The stiff-leg deadlift (or “straight-leg deadlift”) is a deadlift variation that emphasizes your glutes and hamstrings. 

It’s helpful as a result of it’s much less fatiguing than different deadlift variations and permits you to prepare your hamstrings and glutes with heavy weights and whereas stretched, making it ideally suited for muscle progress. 

On this article, you’ll study correct stiff-leg deadlift type, how the stiff-legged deadlift is totally different from the Romanian deadlift, the most effective stiff-leg deadlift options and variations, which muscle groups the train works, its advantages, frequent errors to keep away from, and extra. 

Find out how to Do Stiff-Leg Deadlifts

Studying to deadlift stiff-legged isn’t as tough because it seems. All it’s essential do to grasp stiff leg deadlift type is cut up the train into three elements: arrange, descend, and raise.

1. Arrange

Rise up straight holding a loaded barbell with a shoulder-width, overhand grip (palms dealing with your physique).

Take a deep breath of air into your stomach, brace your core, increase your chest, and press your higher arms into your sides as if you happen to have been attempting to crush oranges in your armpits.

2. Descend

Flatten your again and decrease the weights towards the ground in a straight line whereas conserving your legs virtually utterly straight, pushing your hips backward as you descend.

Proceed reducing the bar till the plates contact the ground.

3. Carry

Whereas conserving your again flat, chest up, and knees virtually straight, drive your hips ahead whereas pulling the bar straight up and return to a beginning place

Right here’s the way it ought to look once you put all of it collectively:

Romanian Deadlift (RDL) vs. Stiff-Leg Deadlift

The stiff-leg and Romanian deadlifts are related workout routines with a number of key variations. 

As an example, within the stiff-leg deadlift, you begin and end every rep with the bar on the ground, and your legs keep straighter all through every rep.

Due to this, the stiff-leg deadlift has an extended vary of movement, making it glorious for creating your glutes, hamstrings, and decrease again

The draw back is that most individuals can’t raise as a lot weight on the stiff-leg deadlift as they’ll with the Romanian deadlift. Some additionally discover the stiff-leg model troublesome to study and uncomfortable, particularly if they’ve poor flexibility or decrease again points

The Greatest Stiff-Leg Deadlift Alternate options and Variations

1. Romanian Deadlift

Whereas each workout routines are extremely efficient for coaching the hamstrings, glutes, and decrease again, the Romanian deadlift has a barely shorter vary of movement than the stiff-leg deadlift, making it extra comfy and straightforward to study for a lot of weightlifters. 

2. Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Performing the stiff-legged deadlift with dumbbells is nearly the identical as doing it with a barbell. The one distinction is that doing the train with dumbbells permits you to prolong the vary of movement since you may bend ahead additional with out the weights hitting the ground.

The draw back is that dumbbells are trickier to regulate than a barbell, which makes the dumbbell stiff-leg deadlift much less appropriate for new weightlifters.

3. Eccentric-Accentuated Stiff-Leg Deadlift

The eccentric-accentuated stiff-leg deadlift is nearly precisely the identical because the common stiff-leg deadlift. The one distinction is you employ a slower tempo through the descent. This lets you spend extra time in a stretched place, which can profit progress. 

4. Leg Curl

The leg curl trains your hamstrings with out stressing your backbone, making it a superb various to the stiff-leg deadlift for these with decrease again points. 

5. Nordic Hamstring Curl

The Nordic hamstring curl permits you to prepare your hamstrings and glutes utilizing solely your physique weight, so it’s a viable stiff leg deadlift various for these with entry to minimal gear.

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Stiff-Leg Deadlift: Muscle groups Labored

The principle muscle groups labored by the stiff-legged deadlift are the . . . 

It additionally trains smaller muscle groups just like the rhomboids, rear delts, infraspinatus, teres main and minor, and forearms to a lesser diploma.

Right here’s how the principle muscle groups labored by the stiff-leg deadlift look in your physique:


Romanian Deadlift (leg muscles worked)



Front Squat Muscles Worked (Back)


Stiff-Leg Deadlift Advantages

1. It permits you to prepare your posterior chain with out overreaching.

The typical deadlift is the most effective train for constructing energy and muscle in your total posterior chain (the muscle groups on the again of your physique), however it’s additionally extraordinarily taxing.  

The barbell stiff-leg deadlift is a compromise of kinds that allows you to prepare lots of the similar muscle teams with out risking overreaching or damage. That’s why it’s a superb train to incorporate in your routine along with common deadlifting

2. It trains your hamstrings eccentrically and in a stretched place.

Analysis exhibits that workout routines that emphasize the eccentric (reducing part) of every rep and prepare your muscle groups whereas stretched, just like the stiff-legged deadlift, are extremely efficient for constructing muscle. 

Whereas scientists aren’t solely certain why that is, their present finest guess is that emphasizing the eccentric and inserting your muscle groups below load when stretched straight stimulates muscle protein synthesis and significantly will increase anabolic (muscle-building) hormones.

3.  It permits you to prepare your hamstring with heavy weights.

Usually talking, the extra weight you raise, the extra energy and muscle you achieve.

Sadly, many hamstring workout routines don’t help you deal with heavy weights.

For instance, workout routines such because the hamstring curl, hyperextension, and kettlebell swing are nice for coaching the hamstrings, however they’re awkward with heavy weights.

The stiff-leg deadlift, however, permits you to safely deal with heavy weight and progress usually, which implies it’s ideally suited for constructing muscle and gaining energy.

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Frequent Stiff-Legged Deadlift Errors

1. Permitting the barbell to float ahead.

Letting the barbell drift away out of your physique will increase the percentages that you simply’ll spherical your again, which may result in damage. The perfect methods to keep away from this are to give attention to conserving the bar near your physique and contracting your higher again and lats all through every rep.

2. Rounding your again.

Failing to maintain your again flat is an error that reduces the effectiveness of the train and probably will increase your danger of damage. To keep away from rounding your again, give attention to pushing your butt backward as you carry out the hinging motion to decrease the load. 

Additionally, raise the bar with management—don’t bounce it off the ground or use a jerking movement that will help you return to a standing place

3. Bending your knees an excessive amount of.

Whereas the stiff-legged deadlift does enable for a slight knee bend, bending them an excessive amount of turns the train right into a commonplace deadlift and shifts the main target away from the goal muscle groups. Purpose to maintain your legs as straight as your flexibility permits. 

+ Scientific References