “weight close” rather than a target depth, and let range of motion be set by where the client can keep a neutral spine. Single-leg and household-load versions make the RDL easy to program at home. Clients with current low back pain should be cleared and ideally progressed with a physiotherapist.
References
- Crawford SK, Sandberg C, Vlisides J, et al., 2025. Hamstrings muscle architecture and morphology following 6 wk of an eccentrically biased Romanian deadlift or Nordic hamstring exercise intervention. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 57(8), 1799–1809. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40085810/
- Otani R, Nishikawa H, Matsunaga S, Hiroshige Y, Nakamura M, 2025. The effect of single leg Romanian deadlift on the risk of hamstring strain injuries in track and field athletes: a cohort study. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 20(5), 657–665. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40322523/
- Berglund L, Aasa B, Hellqvist J, Michaelson P, Aasa U, 2015. Which patients with low back pain benefit from deadlift training? Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(7), 1803–1811. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25559899/
- Westcott WL, 2012. Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 11(4), 209–216. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22777332/
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have back pain, an injury or a health condition. Weights shown are examples only. Coaches should work within their scope of practice. See our full Medical Disclaimer.