Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

How to perform the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

1. Start with the bar (or dumbbells) at the hips, feet hip-width apart, and a slight bend in the knees that is locked in for the whole rep.
2. Push the hips back as if closing a car door with your butt; the knees do not bend further as the hips travel back.
3. Keep the load dragging along the legs in contact with the body throughout the descent — letting it drift forward puts the lower back in charge.
4. Descend until you feel a strong stretch in the hamstrings; for most lifters that is around mid-shin to just below the knee, never deeper than a flat back allows.
5. Drive the hips forward to stand tall, finishing with squeezed glutes and stacked ribs — no hyperextension of the lower back at the top.
6. Reset the brace standing up before the next rep rather than rebounding out of the stretch.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Bending the knees deeper as the load descends, which turns the hinge into a partial deadlift.
• •Letting the load drift forward off the legs, putting the lower back in charge of the lift.
• •Hyperextending the lower back at lockout instead of just standing tall with the ribs over the pelvis.
• •Going past a depth the hamstrings can give without losing a flat back.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.