Wide Stance Stiff Legs

Also called sumo romanian deadlift, wide stance rdl and sumo stiff-leg deadlift.

Works

Hamstrings, plus adductors, glutes and lower back

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Intermediate

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Begin with a barbell loaded on the floor. Adopt a wide stance, and then bend at the hips to grab the bar. Your hips should be as far back as possible, and your legs nearly straight. Keep your back straight, and your head and chest up. This will be your starting position.

1. Begin the movement be engaging the hips, driving them forward as you allow the arms to hang straight. Continue until you are standing straight up, and then slowly return the weight to the starting position. For successive reps, the weight need not touch the floor.

Cues

• Wide stance, toes out.
• Soft knees, hips back.
• Bar close, flat back.
• Drive the hips forward to stand.

Common mistakes

• Rounding the back.
• Squatting the weight down.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a cranky lower back. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

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