Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Hold dumbbells in front and hinge with soft knees, lowering to a hamstring stretch before standing tall.
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See your setup in four steps
Demo video from YouTube, played in its own player.
- Muscles worked
- Hamstrings, Glutes
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Movement
- Hinge
Sets and reps
- For strength: 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets.
- For muscle: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps (up to 15 on smaller lifts), resting 1 to 2 minutes, ending each set 1 to 3 reps short of failure (RPE 7 to 9).
- Add a rep or a small amount of weight once every set reaches the top of the range at the same effort.
General ranges, not medical advice. Stop if anything hurts.
In our free programs
- Baseline Assessment: Week 1 · Session 2 · Lower baseline + conditioningBASELINE — capped at RPE 7 on purpose. End the set the moment the lower back rounds and record how many reps that took.3×8 @ RPE 7
- Dumbbell Only · Lower4×10 @ RPE 8
Variations
The same movement with other equipment or a different angle.
- Dumbbell Single-Leg Romanian DeadliftDumbbell
- Barbell Romanian DeadliftBarbell
- Cable Romanian DeadliftCable
- Kettlebell Romanian DeadliftKettlebell
- Landmine Romanian DeadliftLandmine
- Smith Machine Romanian DeadliftSmith machine
- Trap Bar Romanian DeadliftTrap bar
- Barbell Single-Leg Romanian DeadliftBarbell
- Kettlebell Single-Leg Romanian DeadliftKettlebell
- Landmine Single-Leg Romanian DeadliftLandmine
- Trap Bar Romanian Deadlift DeficitTrap bar
Alternatives
Other exercises for the hamstrings, for when the dumbbell is taken or you want a change.
Questions
- What muscles does the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift work?
- The Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift mainly works the hamstrings and glutes.
- What equipment do you need for the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift?
- A dumbbell.
- How many sets and reps of the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift?
- For strength: 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets. For muscle: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps (up to 15 on smaller lifts), resting 1 to 2 minutes, ending each set 1 to 3 reps short of failure (RPE 7 to 9). Add a rep or a small amount of weight once every set reaches the top of the range at the same effort.
- What can I do instead of the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift?
- Band Good Morning, Barbell B-Stance Romanian Deadlift, Barbell Good Morning and Barbell Snatch-Grip Romanian Deadlift work the same main muscle.
Program it for your clients
Coaches add the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift to any workout in CoachVana, set the sets, reps, load and rest, and clients see this demo as they train.
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See your setup in four steps
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