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Exercise library · Hamstrings

Stiff leg deadlift

Hip hinge for the hamstrings with a barbell.

How to do it

1 of 3

Soft, almost straight knees

  1. Starting position

    Stand hip-width with soft, almost straight knees and hold the bar in front of your thighs with your hands just outside your legs.

  2. The movement

    Push your hips back and lower the bar close to your legs with nearly straight knees, stop before your back rounds and stand again.

Most common mistake

Don't lock your knees or round your back, keep soft, almost straight knees and a straight back throughout the movement.

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Muscle group
Hamstrings
Equipment
Barbell
Where
Gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The stiff leg deadlift is a hip hinge in which your hamstrings and glutes do the main work. The difference from the Romanian deadlift is in the knees: with barely any bend, your hamstrings are stretched further at the same depth. The muscles along your spine work statically throughout the set to keep your back straight, and the further the bar drifts from your body, the harder they have to work.

Common mistakes

  • Your weight shifts onto your toes. Keep the pressure in the middle of your foot with your heels down, so your hips move back rather than your body tipping forward.
  • You crane your neck to watch yourself in the mirror. Look at the floor a little ahead of your feet, so your neck stays in line with your back.
  • You haul the weight up with your back and arms. On the way up, your hips should move forward towards the bar. Let your arms hang straight and think of your glutes and hamstrings standing you up.

Variations and alternatives

  • The Romanian deadlift has a little more knee bend and usually takes a heavier load. Choose it if straight knees pull so hard that you barely get down.
  • The good morning is the same hinge with the bar on your back, an option when your grip gives out before your legs.
  • The lying leg curl trains the hamstrings' other job, bending the knee.

Sets and reps

The exercise works best for building muscle, with 6 to 10 reps over three or four sets and two minutes' rest. Very heavy sets rarely add anything, because the limit is usually your back's ability to stay straight. The guide to sets and reps explains how the ranges differ.

Warm up with the empty bar and a couple of light sets, see warming up. Then add weight in small steps, and only while your back stays straight on every rep: that is progressive overload with technique as the brake. If your back hurts, rather than just feeling worked, stop the exercise and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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