RDL vs Deadlift: The Low Down on Two Lower Body Pulls

When pitting the Romanian deadlift vs deadlifts, they may look almost identical, but once you break them down, their differences become clear — and those differences matter, especially if you’re training for strength, muscle growth, or better movement patterns.

With the help of Dr. C. Shanté Cofield, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, CF-L1 — The Movement Maestro — we’re breaking down how deadlifts and RDLs compare, when to use each, and how to know which one deserves a spot in your next workout.

RDL vs Deadlift: Spot the Difference

The deadlift vs RDL — what’s the difference between these two? To the untrained eye, they might look like the same move: a big pull that lights up your backside. But look a little closer and you’ll see differences in how they load the body and which muscles they emphasize.

Choosing the Right Lift

“If the goal is hamstring hypertrophy, I’m programming RDLs,” says Cofield. “If you want a dump truck, do Bulgarian split squats.” (Yes, “dump truck” is the scientific term, also yes, I want it.) “If I’m looking to develop general strength or explosiveness, then I could program any variety of a traditional deadlift, be it hex bar, paused, jumping, etc.”

RDL vs Deadlift Movement Pattern

The RDL is all about the hamstrings. It’s a strict hip hinge — minimal knee bend, no squat, and a noticeable stretch through the hamstrings. You start tall with the bar at your thighs and lower to about mid-shin.

The conventional deadlift, on the other hand, starts from the floor and adds a bit of a knee bend, which brings more glutes, back, and even quads into the mix.

Watch the Knees

“The difference between the two movements is most easily identified and understood by looking at the knee,” says Cofield. “For an RDL, the knee remains in an extended/straight position (not to be confused with fully locked out) for the full duration of the movement. For a deadlift, the knee goes through a minimal amount of flexion and extension (about 35 degrees), with the majority of the motion occurring at the hip joint.”

Range of Motion and Load

Deadlifts use a bigger range of motion — from the floor to a full lockout — recruit more muscles and typically allow for heavier loads. RDLs stop short of the ground and place more focused tension on the hamstrings. If you’re swapping one for the other, don’t just plug in the same weight — adjust the load to match the movement — typically, more for deadlifts, less for RDLs.

How to Do a Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

Think of the RDL like half of a conventional deadlift, where your main focus is the eccentric portion of the lift.

• Start with a barbell resting on your thighs, feet hip-width apart, and toes facing forward.

• Brace your core and pull your shoulders back. Hinge at your hips and let the bar slide down your thigh.

• Maintaining a neutral spine, lower the bar until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings — about mid-shin.

• With an exhale, reverse the movement, dragging the bar close to your legs as you return to standing.

How to Do a Deadlift

If you’ve mastered the hip-hinge used in the RDL, all you’ll need to add on is part of the squat movement that allows you to lift and lower all the way to the floor.

• Set your feet hip-width apart and toes facing forward. Hinge your hips, send your butt back, and allow your knees to bend enough for you to reach the bar.

• With an overhand grip, grab the bar with your hands slightly wider than hip-width. Pack your shoulders back and down, and brace your core.

• Push through the floor with your feet, allowing the barbell to travel close to your legs as you rise up and drive through your hips.

• You can either reverse the movement until you’ve returned the weight with control to the floor, or you can drop the weight if you’re lifting heavy, training for Olympic lifting, or powerlifting — or if you’ve got bumper plates and a lifting platform that can handle the drop.

RDL vs Deadlift: Muscles Worked and Benefits

“Keeping the knee straight/extended while performing an RDL creates lengthening of the hamstrings during the lower phase of the movement, which is what makes it a good exercise for anyone looking to target the hamstrings,” says Cofield.

“The knee flexion that occurs during a traditional deadlift decreases the amount of tension in the hamstrings as compared to an RDL, and we instead get more quad recruitment.”

RDL Muscles Worked

• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Erector Spinae
• Lats
• Traps
• Forearms
• Grip
• Core muscles

Deadlift Muscles Workes

• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Erector Spinae
• Forearms
• Grip
• Lats
• Traps

RDL vs Deadlift: Which Builds More Strength or Muscle

If you’re chasing bigger hamstrings, the RDL is your go-to. It keeps constant tension on the posterior chain — mainly the hammies — with a controlled eccentric that’s great for hypertrophy.

The conventional deadlift is more of a full-body power move. It brings the glutes, back, and quads in on the fun, and because you can usually pull more weight, it’s better suited for building max strength.

But there’s more to the deadlift than just moving big numbers. “The actual movement pattern executed during a traditional deadlift mimics many of the positions experienced during sport (think jumping, changing directions, playing defense), which is what can make it a better candidate if one’s goal is general strength, athleticism, or explosiveness,” says Cofield.

That said, movement specificity matters. “Slow, heavy deadlifts will not make you jump higher,” adds Cofield. So, if you’re training for performance, how you execute each rep matters just as much as which lift you pick.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Deadlifts and RDLs are both incredibly effective — but only if you’re doing them right. And unfortunately, these lifts get butchered in commercial gyms and home gyms across the globe, which can leave gains on the floor or even cause injury.

Common RDL Mistakes

For the RDL, remember that this move is a pure hip hinge. If you’re bending your knees too much or dropping your hips, you’re taking tension off your hamstrings and missing the point of the move.

Common Deadlift Mistakes

With deadlifts, common form flubs are yanking the bar off the floor — using momentum rather than muscle to initiate the lift — and a rounded back. Maintain a neutral spine, brace your core, and keep the bar path traveling close to your legs.

Recovery is Key

Another thing often overlooked is recovery. I do it. You do it. We shouldn't do it — we overtrain. However, both of these lifts are neurologically taxing because your spine is under stress the whole time.

Cofield explains: “Something to consider with both variations is that they are pretty neurologically taxing because of the axial loading (the fact that your spine is experiencing stress). This means that when programming them we really want to consider the total volume within our workout, where they fall in our training week, and make sure that we’re taking appropriate rests between sets and workouts.”

Translation: don’t throw heavy pulls into your program without a plan. These moves are powerful, but they demand respect — and recovery. While everyone is different, give yourself between 2-3 days of rest between returning to these moves.

How to Use RDLS or Deadlifts in Your Training

“As for programming… it’s super dependent on one’s goals. If we want hypertrophy, then the most important thing is proximity to failure or reps in reserve (RIR). If we’re going for strength, we understand that strength is a neurological skill, and look to accumulate more volume further from failure,” says Cofield.

So, if you’re focused on hypertrophy and building muscle size, you want to work towards faulure. If you’re building strength or athleticism, you need powerful reps, not burnout.

Before diving into the sample programming listed below, be sure to prime your body with a warm-up.

Building Strength for Sport

Deadlifts are your power move here. Also, if you’re purely focused on lower body development, consider tossing on lifting straps so your grip strength isn’t your limiting factor.

Sample Workout:

• Barbell Deadlift – 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps @ 70-80% 1RM (Rest 2 minutes+ between sets)
• Jump Squats – 3-4 sets of 5 max-jumps
• Split Squat – 3 sets of 8 reps per leg
• Renegade Row – 3 sets of 24, alternating sides

Note: You’re not working to failure in this deadlift rep range. Keep 2-3 reps in the tank and focus on powerful pulls. The minute your pull starts feeling like it's hopped on the struggle bus, and you’re grinding to reach lockout, you’re missing out on the explosive strength you’re aiming for.

Building Juicy Juicy Hamstrings

RDLs are here to build muscle in the hammies. While they often get overlooked in favor of the more sport-specific deadlift, they’re a great add on for quad dominant athletes — think basketball, volleyball, and other explosive sports. These athletes tend to rely heavily on their quads for jumping, sprinting, and quick changes of direction, which can create muscle imbalances and increase injury risk. Adding RDLs helps balance out the lower body, improving joint stability, and boosting overall power and injury resilience.

Sample Workout:

• Barbell or dumbbell RDL – 4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Hip Thrust – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
• GHD Back Extension – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Rest: at least on minute between sets

Takeaway

When choosing between an RDL or deadlift, be sure to take into consideration what you’re training for. If you’re chasing hamstring hypertrophy, go with the RDL. If you’re focused on building strength for sport or overall power, the deadlift’s your move.

While we’ve put these two lifts head-to-head, the truth is: you don’t have to choose. Both deserve a spot in your routine. So grab a bar, get pulling, and light up your posterior chain.

Curious about which barbell is best for the job? We’d recommend the Hades™ Deadlift Bar, but check out our Barbell Comparison Guide to find the right fit for your training.

FAQs

What’s the difference between RDL and deadlift?

It comes down to the starting position and how much your bend your knees. The RDL starts from a standing position with the bar at your thighs, then lowers to about mid-shin using a strict hip-hinge. The conventional deadlift starts from the floor and involves more knee bend to get into position, adding a squat-like motion to the hinge. 

Are Romanian deadlifts better than conventional deadlifts?

It depends on what you’re wanting to accomplish. If you want to support hypertrophy gains in your hamstrings, Romanian deadlifts are the way to go. However, if you’re wanting to build power and support explosiveness for sport, the conventional deadlift is a better choice.

How much weight should I use when doing RDLS vs deadlifts?

You’ll typically lift less weight with RDLs than with deadlifts. Most people use about 50-70% of their deadlift weight for RDLs. With deadlifts, you can go heavier, since you’re starting from the floor and involving more muscle groups in the lift (glutes, back, quads). If you’re still unsure what weight to start with, start low, make sure you’ve got your form dialed in, and work your way up from there.

Rosie Borchert is NASM-CPT, former Nike Volleyball coach, and fitness writer whose work has appeared on BarBend and Tonal. If anyone would like to hire her to play beach volleyball, snowboard, binge watch TV, or go climbing, please get in touch.

This article was reviewed by Ashley Boyer, ACE-CPT, for accuracy.