# Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: how to do it

- Main muscles: hamstrings, glutes
- Also works: lower back, forearms
- Equipment: dumbbell
- Level: beginner
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/dumbbell_romanian_deadlift/e629ec91d5/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, dumbbells resting on the front of your thighs.
2. Soften your knees and brace your stomach.
3. Push your hips back and slide the dumbbells down your legs.
4. Stop when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, around mid-shin.
5. Drive your hips forward to stand tall.

## Cues

- Keep the dumbbells brushing your legs.
- Hips go back, not down.
- Keep your back flat and your neck long.

## Common mistakes

- Rounding your back to reach lower.
- Bending your knees too much, so it turns into a squat.
- Letting the dumbbells drift away from your legs.

## Starting position

Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, toes forward (0–10° out). One dumbbell in each hand, arms straight, handles resting on the front of the thighs at hip-crease level, palms facing the thighs (overhand). The two dumbbells sit side by side, about hip-width apart, handles parallel to the floor. Knees soft (10–15° flexion). Shoulders down and back, chest up, gaze ahead.

## The movement

Push the hips straight back. The trunk tips forward as one rigid piece with a flat back. The knees bend only a little more and the shins stay close to vertical. The dumbbells slide down the front of the thighs and past the knees, staying in light contact with or within 2–3 cm of the legs. Arms hang straight down from the shoulders the whole way, so the dumbbells travel in a near-vertical line over the middle of the foot. The neck stays in line with the spine: the gaze moves to the floor a metre or so ahead as the trunk tips. To return, drive the feet into the floor, push the hips forward and stand tall with the dumbbells still close to the legs.

## End position

The rep turns round when the hamstrings are taut, with the back still flat: dumbbell handles just below the knee to mid-shin. So the trunk angle follows the depth chosen.

## Tempo

2.5 s down, no bounce at the bottom, 1.5 s up, 1 s standing tall.

## Form in numbers

| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Knee flexion at the start (soft knees) | 12° | 10–15° | [2] |
| Knee flexion at the bottom | 20° | 15–33° | [3] |
| Trunk angle from vertical at the bottom | 75° | 60–90° | [2] [3] |
| Hip flexion at the bottom | 90° | 80–100° | [3] |
| Dumbbell handle height at the bottom | just below the knee | knee height to mid-shin | [1] [2] |
| Dumbbell distance from the legs | 1 cm | 0–3 cm | [2] [3] |
| Hip extension at the top | 0° | −5 to 0° (no lean back) | [2] |

## Sources

1. [NASM, Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift](https://www.nasm.org/resource-center/exercise-library/dumbbell-romanian-deadlift)
2. [ACE, Romanian Deadlift and The ACE Do it Better Series: The Romanian Deadlift (2025)](https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/317/romanian-deadlift/)
3. [Lee et al. 2018, J Exerc Sci Fit, conventional vs Romanian deadlift](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6323186/)
4. [University of Kentucky LiveWell, Romanian Deadlift](https://livewell.uky.edu/news/romanian-deadlift)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/dumbbell-romanian-deadlift