How to do a PVC Romanian Deadlift
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About PVC Romanian Deadlift
PVC Pipe
Workouts with PVC Romanian Deadlift
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
PVC Romanian Deadlift is a variation of the standard Romanian Deadlift, primarily targeting the glutes and hamstrings. This exercise uses a PVC pipe instead of weights, making it an excellent option for beginners or those focusing on mastering form and technique. The lack of heavy resistance allows for improved mobility and balance, facilitating proper muscle activation and form improvement for more advanced variations.
- Grasp a PVC pipe with both hands.
- Position your hands so that they are wider than your shoulders and grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, palms facing you.
- Stand with your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Engage your core, straighten your back, and keep your chest up to maintain proper form.
- Hinge your hips back, bend your knees slightly, and fold your torso forward over the bar.
- Slowly lower the PVC pipe toward the floor, stopping as soon as you feel a light stretch in your hamstrings.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Extend your legs, drive your hips forward, and raise the PVC pipe back to its starting position by engaging your glutes and hamstrings.
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Alternative Exercises to PVC Romanian Deadlift
1. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 32 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
2. Romanian Deadlift
98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 15 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
3. Air Squats
92.1 mSCORESWAPPED 7 TIMESAir Squats are a bodyweight variation of Squats. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. Without any added resistance this is easily one of the most beginner friendly exercises out there. It’s a great way to start building strength, and working your way towards more advanced variations.
- Beginner
- Quads
4. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 5 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine
5. PVC Romanian Deadlift
18.6 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMESPVC Romanian Deadlift is a variation of the standard Romanian Deadlift, primarily targeting the glutes and hamstrings. This exercise uses a PVC pipe instead of weights, making it an excellent option for beginners or those focusing on mastering form and technique. The lack of heavy resistance allows for improved mobility and balance, facilitating proper muscle activation and form improvement for more advanced variations.
- Beginner
- Quads
- PVC Pipe
6. Kettlebell Suitcase Deadlift
68.1 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMESA unilateral variation of the deadlift using a kettlebell. This exercise targets your lower body, primarily your quads. By holding the weight on one side, you’ll naturally recruit your core to resist leaning. In addition, this can make it easier to identify and address imbalances between sides.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Kettlebells
7. Pause Squat
71.3 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMESPause Squat is a variation of the standard Squat. Like other Squats, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. By pausing at the bottom of the movement, you increase the time under tension, which can help improve muscle endurance and strength. This also ensures you maintain proper form and engage your muscles more effectively throughout the squat.
- Beginner
- Quads
8. Dumbbell Squat To Shoulder Press
98.1 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMESDumbbell Squat to Shoulder Press is a combination of a Dumbbell Squat and a Shoulder Press. Both pieces of this exercise are compound movements that primarily target the quads and shoulders respectively. Combining these two movements is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s a very functional movement that has tons of practical applications, especially for sports. It’s also a great starting point for anyone looking to build the strength and conditioning needed for more explosive exercises like Thrusters, or eventually Olympic lifts.
9. Dumbbell Lunge
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 3 TIMESDumbbell Lunge is a variation on the more standard Lunge. Similar to other Lunge variations, Dumbbell Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads. The exercise itself is the same as a standard lunge except for the added weight from holding dumbbells in each hand. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their lunges a bit more challenging without adding more complexity to the movement.
10. Single Leg Leg Extension
60.6 mSCORESWAPPED 3 TIMESSingle Leg Leg Extensions is a variation of Leg Extensions that uses one leg at a time. Like other leg extensions, this isolation exercise targets your quadriceps. By targeting one leg at a time, you can focus your attention on getting good muscle activation in each leg. In addition, this can help you identify and address strength imbalances between legs. While leg extensions can be a great way to build strength and muscle mass in your quadriceps, they can also place a lot of tension on your knees.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine