Romanian deadlift form: hinge depth and knee bend

The Romanian deadlift is a hinge, not a squat. The usual mistake is bending the knees too much, which turns it into a half squat and takes the work away from your hamstrings.

How to do it

1. Stand holding the weight in front of your thighs, knees soft.
2. Push your hips back as if you're shutting a door behind you with them.
3. Let the weight slide down your legs with a flat back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
4. Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward to stand up.

What counts as a full rep

It reads the angle at your hip, between your body and your thigh. That angle has to close from about 160° to 125° or less, so your body tips forward by roughly 55°, then open again as you stand.

What the camera calls out

You hear a short cue mid-set when something's off. After the set, the report card gives you one line on whichever fault came up most.

Setting up your phone

Stand side-on to the phone, about 3 steps back, with the phone at hip height.

Start standing tall. Only full reps count.

Muscles worked

Mostly your hamstrings, with your glutes and lower back helping.

Exercises this check works on

• Romanian deadlift
• Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift
• Stiff-legged barbell deadlift
• Smith machine stiff-legged deadlift

A tip from the coach

Keep the bar or dumbbells close enough to brush your legs the whole way down. The further they drift forward, the harder your lower back has to work.

Other exercises

• Squat
• Push-up
• Lunge
• Overhead press
• Biceps curl
• Plank
• Glute bridge
• Sit-up
• Lying leg raise
• Lateral raise
• Bent-over row
• Jumping jacks
• Pull-up
• Wall sit
• Side plank

Updated 11 October 2026. General fitness and nutrition guidance, not medical advice.