How to do a Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
Workouts with Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. The use of dumbbells allows for a bit less stability than a barbell variation, while also giving you more freedom in your range of motion. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve or work towards Romanian Deadlifts.
- Position your feet roughly shoulder width-apart, or slightly wider, behind the dumbbells.
- Hinge your hips back and lean forward to grasp the dumbbells with both hands such that your palms are facing you. Position the dumbbells just in front of your shins.
- Raise your hips higher than a conventional deadlift such that there is only a slight bend in your knee.
- Engage your back and rear shoulders, and straighten your back. You may need to bend your knees more as your back becomes straight.
- Engage your glutes, hamstrings and lower back to drive you hips forward and raise the dumbbells in a straight line. Keep the dumbbells 1-2 inches away from your shins.
- Keep your core and back engaged to support your lower back, and to keep your spine straight.
- Pause at the top of this movement for a moment.
- Reverse the movement to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position on the ground.
Common Form Mistakes
Rounding Your Back
Rounding your back will allow you to reach closer to the floor, but also increases your risk of injury, and reduces the effectiveness of this exercise. Focus on keeping your shoulders back, and your lower back braced to support your spine. Hamstring flexibility is the deciding factor in how low you can go.
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Alternatives & Variations to Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
1. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,005 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on Romanian Deadlifts. Like other Romanian Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings and glutes. The use of dumbbells can help with some limitations in mobility, and is a great starting point for anyone working towards performing Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts with a barbell.
2. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 521 TIMESSeated Leg Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. Because a vast majority of lower body exercises tend to be compound movements, this exercise is a great way to isolate the hamstrings for building muscle mass, and developing strength. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability, allowing you to focus on exertion more than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
3. Deadlift
98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 380 TIMESDeadlift is one of the three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and is great for developing strength in these muscles. It’s a staple in most programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking strength.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
4. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 361 TIMESSingle Leg Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on one leg, is a great way to identify, and help address, discrepancies in mobility, strength, and stability between sides. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to perform a large number of other compound lower body movements like Squats, Lunges, or even Olympic lifts.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
5. Dumbbell Good Morning
63.8 mSCORESWAPPED 354 TIMESThe Dumbbell Good Morning is a strength exercise that focuses on the posterior chain, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Holding a dumbbell at chest level or placing two dumbbells on the shoulders, you hinge at the hips and lean forward with a straight back, then return to the starting position. This movement emphasizes hip mobility and back strength, improving posture and stability. It's a versatile exercise suitable for all fitness levels, offering a low-impact alternative to enhance lower back and hamstring flexibility and strength.
6. Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift
84.6 mSCORESWAPPED 346 TIMESSmith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. The use of a Smith Machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement. This allows you to focus on exertion, or learning the movement rather than focusing on stability.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Smith Machine
7. Stiff-Legged Deadlift
72.4 mSCORESWAPPED 255 TIMESThe Stiff-Legged Deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings, lower back, and glutes. By keeping the legs relatively straight throughout the movement, it places an increased emphasis on hamstring stretch and engagement, promoting muscle strength and growth in the posterior chain. This variation also aids in improving flexibility and enhancing core stability. It's a valuable exercise for those looking to develop lower body power and posture, as well as for athletes seeking improved performance in activities requiring strong and flexible hamstrings.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
8. Romanian Deadlift
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 253 TIMESRomanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the standard Deadlift, this variation focuses mostly on driving your hips forward to raise the weight, and restricts movement in your knees. This is a great exercise for building strength, and can translate well to other exercises that utilize a hip hinge.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
9. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 248 TIMESLying Hamstring Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Leg Curl Machine
10. Dumbbell Clean
88.6 mSCORESWAPPED 187 TIMESDumbbell Clean is a variation on the more standard Clean. Like other Clean variations, this is a compound, explosive movement that targets a wide range of muscle groups. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise much more accessible to anyone unfamiliar with Cleans in general as you can use lighter weight. In addition dumbbells can help more advanced lifters build stability, as well as identify and address imbalances between sides.