Weight and reps
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
The dumbbell Romanian deadlift is the RDL with a dumbbell in each hand: start standing, push your hips back with soft knees until your hamstrings are stretched, then stand back up. Dumbbells need no setup and let your hands find their own position, so it is the easiest way to fit hamstring work into any session — the only ceiling is how heavy your gym's dumbbells go.
How to do it
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, knees slightly bent.
- Push the hips back and slide the dumbbells down the front of your legs until the hamstrings stop you.
- Drive the hips forward to stand up, keeping the same knee bend throughout.
Common mistakes
- Letting the dumbbells drift away from your legs, which moves the load into the lower back.
- Rounding the back to get the dumbbells lower.
What it trains
- Hamstrings
- lengthen under load as the hips travel back, then pull them forward again — the prime mover
- Glutes
- finish the hip extension as you stand tall
- Lower back
- holds the spine flat while the dumbbells hang in front of you
- Grip and forearms
- hold the dumbbells for the whole set, and are often the first thing to give out as the weight climbs
Variations and alternatives
Common questions
Dumbbell or barbell Romanian deadlift?
Barbell if you want to load it heavy, dumbbells if you want it quick to set up or you train at home. The movement is the same, and the barbell mainly wins once you have outgrown the heaviest dumbbells. Track them as separate exercises so each keeps its own history.
How low should I go on a dumbbell RDL?
Until your hamstrings stop your hips moving back — for most people somewhere between the knee and mid-shin. With no plates to hit the floor, dumbbells tempt you to keep going, but any depth your back has to round for is past the point of the exercise.
Why do I feel dumbbell RDLs in my lower back?
Usually because the dumbbells drift forward, away from your legs. Every centimetre they hang in front of you lengthens the lever on your lower back — keep them brushing your thighs and shins the whole way down and up, and push the hips back rather than bending forward.
How many reps should I do?
Eight to twelve suits it well: the stretch is the point, and your grip and the heaviest dumbbell cap how low the reps can usefully go anyway. Set that range in StackUp, and when your heaviest set tops it, the app suggests the next weight.
In StackUp. Logged as weight and reps per set, and your heaviest working set decides whether the weight goes up next time. Get the app.
Legs
