How to do an Elevated Platform Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Elevated Platform Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Barbells
Platforms
Workouts with Elevated Platform Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
By elevating the platform, this variation of the Romanian Deadlift (RDL) significantly increases the range of motion, targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back with enhanced intensity. The elevated position promotes a deeper stretch and greater muscle activation, making it a powerful exercise for improving posterior chain strength and flexibility.
- Position the platform on the ground.
- Stand on the platform with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Position your hands on the barbell so they are wider than your shoulders and grasp the barbell with an overhand grip.
- Engage your core, straighten your back, and keep your chest up to maintain proper form.
- Hinge your hips back and fold forward to lower the barbell until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Raise yourself back to standing by engaging your glutes and hamstrings to drive your hips forward.
Fitbod workout plans
Take the guesswork out of training.
Follow a personalized plan that adapts as you get stronger.
Generate My PlanWeight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Elevated Platform Barbell Romanian Deadlift standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps45lbs1 Rep Max55lbs
- intermediate8reps60lbs75lbs
- advanced8reps75lbs95lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Elevated Platform Barbell Romanian Deadlift
1. Romanian Deadlift
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 401 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
2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 334 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.
- Beginner
- Hamstrings
- Dumbbells
3. Deadlift
98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 163 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. Seated Leg Curl
98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 151 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
5. Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift
84.6 mSCORESWAPPED 103 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
6. Kettlebell Sumo Squat
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 91 TIMESKettlebell Sumo Squat is a squat variation. Like other squat variations, this exercise is a compound movement that targets the hamstrings, glutes and quads. Positioning your feet wider than you would for a standard squat helps to recruit the inner thigh, as well as help individuals with mobility limitations.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells
7. Lying Hamstrings Curl
95.8 mSCORESWAPPED 90 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
8. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 85 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
9. Sumo Deadlift
88.9 mSCORESWAPPED 77 TIMESSumo Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. Like other Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and especially hamstrings and glutes. While this exercise receives some criticism, it’s a perfectly valid choice for building strength, and a great addition to your leg days.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Barbells
10. Kettlebell Swing
87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 73 TIMESKettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.
- Intermediate
- Hamstrings
- Kettlebells