Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift

A beginner compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using dumbbells.

Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift — Starting position Starting position
Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment Dumbbells
Primary Muscle Hamstrings
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift

  1. Grasp a couple of dumbbells holding them by your side at arm's length.
  2. Stand with your torso straight and your legs spaced using a shoulder width or narrower stance. The knees should be slightly bent. This is your starting position.
  3. Keeping the knees stationary, lower the dumbbells to over the top of your feet by bending at the waist while keeping your back straight. Keep moving forward as if you were going to pick something from the floor until you feel a stretch on the hamstrings. Exhale as you perform this movement
  4. Start bringing your torso up straight again by extending your hips and waist until you are back at the starting position. Inhale as you perform this movement.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Muscles Worked

Back

Primary

Where Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift

    Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  2. 2 Kettlebell One-Legged Deadlift

    Kettlebell One-Legged Deadlift

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a kettlebell.

    intermediate Kettlebell
  3. 3 Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift

    Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  4. 4 Romanian Deadlift

    Romanian Deadlift

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  5. 5 Dumbbell Clean

    Dumbbell Clean

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  6. 6 Ball Leg Curl

    Ball Leg Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using an exercise ball.

    beginner Exercise Ball
  7. 7 Platform Hamstring Slides

    Platform Hamstring Slides

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the hamstrings.

    beginner Not specified
  8. 8 Lying Leg Curls

    Lying Leg Curls

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a machine.

    beginner Machines
  9. 9 Prone Manual Hamstring

    Prone Manual Hamstring

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the hamstrings.

    beginner Not specified
  10. 10 Seated Band Hamstring Curl

    Seated Band Hamstring Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the hamstrings.

    beginner Not specified

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift work?

Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift primarily works the hamstrings. The glutes and lower back assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift?

Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift uses dumbbells.

Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift?

Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift, Kettlebell One-Legged Deadlift, Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.