Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Technique

Hold a barbell in front of your thighs with a shoulder-width grip and knees only slightly bent. Hinge at your hips, pushing them back while lowering the bar close to your legs and keeping your back flat. Lower until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, then drive your hips forward to return to standing. Keep the bar close to your body throughout the movement.

Steps

1. Stand tall with the barbell against your thighs and your feet about hip-width apart
2. Brace your core and keep your knees slightly bent
3. Push your hips back while lowering the bar close to your legs
4. Maintain a flat back as you descend until you feel a deep hamstring stretch
5. Drive your hips forward to stand tall with the bar against your thighs

Common mistakes

• Rounding the lower back during the descent
• Letting the bar drift away from the legs
• Bending the knees excessively and turning the movement into a conventional deadlift
• Lowering beyond the available hamstring range and losing spinal position

Variations

• Dumbbell stiff-leg deadlift
• Deficit stiff-leg deadlift
• Snatch-grip stiff-leg deadlift
• Single-leg dumbbell stiff-leg deadlift

FAQ