The Barbell Romanian Deadlift is a intermediate-friendly barbell strength exercise that targets the hamstrings and glutes, with the abdominals, traps, forearms and adductors working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesHamstrings, Glutes
Secondary musclesAbs, Traps, Forearms, Adductors
EquipmentBarbell
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Set the bar over your shoelaces and take a hip width stance.
Grip the bar just outside your hips and stand tall with the hips and knees locked.
Lift your chest, set your shoulder blades back and brace your abdominals.
Push your tailbone backward and lower the bar down the front of your legs.
Stop where your hamstrings stop stretching, keeping only a slight knee bend.
Press your feet into the floor and drive your hips forward to stand tall.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Loads the hamstrings through a long eccentric stretch under control.
Teaches the hip hinge pattern that every deadlift variation depends on.
Builds posterior chain strength without pulling from the floor.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Rounding the lower back instead of hinging at the hips, which loads the lumbar spine.
Bending the knees too much, which turns the lift into a squat and unloads the hamstrings.
Letting the bar drift away from the legs, which lengthens the lever on the lower back.
Looking up into a mirror, which extends the neck under load.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Barbell Romanian Deadlift, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
