Exercise Guide

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift with dumbbells instead of a bar. The weights pass either side of your legs, so the stretch runs deeper than a barbell allows.

BeginnerStrengthPullCompound
Form
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift - Start position
Start
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift - Mid position
Mid
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Hamstrings

Equipment

Dumbbell

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Pull

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

GlutesLower Back
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, feet hip-width apart.

  2. 2

    Soften your knees and push your hips back, letting the dumbbells travel down your legs.

  3. 3

    Lower until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, keeping your back flat.

  4. 4

    Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Tips
  • ★Keep the dumbbells brushing your legs; letting them drift forward loads your lower back.
  • ★It is a hip hinge, not a squat - the knees barely move once they are soft.
Explore by Muscle
HamstringsGlutesLower Back