What you'll gain

• 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.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Set the bar over your shoelaces and take a hip width stance.

2. 2

   Grip the bar just outside your hips and stand tall with the hips and knees locked.

3. 3

   Lift your chest, set your shoulder blades back and brace your abdominals.

4. 4

   Push your tailbone backward and lower the bar down the front of your legs.

5. 5

   Stop where your hamstrings stop stretching, keeping only a slight knee bend.

6. 6

   Press your feet into the floor and drive your hips forward to stand tall.

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.

About This Exercise

The barbell Romanian deadlift starts at the top rather than the floor. You stand tall with the bar against your thighs, push the tailbone back, and let the bar travel down the legs while the knees keep only a slight bend. The descent stops where the hamstrings run out of stretch, usually between the knee and mid shin, and you return by pressing the feet down and driving the hips forward. The hamstrings are the prime mover with the glutes assisting, while the erectors hold the spine neutral and the traps and grip hold the bar. For a library this is the reference hinge clip and the movement most posterior chain programs are built around. It fits barbell filters, hamstring and posterior chain blocks, and technique content contrasting the Romanian deadlift with the conventional pull from the floor.

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