Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Also known as: dumbbell RDL
- Secondary muscles
- Hamstrings, Spine
- Body part
- Upper Legs
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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The dumbbell Romanian deadlift is a hip hinge: with a dumbbell in each hand and your knees softly bent, you push your hips back, slide the weights down your legs and stand up by driving your hips forward. It works the glutes, with the hamstrings and the muscles along the spine assisting.
How to do the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
- Unlock your knees slightly and keep that bend for the whole set.
- Push your hips back and slide the dumbbells down your legs until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, keeping your back flat.
- Drive your hips forward to stand tall, keeping the dumbbells close to your legs.
Muscles worked
Primary
Glutes · Legs
Secondary
Common mistakes
- Rounding the back to go lower — the range ends where your hamstrings stop you with a flat back; stop there.
- Turning it into a squat — if your knees bend more as you lower, the quads take over; keep the knee angle steady.
- Letting the weights drift forward — keep them brushing your legs so the load stays over your feet.
Where it fits in a workout
Use it as the main hinge on a leg day, or after squats.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Logging the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift in SetGrip
SetGrip logs the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift as weight and reps. Log the weight of one dumbbell and say so in a routine note.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
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.
Track the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift in SetGrip
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- 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. Text: SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.