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Deadlift vs Romanian Deadlift

Strength Standards Comparison

How does your Deadlift compare to your Romanian Deadlift? See side-by-side strength standards from Beginner to Elite.

Quick Answer: The average intermediate lifter's Deadlift is approximately 124% of their Romanian Deadlift, based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP) from 2.5M+ verified competition results.

What Is the Ratio Between These Lifts?

The average intermediate lifter's Deadlift is 124% of their Romanian Deadlift. This ratio is calculated from intermediate-level standards across all bodyweight categories.

Standards based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), calculated from 2.5M+ verified competition results via OpenPowerlifting.

When Should You Use Each Exercise?

Deadlift

  • Primary muscles: Forearms, Calves, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Trapezius, Lower Back
  • Equipment: Barbell, Weight Plates
  • Type: Compound
  • Difficulty: Advanced

Romanian Deadlift

  • Primary muscles: Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back
  • Equipment: Barbell
  • Type: Compound
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

How Should You Interpret This Comparison?

The ratio between your Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift reveals important information about your training balance. A ratio significantly above the average suggests relative strength in your Deadlift, while a lower ratio may indicate it is a relative weakness worth addressing in your programming.

Use these standards to identify imbalances, then target weak points with the Backoff Calculator for accessory volume or the Block Planner for structured periodization.

All standards are based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results. Learn more about our methodology.

Deadlift Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 96 144 204 275 352
120 111 162 225 300 380
130 126 179 246 323 407
140 140 197 266 346 433
150 154 213 286 368 457
160 168 229 304 389 481
170 181 245 322 410 503
180 195 261 340 430 525
190 208 275 357 449 546
200 220 290 373 467 567
210 233 304 389 485 587
220 245 318 405 503 606
230 257 332 420 520 624
240 268 345 435 536 642
250 280 358 450 552 660
260 291 370 464 568 677
270 302 383 478 583 694
280 313 395 491 598 710
290 323 407 504 613 726
300 333 418 517 627 741
310 344 430 530 641 756
90 54 90 139 198 264
100 61 99 150 211 279
110 67 108 161 224 294
120 74 116 171 235 307
130 80 124 180 246 319
140 86 131 189 257 331
150 92 138 197 267 343
160 97 145 205 276 353
170 103 152 213 285 363
180 108 158 221 294 373
190 113 164 228 302 382
200 118 170 235 310 391
210 123 176 241 317 400
220 127 181 248 325 408
230 132 186 254 332 416
240 136 192 260 339 424
250 140 197 266 345 431
260 144 201 272 352 438

Romanian Deadlift Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 62 104 160 227 303
120 73 119 178 249 328
130 85 133 195 269 351
140 96 147 212 289 373
150 107 160 228 308 395
160 118 173 244 326 415
170 128 186 259 343 435
180 139 199 274 360 454
190 149 211 288 377 472
200 159 223 302 393 490
210 169 235 315 408 507
220 178 246 329 423 524
230 188 257 341 438 540
240 197 268 354 452 556
250 207 279 366 466 572
260 216 289 378 479 586
270 224 300 390 492 601
280 233 310 401 505 615
290 242 319 413 518 629
300 250 329 424 530 643
310 258 339 434 542 656
90 46 76 116 164 218
100 50 82 123 172 228
110 54 87 129 180 236
120 58 91 135 187 244
130 62 96 140 193 251
140 65 100 146 199 258
150 68 104 151 205 265
160 71 108 155 210 271
170 74 112 160 216 277
180 77 116 164 221 283
190 80 119 168 225 288
200 83 122 172 230 293
210 86 126 176 234 298
220 88 129 179 238 303
230 91 132 183 243 307
240 93 135 186 246 312
250 95 137 190 250 316
260 98 140 193 254 320

How Does Muscle Targeting Compare?

Deadlift

Primary Muscles Forearms, Calves, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Trapezius, Lower Back
Secondary Muscles Forearms, Calves, Quadriceps
Equipment Barbell, Weight Plates

Romanian Deadlift

Primary Muscles Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back
Secondary Muscles Glutes, Lower Back
Equipment Barbell

Where Can You View Full Standards?

Deadlift vs Romanian Deadlift: How Do They Compare?

The Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift are both popular exercises, but they target different muscles and have different strength expectations. This page compares their strength standards side by side so you can see exactly how your lifts stack up.

The tables above show 1RM strength standards by bodyweight for both exercises, from Beginner to Elite. Use the Male/Female toggle to switch between gender-specific data. All standards are based on 2.5M+ verified competition results from powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman federations worldwide.

Want to check your own levels? Visit the individual exercise pages for Deadlift or Romanian Deadlift to use the interactive strength calculator and find your exact percentile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on competition data, the average intermediate lifter's Deadlift is approximately 124% of their Romanian Deadlift. Ratios vary by bodyweight and training experience.
No. Different exercises involve different muscle groups and leverage advantages. The ratio between lifts varies by anatomy, training history, and movement patterns.
Difficulty depends on your individual strengths and training history. Compare the standards tables above at your bodyweight to see which exercise you are relatively stronger at. The exercise where your 1RM falls into a higher tier is the one you are more advanced in.
If both exercises target muscles you want to develop, incorporating both into your program can provide complementary training stimulus. Check the muscle targeting comparison above to see how they differ.
Increase training frequency for the weaker lift to 2-3x per week, add targeted accessory work, and use RPE-based programming to manage fatigue. Our Block Planner can help structure a program.
Standards are derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results and community-reported training data. They are broken down by bodyweight and gender to give you an accurate comparison. Learn about our methodology.

Standards reviewed by the Fitness Volt Editorial Team, certified strength training analysts.

What Other Exercises Can You Compare?