Barbell Sumo Romanian Deadlift

The Barbell Sumo Romanian Deadlift targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This exercise emphasizes a wide stance and a hip hinge movement.

  1. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward.
  2. Hold the barbell with both hands, arms inside your knees.
  3. Engage your core and hinge at your hips, lowering the barbell while keeping your back straight.
  4. Lower the barbell until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
  5. Drive through your heels to return to the starting position.

How to perform the Barbell Sumo Romanian Deadlift

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Sumo Romanian Deadlift using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your calves.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your calves rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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