Stiff-Leg Deadlift

What is the Stiff-Leg Deadlift?

The stiff-leg deadlift is a hip hinge similar to the Romanian deadlift, but the bar starts and returns near the floor and the knees stay much straighter. That combination produces a big hamstring stretch through a long range, making it one of the strongest posterior-chain stretch builders.

Muscles worked

Primary: Hamstrings

The hamstrings are the target, stretched deeply as the torso lowers over near-straight legs and then contracting powerfully to extend the hips and lift the bar.

Secondary: Glutes, Back

The glutes assist hip extension to lock out the top, and the back, the spinal erectors especially, works isometrically to hold a flat spine against the load down at floor level.

How to perform the Stiff-Leg Deadlift

1. Set the barbell on the floor over the mid-foot and grip it just outside the legs with near-straight knees.
2. Unlike an RDL that starts from the top, the stiff-leg deadlift starts and resets on the floor each rep.
3. Set a flat back with the hips higher than a conventional deadlift and the shoulders over the bar.
4. Take the slack out, then drive the hips forward and stand the weight up along the legs.
5. Keep the knees only slightly bent and fixed so the hamstrings do the lifting rather than the quads.
6. Reverse by pushing the hips back and lowering the bar to the floor under control for the next rep.

Suggested working range: 8–12 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A bilateral hip hinge performed with stiff, near-straight knees, so the hamstrings take an even longer stretch than in an RDL as the bar travels down toward the floor and back. As a compound it loads the whole posterior chain, but the straight-knee, full-range path maximises hamstring lengthening, which is the whole point of the lift.

Form cues

• •Keep the knees only slightly bent and largely fixed: the straighter legs are what create the deep hamstring stretch.
• •Push the hips back and lower the bar toward the floor along your legs, stopping where your flat-back position runs out.
• •Drive the hips forward to stand up rather than yanking with the arms or rounding the back to reach the floor.

Common mistakes

• •Bending the knees like a conventional deadlift, which removes the hamstring emphasis.
• •Rounding the lower back to reach the floor because the hamstrings lack the range.
• •Jerking the bar off the floor with a rounded start rather than pulling the slack out first.
• •Letting the bar drift forward of the mid-foot and overloading the lumbar spine.

Variations & alternatives

• •Romanian deadlift: a hinge that stops at mid-shin with softer knees, easier on flexibility and the lower back.
• •Dumbbell Romanian deadlift: the same hinge pattern with dumbbells for home training or a longer range.
• •Good morning: a back-loaded hinge that shifts more demand onto the spinal erectors.

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings · Barbell

Leg Curl

Hamstrings · Machine

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings · Dumbbell

Single-Leg Curl

Hamstrings · Machine

Nordic Hamstring Curl

Hamstrings · Bodyweight

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the stiff-leg deadlift for 8–12 reps as a hamstring-focused pull, using the full range only as far as your flexibility allows a flat back. Because the stretch at the bottom is aggressive, ramp the load conservatively and never round the spine to reach the floor.

Frequently asked questions