Perform a hip-hinge with dumbbells, lowering the weight along the front of your legs to load the hamstrings and glutes.
How to do the Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell)#
- Stand feet about hip-width and hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs with a neutral grip.
- Slightly bend your knees, brace your core, and keep a flat spine and neutral head position.
- Push your hips back to hinge, sliding the dumbbells down the front of your legs until you feel a hamstring stretch.
- Drive your hips forward to return to standing and squeeze the glutes at the top without overarching the lower back.
- Continue for the planned reps while preserving the hinge pattern and spinal neutrality.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Hamstrings, Glutes
- Secondary: Lower back, Forearms, Traps
Common mistakes#
- Rounding the lower back on the descent.
- Bending the knees excessively so the lift turns into a squat.
- Shifting weight onto the toes instead of keeping pressure through the heels.
- Lowering beyond the point of hamstring tension and losing form.
