10 Best Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift Alternatives for Glute Strength
The Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift is done standing with dumbbells.
Original Exercise: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
- Primary muscle
- Glutes
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Type
- Compound
Secondary muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back
How to perform Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, hinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells towards the ground, allowing your knees to bend slightly.
- Lower the dumbbells until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then push through your heels and engage your glutes to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift Alternative
A pair of dumbbells sounds like a small thing to need, but it is often the first piece of equipment to disappear: someone else is using it, or the gym only has a barbell spare that day. The Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift asks for that pair, and both change from one gym to the next. Most of the alternatives keep your hips pushing back while the equipment in your hands changes: a barbell lets you keep stacking plates once dumbbells run out, and a band packs into a bag instead. A trap bar puts a frame around you instead of a bar in front of your shins, but it starts from the floor and bends the knees as much as the hips, so it is a heavier pull rather than the same hinge.
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