The Romanian deadlift may be one of the best exercises that help you build the lower part of the body and strengthen it well, and it is also one of the exercises that also helps even reduce lower back pain, but what do you think about some Romanian deadlift alternatives?
The Romanian deadlift alternatives also have an effective role in targeting the lower section and building muscles and targeting them in different ways, this is what makes the muscles grow and develop quickly because relying on many alternatives helps the muscles to be more active, gain strength and respond to the pressure of exercises.
In this post, we will learn about what is the Romanian deadlift, what are the best alternatives to it and why it is good, and also the mistakes that you should avoid when training the lower body with any type of exercise.
Let’s continue together!
What is a Romanian Deadlift?
It is one of the compound exercises for the lower body, as it is one of the variables of the deadlifts, so that the body bends at the hips and does not bend the knees.
The Romanian deadlift is used as a lower body strengthening exercise so that the loaded bar is lifted off the ground from a stable and bent position. This puts the muscles in the feet under intense pressure and tension, making it as effective as a squat or a bench press.
Utility : Power
Mechanics : Compound
Force : Pull
Romanian Deadlift muscle worked
The Romanian deadlift engages multiple posterior muscles, there are muscles that are mainly targeted such as the glutes, adductors, hamstrings, and erector spinae. (source)
Force (Articulation)
Dynamic
- Hip / Extension
- Knee / Extension
- Ankle / Flexion
Static
- Spine (Thoracic, lumbar) / Extension
- Shoulder / Extension
- Scapula and Clavicle / Elevation – Retraction
What are the best Romanian deadlift alternatives?
- Barbell Straight Back Stiff Leg Deadlift
- Single Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift
- Good Mornings
- Trap Bar Deadlift
- Barbell Hip Thrusts
- Sumo Deadlift
- 45 Degree Hip Extension
- Glute Hamstring Developers
Are the Romanian deadlift alternatives worth it?
Alternatives are other exercises that work with the same effectiveness and may help you train your muscles better. It is not recommended to do the same exercise repeatedly to target a specific muscle, so that relying on different alternatives helps to achieve some balance, and there are some alternatives that help increase mass. And others increase strength and others improve endurance and this is good for the muscles.
This does not mean that you will stay away from the Romanian deadlift, just do it once a week or every two weeks and focus on multiple choices and try new exercises, you will discover that you are improving well and effectively.
8 best Romanian deadlift alternatives
The alternatives that this list contains are provided by professional trainers and are effective and target almost the same muscles, and they can help you build muscle the way you want it and will stimulate your muscles more to activity and gain mass and strength.
1- Barbell Straight Back Stiff Leg Deadlift
We start with this exercise, it is a bit closer in terms of performance to the Romanian deadlift, but it is an isolated exercise for the hamstring muscles, but it secondary targets many other muscles such as the glutes and the adductors, which makes it a strong alternative and must be counted on.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose an appropriate weight that matches your fitness level.
- Put the bar in front of your feet, first stand up straight, your chest pushed forward, your back straight.
- Keeping your knees straight, bend your hips and pick up the bar from the floor, your fists shoulder width apart or slightly more.
- Begin bending your back down until it is parallel to the floor and stretch the hamstring muscles well.
- Keep your arms and knees straight and neutral throughout the exercise.
Pro tip:
This is an isolation exercise for the hamstrings so if you bend your knees it won’t come back so you have to keep your legs straight, then stretch the hamstrings with each repetition try letting the bar fall unfortunately and push the hips back a little and feel the tension of the hamstring and keep doing the repetition.
2- Single Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift
This is an exercise similar to the previous exercise, but it is more challenging than it, as it is based on one foot instead of two, and this makes it effective in isolating the glutes muscles more than the hamstrings, and what adds to the challenge is the addition of the bar.
The exercise becomes more difficult and puts your muscles under strong pressure.
You must be careful with this exercise and go with light weights.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose a light weight that fits your fitness level.
- Put the bar at your feet.
- Pick up the bar from the ground, your fists wider or about shoulder width apart.
- Keeping your back straight, push your chest forward a little and stay alert.
- Begin with bending your hips and go with the bar toward the floor, keeping your back straight.
- With each repetition, raise one of your feet back straight into the stump, stopping the repetition when your back and your pushed foot back are parallel to the ground.
- Keep your arms straight down and neutral throughout the exercise.
- Go back to the previous position and repeat and so on.
Pro tip:
The first advice is I must remind you to keep your hands and back straight throughout the exercise. Also, do not let the weight go down before you stretch the hamstrings a little, and the range of movement may vary from person to person.
There are those who will have to bend their knees in order to deliver the weight to the depth for this. These people must rely on both feet instead of one foot.
3- Good Mornings
Also, good mornings exercises are among the famous exercises that have several benefits, helping to target the hamstrings in the main and target the adductors and the glutes in a second, not only that, but even targeting the abdominal and oblique muscles, it is a good isolation exercise and targets almost the same muscles and It is a good choice.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose a lighter weight that matches your fitness level.
- Place the bar on the posterior deltoids of the shoulder, holding the sides of the bar with your hands.
- Keep your back and feet straight.
- Bend your torso until it is straight and parallel to the ground.
- Stretch the hamstrings well, pushing the hips back with each repetition.
Pro tip:
Almost the same advice as the previous one, try to stretch the hamstrings a little before you go with the weight down, also you should start with a very light weight to start adapting to it and then add the weights gradually, and try to focus more on the glutes and stretch them well.
4- Trap Bar Deadlift
This is one of the most powerful exercises for the glutes in particular, and then working on targeting almost most of the muscles in the lower part of the body, this is because it is a compound exercise and works more than one joint, and this is what makes it very effective in strengthening the thigh muscles, hamstrings and glutes, it requires a Trap bar and it may not be available to everyone but I advise you to do it.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose a weight that matches your fitness level.
- Stand straight with your feet about shoulder width apart or narrower than the bar trap.
- Keep your chest pushed forward and your back straight, and keep your eyes looking forward throughout the exercise.
- It will be as if you are doing a squat, raise the bar by extending your hips and knees to a full extension.
- Pull the shoulders back up the elevator if they are rounded.
- Then return the weight to the floor by bending the hips back and allowing the knees to bend forward slightly.
- And do not forget to keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
Pro tip:
With each lift, keep your hips low, your shoulders high, and your arms and back straight throughout the exercise. Try to make the exercise look as if you are doing a squat and keep your movement intact.
5- Barbell Hip Thrusts
This is not a variant of the deadlift and it is not a compound exercise but depends on the power of the push and it is a strong isolation exercise for the glutes muscles, the quadriceps and the hamstrings, it is a different exercise but it plays the same role and is to help strengthen the muscles of the lower body, so why no ? We can rely heavily on it along with other exercises.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose a weight that matches your fitness level.
- Sit near a tall bench.
- Fix the bar on the hips, (above the hips).
- Place your upper back muscles on the edge of the bench, extend the rest of your body apart and place your feet on the floor at shoulder width.
- Let the hip fall to the ground well, and extend it again upwards until the thigh muscles become straight and parallel to the floor.
Pro tip:
Do not throw your back on a bench that is too high, the height is better, try 40 to 46 centimeters (16 to 18 inches), place the bar directly on the upper hip folds.
Try to use a pillow between the bar and your body because it will be painful and the pillow will provide you with comfort. Extend the hips down well and avoid arching the chest upwards, try to be more straight.
6- Sumo Deadlift
Sumo deadlift This is a complex exercise that is popular with everyone and is also relied upon as a strong alternative to the Romanian deadlift. It works several muscles in the lower part of the body (quadriceps, adductors, glutes and calves as well), it is a good exercise and will help you to Effectively build muscle mass and strength.
How to do it correctly:
- Choose a weight that matches your fitness level.
- Stand in front of the bar, place your feet under the bar and keep your feet well apart (more than shoulder width apart).
- Lower into a squat position and then locate your fists on the bar, so that your fists are mixed (i.e. the right fist looks forward, and the left fist looks back) not exceeding shoulder width.
- Keep your arms straight, your chest pushed forward, your hips low, and your back straight.
- Then start pulling the bar up by pushing your feet out.
- Pull your chest up when the bar passes in front of your knees.
- Push your shoulders back when fully extending the body.
- When going back down, extend your hips back well and bring your hands straight to the floor.
Pro tip:
Keep your hips lowered and your shoulders high and keep squeezing your muscles. You’ll feel your lats tense too, which is normal, but keep the bar close to your body at all times to improve mechanical leverage, and try using a shoulder-width or wider grip if you can’t lock it at the top.
7- 45 Degree Hip Extension
This is also one of the exercises that targets the hamstring muscles strongly, and it is also effective in reducing back pain, improving posture and stabilizing the lower back. It is a good isolation exercise for both the hamstrings, glutes and adductors, in addition to many muscles in the upper part of the body, it is an effective exercise It will help you achieve your gains, and I advise you to do so.
How to do it correctly:
- This exercise requires a machine similar to the one we use in order to do the sissy squat.
- Choose a weight that is appropriate for your fitness level and should never be heavy.
- So adjust the machine cushion to 45 degrees.
- Place the exposed thighs on the upper pad of the hyperextension machine.
- Put the bar behind your neck and tighten it well with your hands from the sides.
- Support your legs from the back by placing them on the supports of the machine so that they do not fall forward.
- You are in a good position now, start bending your hips and go with your back straight down.
- Raise your hips or extend your muscles again until they are completely straight.
Pro tip:
Try to choose a suitable pillow and not too high to impede your movement. Whenever it is suitable, whenever you get a good exercise, while going down, keep the weight behind the dales tightly, and try to stretch your muscles well and go as deep as you can reach without obstacles.
8- Glute Hamstring Developers
Also, this is another exercise for the muscles of the hamstring, glutes, and adductors, but it is performed on the machine as well, so you will not be able to do it at home, but every time you get the opportunity to go to the gym, go to that machine and discover its capabilities. It is more than effective and many do not know Its turn so it’s time to get strong muscles with this machine.
How to do it correctly:
- You are free to choose whether you want to carry some weight or not, but it is better to be satisfied with your body weight at first.
- Place the ankles between the ankle cylinder pads.
- Place the feet on a vertical platform and rest the knees on a pillow with the bottom of the thighs against the large hump.
- Then finally put your hands behind your hips.
- Keeping the upper half of the knees up straight and steady, then start rolling on the hump down well.
- Extend your hips downward well and prees to comeback
- Press your muscles and return to the previous position again.
Pro tip:
You have to be solid, work all your muscles and stay steady and in control of the movement. Never try to bend your back, just stretch your muscles down well and press them again and go back to the previous position, if you want more of a challenge try putting your hands behind your head instead of behind your back.
Romanian deadlifts alternatives mistakes
Some mistakes in general can prevent you from getting good results or it may be worse. Perhaps some mistakes can expose you to injury and this is not good, especially if you are a beginner. This will frustrate you and may keep you away from training for long periods.
So here are some mistakes that you should avoid:
1- Never arch your back under any circumference.
Always keep your back straight and isolated with deadly lifting exercises of all kinds, because arching the back may lead to stiff muscles and the situation may worsen and you start to feel lower back pain or arched back.
2- Carry heavy weights.
Do not go with heavy weights that do not suit your fitness level, especially if you are a beginner, you must first get your muscles used to weights from light to heavy gradually, so it is better to stick to this and it will be better and you will also improve.
3- Don’t master the movement.
Also targeting the muscles in wrong ways may expose you to injury and the muscles can grow in a distorted way and is not what you want, so try to get a trainer because it will help you understand and master the movements.
4- You do a lot.
It is not important that you do a lot, the important thing is that you stick to a certain number of repetitions and make sure that you tire your muscles to failure in each session.
5- Do not allow the muscles to recover.
Focus on doing compound exercises once or twice a week, in addition to isolation exercises you will get two sessions a week of lower body training, so the important thing is to allow the muscles to recover at least for 48 hours before targeting them with strength exercises again.
Training program
When it comes to setting a training program, that is up to you. You may be training the lower body muscles twice a week. You can do one of the compound exercises at the beginning of the session, such as the Romanian deadlift or the sumo deadlift, followed by some isolation exercises for the muscles that you want to focus on more.
Beginner :
- Compound : Sets 2 – 3 / Reps 4 – 6 MR / Rest 60 sec
- Isolation : Sets 3 / Reps 8 – 10 / Rest 60 sec
Intermediate :
- Compound : Sets 3 – 4/ Reps 6- 8 MR / Rest 60 sec
- Isolation : Sets 4 / Reps 10- 12/ Rest 60 sec
Advanced :
- Compound : Sets 4 – 5 / Reps 8 – 10 MR / Rest 60 sec
- Isolation : Sets 5 / Reps 12 – 15 / Rest 60 sec
Romanian deadlifts alternatives benefits
Romanian deadlift alternatives target many muscles such as: Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus, Adductor Magnus, Quadriceps, Core, Lower Back Muscle.
So every time you do one of the alternatives, you target a group of muscles, which are often the main muscles.
Alternatives will also help you carry different weights and do different exercises with varying intensity.
It will also improve the strength of the muscles of the lower part of the body quickly.
It will help you gain muscle mass.
You will reduce the risk of injury with other weight exercises.
Useful Links
There are more strength exercises that will make you progress and build muscles, strength and endurance as well. These links will help you to find more chest exercises with dumbbells, barbells and bands, as well as body weight exercises, and they will be your guide to building strong chest muscles.
Raise your cardio with 50 bodyweight exercise
Target your calves with the best jump ropes exercises
Triceps exercises without equipment
If you have some equipment such as dumbbells, or a bar and some weights and you are a fan of building muscle, you may want to try the best CrossFit workouts for strength and build muscle endurance.
Focus on growing your shoulders with the best shoulder presses
Build your lower body with most powerful compounds exercises
Effective exercises for leg strength and hypertrophy
More alternatives:
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