Romanian Deadlift vs Deadlift: Differences, How-Tos, & More

As a strength and conditioning coach, I use the traditional deadlift for my athletes who need vertical performance, such as jumping. The RDL is better for glute strength and preventing hamstring-related injuries for athletes.

Be sure to read to the end because if you don't fully understand these exercises, you could be wasting time and missing out on gains.

Below, you'll learn the starting positions, range of motion, and tips from my experience coaching world-class powerlifters.

• Differences between RDL and deadlift
• Similarities between RDL and deadlift
• Who should do RDL or deadlift?
• Deadlift: Everything you need to know
• Romanian Deadlift: Everything you need to know
• Romanian deadlift with dumbbells

What's The Difference Between a Romanian Deadlift and a Deadlift?

Here are the key differences between the traditional or conventional and Romanian deadlifts that you should understand:

• Starting position
• Starting movement
• Pull versus pushing mechanics
• Shoulder position
• Hip hinging mechanics
• Muscles used

By the way, the “deadlift” is also called the “conventional deadlift” or “traditional deadlift”. The Romanian deadlift is also called the “RDL”.

Here are photos of both exercises showing the differences. 

Starting Position

The deadlift starts from the floor, whereas the Romanian deadlift starts from a standing position.

Starting movement

The deadlift starts with a ‘concentric' range of motion (upward motion), whereas the Romanian deadlift starts with an ‘eccentric' range of motion (downward motion).

Push vs Pull

The deadlift is taught as a ‘push' off the floor with the knees, whereas the Romanian deadlift is taught as a ‘pull' from the hips.

Shoulder Position

The shoulders in the deadlift are kept slightly in front of the barbell, whereas the shoulders in the Romanian deadlift are much further in front of the barbell.

Hip Hinging Mechanics

Both the deadlift and Romanian deadlift involve hinging from the hips, but the Romanian deadlift is taught to hinge more, really emphasizing pushing the hips back as the barbell comes down.

Muscles Used

Both the deadlift and Romanian deadlift involve similar muscles. However, the deadlift uses more quad activation, whereas the Romanian deadlift uses more glute and hamstring activation.

Let's look at the deadlift and Romanian deadlift in more detail, including how to set up each of the movements, some tips on how to perform them effectively, common errors, and the muscles used.

Read more: The Best Romanian Deadlift Accessories

What Are The Similarities Between Romanian Deadlifts and Deadlifts?

The Romanian deadlifts and traditional deadlifts are more similar than different, though. Here are the ways these exercises resemble each other. 

• Target Muscles: Both exercises target the posterior chain, including the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, essential for strengthening these key areas.
• Hip Hinge Movement: Both incorporate the hip hinge movement, which is critical for developing proper form and technique in lower body exercises.
• Versatility: Deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts are versatile, allowing adjustments in weight and intensity to match fitness levels and goals.
• Compound Exercise: They are compound movements that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously for a more efficient and effective workout.
• Improves Functional Strength: Both exercises enhance functional strength, aiding in everyday activities and improving overall physical performance.

Who Should Do Romanian Deadlifts vs Deadlifts? 

You should do both Romanian deadlifts and conventional deadlifts. These two movements complement each other and can help build a strong program. But you may want to focus on one more than the other. 

Romanian Deadlifts are better suited for:

• Those looking to emphasize the hamstrings and glutes without as much lower back engagement.
• Athletes or individuals focusing on improving hip hinge mechanics and posterior chain strength.
• Anyone looking to minimize spinal loading while still targeting the lower body.

Conventional Deadlifts are ideal for:

• Those focusing on overall strength, targeting the lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and traps.
• Powerlifters or athletes seeking to improve functional strength, power, leg drive, and vertical strength.  
• Individuals wanting a compound movement that stimulates muscle growth across the entire body

The deadlift uses the legs and hips to create “vertical’ resistance, essentially supporting leg-driven movements that might be seen in traditional sports and strength-driven competitions like powerlifting and strongman. 

However, the RDL creates “horizontal” resistance as the hips push forward and backward, mechanics that support the growth of the posterior anatomy, particularly the glutes, hamstrings, and erectors. 

Essentially, if your goal is maximal strength and powerlifting performance, conventional deadlifts should be your go-to. However, if you're aiming to specifically enhance hamstring and glute strength or focus on hip hinge movements with less stress on the lower back, RDLs could be more appropriate.

Deadlift: Everything You Need To Know

• How to do a deadlift
• Technique tips
• Common mistakes
• Muscles used
• Benefits

How To Do a Deadlift?

1. Place your mid-foot directly underneath the barbell
2. Stand with your feet either shoulder-width apart or slightly inside shoulder-width
3. Grab onto the bar with your hands just outside your shins
4. Engage your core by taking a big breath, holding it, and then forcefully exhaling without letting out any air
5. Drop your hips into the start position
6. Keep your shoulders slightly in front of the barbell with your back straight
7. Engage your lats by ”flexing your armpits'
8. When ready, push the floor away with your knees, making sure your hips don't rise faster than the barbell
9. When the barbell is at the knees, think about driving your hips forward, and locking your hips and knees at the same time

Technique Tips For a Deadlift

Successful deadlift technique relies on:

• Ensure that you start with the barbell over the midline of the foot. This will keep the load over your centre of mass and allow you to feel more balanced and in control of the movement.

• Keep the barbell as close to your body as possible throughout the entire movement. This will make it easier for your mid and upper back to stay neutral (i.e. not round)

• Thinking about using your quads to extend the knee off the floor. This will allow you to generate more speed and power to begin the movement.

• Ensure you're not rushing your bottom position as you cycle through reps. Keep your shoulders slightly over the barbell and engage your core and lats before starting each rep.

Looking to improve grip and technique with your deadlift? Check this article that gives the 12 best tips to elevating your deadlift performance!

Common Mistakes When Doing Deadlifts

The most common faults of the deadlift are:

• Rounding through the mid-back. This is likely caused by using a weight that's too heavy. But for a full breakdown, check out our article on How To Keep Your Back Straight While Deadlifting.

• Having your hips rise up too quickly off the floor. This is caused by not engaging your quads to extend the knee to begin the movement.

• Having the barbell drift away from your body. This is caused by either not starting with the barbell on the body or having weak lats that cannot control the barbell position throughout the lift.

• Grip Failure. It doesn't matter the strength of your legs and back if you can't hold the bar because of weak hands/forearms. To improve grip, check out our article on Maximizing Your Deadlift Grip.

Muscles Used In The Deadlift

The deadlift works some muscles directly (primary), and others are helping to stabilize (secondary). 

Muscle Group	Primary or Secondary
Quadriceps	Primary
Glutes	Primary
Adductor Magnus	Secondary
Hamstrings	Primary
Erectors	Secondary
Lats	Secondary
Traps	Primary
Rhomboids	Secondary
Abdominals and Obliques	Secondary

The quads are the one main muscle group that is recruited more in the Romanian deadlift vs. deadlift. This is because when you start the deadlift from the floor, the quad is responsible for initiating knee extension, which is how you should begin the movement.

To understand how each of these muscles contributes to the deadlift, and how to identify muscular weaknesses throughout the range of motion, check out our guide on the Muscles Used In The Deadlift.

Benefits of The Deadlift

Some of the benefits of the deadlift, which have been noted in the scientific literature, include:

• Building muscle mass and strength for the hip, thigh, and back
• Improving body awareness, coordination, and balance
• Improving jump performance
• Increasing and preventing a decline in bone mineral density
• Rehabilitating the knee after knee replacement surgery
• Decreasing the risk of ankle, knee, and leg overuse injuries

So, whether you're an athlete playing a contact sport and need to build muscle and strength, an older adult who needs to improve your balance for everyday activities, or someone rehabbing from a knee injury who wants to get back to normal functioning faster, the deadlift is an effective exercise.

Romanian Deadlift: Everything You Need To Know

• How to do the RDL
• Technique tips
• Common mistakes
• Muscles used
• Benefits

How To Do a Romanian Deadlift?

1. Start with the barbell resting on the pins inside a power rack
2. Walk up to the barbell and grip it just outside of your thighs
3. The height of the pins should be set up so that you have a slight bend in the knees
4. Take a big breath, brace your core, and lift the barbell from the pins by extending the knees
5. Walk the weight back from the rack in 2-3 steps, placing your feet shoulder-width apart
6. Slightly bend your knees – you'll keep this bent-knee position throughout the entire movement
7. Hinge at the hips to bring the barbell to the knee, think about keeping the weight on your heels
8. The barbell should remain on your thighs while your shoulders travel over the barbell
9. Think about driving your hips back to feel the tension in your glutes and hamstring
10. Once the barbell is just below the knee, squeeze your glutes to drive your hips up and forward
11. Don't extend your knees at the top, you should still have the slight bend you began with

Check out my article that discusses Are Romanian Deadlifts Harder Than Traditional Deadlifts?

Technique Tips For a Romanian Deadlift

Successful Romanian deadlift technique relies on:

• Hinging aggressively from the hips. The movement should involve your hips traveling behind you as far as possible. This will allow you to activate your glutes and hamstrings more.

• Cueing yourself to ‘feel the floor' with your feet. You want to make sure that your body-weight is on the heels in order to feel balanced while your hips drive behind you.

• Engaging your lats. This will allow you to keep the barbell on your thighs throughout the entire movement, which will prevent your low and mid-back from rounding.

• Squeezing your glutes hard on the way up. At the bottom range, your hips will be quite far behind you and you'll need to engage your glutes to extend the hips back to the starting position.

The Romanian deadlift was named one of my top 10 deadlift alternatives. Check out the others in my article!

Common Mistakes When Doing Romanian Deadlifts

The most common faults of the deadlift are:

• Locking the knees at the top range of motion. You'll always want to keep a slight bend in the knees in order to successfully hinge forward at the hips without causing too much strain on the low back.

• Bending the knees to bring the barbell forward. Yes, you want a slight bend in the knees at all times. But you don't want to ‘squat' the weight down by bending the knees any more than necessary. This will make sure your glutes are always loaded at all times throughout the movement.

• Going down too far. The range of motion should stop just below the knee. This will ensure the Romanian deadlift doesn't turn into a deadlift where you need to bend the knees to bring the barbell to the floor.

• Not keeping the bar on you. If the barbell comes off of your thighs it will make it much easier for your mid-back to round. It will also place the majority of the tension on your hamstrings, which is okay, but then you lose the benefit of engaging your glutes and hamstrings at the same time.

To learn more about the Romanian deadlift and how it differs from other similar exercises, check out: Good Morning vs Romanian Deadlift: Differences, Pros, Cons.

Muscles Used In The Romanian Deadlift

The primary and secondary muscles used in the Romanian deadlift are similar to the deadlift.

Muscle Group	Primary or Secondary
Glutes	Primary
Adductor Magnus	Secondary
Hamstrings	Primary
Erectors	Primary
Lats	Secondary
Abdominals and Obliques	Secondary

However, the Romanian deadlift activates the glutes and hamstrings to a larger extent compared with the deadlift. This is not to say that the deadlift doesn't use the glutes or hamstrings, but simply that the Romanian deadlift shows greater levels of activation for those muscles.

Several gurus might suggest that the Romanian deadlift is a good choice to train the lower back (lumbar) muscles. However, a study by Fisher et al. (2013) showed that there are better exercises to train the lower back than the Romanian deadlift.

Romanian deadlifts can make the hamstrings sorer than other deadlifting variations. Check out my article on Hamstrings Sore After Deadlifts: Is This Good or Bad?

Benefits of The Romanian Deadlift

Some of the benefits of the Romanian deadlift include:

• Greater glute and hamstring hypertrophy
• Increased hip extension strength
• Being a great method for teaching the ‘hip hinge‘ for novice lifters
• Strong application to other sport movements, such as Olympic weightlifting
• Preventing hamstring-related injuries by developing strength and control

The Romanian deadlift was rated as one of my top deadlift progressions to take your lift from a beginner to advanced level. If you're looking for an alternative to the Romanian deadlift, check out my article on the Best Romanian Deadlift Alternatives.

FAQ

Other Useful Articles To Read

• Rack Pull vs Deadlift
• Best Deadlift Back Angle For Your Size
• Deadlift Grip Width
• How to Keep Your Back Straight While Deadlifting
• Tips to Improve Your Deadlift Lockout
• How to Breathe Properly During The Deadlift
• Top 10 Deadlift Cues For Stronger Pulls
• Back Extension vs Deadlift: Differences, Pros, Cons
• Hip Dominant vs Knee Dominant Exercises (Simple Guide)
• The Ultimate List Of 55+ Barbell Exercises (By Muscle Group)

References

Almstedt, H, Canepa, J., Ramirez, D., Shoepe, T. 2011. Changes in Bone Mineral Density in Response to 24 Weeks of Resistance Training In College-Age Men And Women. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 25(4), 1098-1103.

Cribb, Paul J and Hayes, Alan . 2006. Effects of Supplement-Timing and Resistance Exercise on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 38 (11): 1918-1925.

Fisher J., Bruce-Low, S., Smith, D. 2013. A randomized trial to consider the effect of Romanian deadlift exercise on the development of lumbar extension strength. Physical Therapy in Sport. 14(3), 129-145.

Thompson, B., Stock, M., Shiels, J, Luera, M., Munayer, I., Mota, K., Jacob, C., Elias, O. 2015. Barbell Deadlift Training Increases The Rate of Torque Development and Vertical Jump Performances In Novices. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 29(1), 1-10.

Scellenberg, F., Taylor, W., Lorenzetti, S. 2015. Exercise specific loading conditions and movements of squats, lunges, good mornings, and deadlift. International Conference of Biomechanics in Sports.

Soomro N, Sanders R, Hackett D, et al. The efficacy of injury prevention programs in adolescent team sports: a meta-analysis. Am J Sport Med. 2015;44(9):2415–2424. doi: 10.1177/0363546515618372

Velcchio, L., Daewoud, H., Green, S. 2017. The Health And Performance Benefits Of The Squat, Deadlift, And Bench Press. MOJ Yoga & Physical Therapy. 3(2), 40-47.