The Hip Hinge Speed Romanian Deadlift is a intermediate-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the hamstrings and glutes, with the abdominals, calves and traps working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesHamstrings, Glutes
Secondary musclesAbs, Calves, Traps
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Hip Hinge Speed Romanian Deadlift
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your feet hip-width apart.
Set your shoulders back, brace your trunk and soften the knees.
Push the hips straight back and let the dumbbells slide down your thighs.
Stop at mid-shin, or sooner if your hamstrings run out of stretch.
Snap the hips forward and stand tall without leaning back.
Reset your brace at the top and start the next repetition.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Trains fast hip extension without the technical demand of an Olympic lift.
Loads the hamstrings at long muscle length, where hinge variations do their work.
Dumbbells load each side independently, so imbalances show up quickly.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Bending the knees to chase depth, which turns the hinge into a squat.
Rounding the lower back at the bottom, which loads the spine instead of the hamstrings.
Letting the dumbbells drift away from the legs, which multiplies the load on the lower back.
Rushing the lowering phase as well as the drive, which removes the control the lift depends on.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Hip Hinge Speed Romanian Deadlift, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
