Banded Deadlift

In SetGrip: Deadlift (Banded)

Secondary muscles
Hamstrings, Spine
Body part
Upper Legs
Position
Standing
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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A band anchored under your feet loads a hip hinge in the opposite way a barbell does: lightest at the bottom, heaviest as you stand tall. That makes the lockout and glute squeeze the hard part, so it earns its keep as an activation drill or high-rep home option in the fifteen-to-twenty range.

How to do the Banded Deadlift

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band around your ankles.
  2. Hold the band with both hands in front of your thighs, palms facing your body.
  3. Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, hinge at the hips and slowly lower your upper body towards the ground.
  4. As you lower, push your hips back and allow your knees to bend slightly.
  5. Lower the band towards the ground, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings.
  6. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then engage your glutes and hamstrings to lift your upper body back up to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Take a big breath, brace the belly against your belt or hands and pull the slack out of the bar before it leaves the floor.

Muscles worked

Primary

Glutes · Legs

The glutes finish the lift by driving the hips forward to lockout and should be squeezed hard at the top of every rep.

Secondary

  • Hamstrings — The hamstrings extend the hip from the bottom and are the main mover on straight leg and Romanian variations, where you should feel a strong stretch on the way down.
  • Spine — The spinal erectors work isometrically to keep the back flat under load and will be sore the day after a heavy session.

Common mistakes

  • Rounding off the floor — set the back flat before the pull by pulling the chest up and the hips down, and keep it that way until lockout.
  • Hips shooting up first — if the hips rise before the bar leaves the floor, the legs are not driving; think of pushing the floor away rather than pulling the bar.
  • Bar drifting forward — the bar should stay in contact with the legs the whole way, so pull it into you with the lats.
  • Hyperextending at the top — finish tall by squeezing the glutes, not by leaning back and arching the lower back.

Where it fits in a workout

Deadlifts go first in a pull or lower body session while you are fresh, or after squats if both are on the same day. Pair Romanian deadlifts with a leg press or hip thrust for a hamstring and glute block.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without resistance band

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.