How to Do a Romanian Deadlift: A Beginner's Guide (UK 2026)

The Romanian deadlift, often shortened to RDL, is one of the most useful moves a beginner can learn. It teaches you to bend at the hips rather than the lower back, strengthens the back of your legs, and needs very little kit. It is also easy to get slightly wrong, usually by turning it into a squat or chasing depth with a rounded back. This guide covers the hinge, the kit, the mistakes to avoid, and why the RDL suits anyone who runs.

What is a Romanian deadlift, and what muscles does it work?

The RDL is a deadlift variation that starts from standing rather than from the floor. You hold the weight in front of your thighs, push your hips back with only a slight bend in your knees, lower the weight down your legs, then stand back up.

The main muscles worked are:

• Hamstrings. The muscles along the back of your thighs do most of the work, lengthening under load as you lower.
• Glutes. They drive your hips forward to bring you back to standing.
• Lower back and core. The muscles along your spine and around your midsection work hard to hold your back still.
• Upper back and grip. Your upper back keeps the weight close, and your hands and forearms hold on.

Because your hamstrings work while they lengthen on the way down, the RDL builds strength through a long range of movement. It also teaches the hip hinge, the base of deadlifts, kettlebell swings and picking things up off the floor.

How is a Romanian deadlift different from a conventional deadlift?

They look similar, but they are different lifts with different jobs. Our guide on how to deadlift properly covers lifting from the floor. Here is how the two compare.

You do not have to choose. Many beginners learn the RDL first because it teaches the hinge with a light weight, then add the conventional deadlift later.

How do you learn the hip hinge first?

The hinge is the whole skill. It means bending at your hips while your spine stays long, rather than bending your knees like a squat or curling your back. Two drills teach it quickly.

• Wall tap. Stand about a foot's length in front of a wall, facing away from it. Soften your knees and push your hips straight back until your bottom taps the wall, then stand up. Step a little further away and repeat until you can only just reach.
• Broomstick check. Hold a broomstick along your back so it touches the back of your head, the space between your shoulder blades and your tailbone. Hinge forward. If the stick stays on all three points, your spine is staying long.

A helpful picture is closing a car door with your bottom while your hands are full. Your hips go back, your chest tips forward, and your shins stay close to upright. Do 2 sets of 10 slow reps in your warm-up.

How do you do a Romanian deadlift step by step?

Start with a light pair of dumbbells or a single kettlebell, then follow this sequence.

1. Stand tall. Feet hip-width apart, weight in front of your thighs, shoulders down and back.
2. Soften your knees. Unlock them slightly, then keep that bend the same for the whole rep.
3. Brace. Breathe into your belly and tighten your midsection as if you are about to be nudged in the stomach.
4. Push your hips back. Send your hips behind you and let your chest tip forward.
5. Keep the weight close. Slide it down your thighs, almost brushing your legs.
6. Stop at the stretch. Lower for about 3 seconds until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings and your hips cannot go back any further.
7. Drive your hips forward. Push the floor away, squeeze your glutes and stand tall. Finish straight, without leaning back.

Look at the floor a couple of metres ahead as you lower, and breathe out as you stand.

Should you use dumbbells or a barbell?

Both work. The right choice depends on where you are starting from and what kit you have.

• One kettlebell. A good first loaded hinge. It hangs between your legs and is easy to control.
• Two dumbbells. Ideal for home training and most beginners. Your grip may tire before your legs once the weights get heavier.
• Barbell. Best for adding weight in small steps once the hinge is solid. A standard bar usually weighs 20kg before plates, so ask whether your gym has a lighter one.

A sensible starting point is a weight that feels easy for 10 reps, often somewhere around 5 to 10kg in each hand. It should feel almost too light at first. You are training a pattern before you are training a muscle.

What does the progression ladder look like?

Move up a rung when you can do 3 sets of 10 clean reps and the last few still look like the first few.

1. Bodyweight hinge. Wall taps and the broomstick check.
2. Kettlebell or light dumbbell RDL. Slow and smooth, 3 seconds down.
3. Heavier dumbbell RDL. Add weight in small jumps.
4. Barbell RDL. Start with the bar on its own.
5. Staggered-stance RDL. One foot sits slightly behind on its toes for balance.
6. Single-leg RDL. The back leg lifts behind you. This is the version closest to running, which happens one leg at a time.

What are the most common mistakes, and how do you fix them?

Film a set from the side now and then. Most faults are easy to spot on video.

Some tiredness in your hamstrings, glutes and lower back is normal. Sharp or pinching pain is not. If you feel it, stop, and see a coach or physio before you load the movement again.

How many sets and reps should you do?

Beginners do well with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, once or twice a week, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Finish each set feeling you could have done two or three more good reps. Expect sore hamstrings for a day or two after the first few sessions. That eases as your body gets used to the work. Here is a simple 4-week start.

After week 4, add a little weight and go back to 3 sets of 8.

Why does the Romanian deadlift help runners?

Running asks a lot of the back of your legs. Your glutes and hamstrings help push you forward on every stride, and your hamstrings also work while lengthening to slow your lower leg just before your foot lands. The RDL trains that same kind of strength.

Research reviews suggest that regular strength training can improve running economy, which is how much energy it costs you to hold a given pace. Stronger muscles and tendons may also cope better as your mileage rises, although no single exercise can promise fewer injuries. The single-leg version adds balance and hip control too. If the back of your legs often feels tight, our guide to tight hamstrings in runners is a useful companion.

How does the Romanian deadlift fit into a hybrid week with running?

The main rule is to keep your heaviest hinging away from your hardest run. A simple week might look like this.

If you run and lift on the same day, run first when the run matters more. In race week, drop the weight or leave it out.

This is how Edge treats training: running, strength and HIIT sit in one plan rather than three separate ones, so your strength days and run days are planned together. Edge is free to use, and Edge Pro adds a fully personalised plan from £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.