The Dumbbell Cross Body Romanian Deadlift is a intermediate-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the glutes and hamstrings, with the abdominals working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesGlutes, Hamstrings
Secondary musclesAbs
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Cross Body Romanian Deadlift
Hold a single dumbbell in one hand and stand on the leg opposite that hand with a soft knee bend.
Brace your core and pull your shoulder blades down so the working side stays square as you start.
Hinge at the hips, sending the free leg straight back as the dumbbell tracks across toward the planted foot.
Lower until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor and you feel a strong stretch in the working hamstring.
Pause at the bottom, keeping hips level and the back flat without letting the working hip open up.
Drive the working heel into the floor and stand tall, squeezing the glute hard at the top of the rep.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds single-leg glute and hamstring strength with a long, loaded stretch.
Trains balance and anti-rotation through the trunk under real load.
Surfaces and corrects left-right strength gaps in the posterior chain.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Letting the hip of the free leg open up, which turns the lift into a rotation instead of a clean hinge.
Rounding the lower back at the bottom because the hamstrings can't reach the dumbbell yet.
Bending the standing knee too much, which turns the lift into a single-leg squat instead of a hinge.
Standing the dumbbell up with the lower back instead of driving the floor away through the working glute.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Cross Body Romanian Deadlift, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
