Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift

Intermediate

Hamstrings

Barbell

Skip the guesswork: Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift leans on heavy bilateral barbell loading for control through the whole range.

How to do Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Bend at your hips and lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
Lower the barbell until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
Engage your hamstrings and glutes to lift the barbell back up to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift Sets and Reps by Goal

Strength

4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.

Hypertrophy

4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.

Endurance

3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.

Common Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift Mistakes

Loading the bar unevenly or skipping the collars

Match the plates side to side and clip collars on every set.

Letting a nearby joint take over as the set gets hard

Stop the set as soon as the working joint stops leading the movement.

Repeating the same load and rep scheme for months

Pick one variable, load, reps, or tempo, and push it every week.

Easier and Harder Than Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift

Easier progression

Inverse Leg Curl (bench Support)

Harder progression

Glute-ham Raise

Swap Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift For

Lever Lying Two-one Leg Curl

Assisted Prone Hamstring

Kettlebell Hang Clean

Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift — Frequently Asked Questions

How do you do the Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift?

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend at your hips and lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.

What muscles does the Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift work?

The Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift primarily targets the hamstrings. It is classified as a legs exercise and is performed with a barbell.

How many sets and reps of the Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift should I do?

For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.

Is the Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift good for beginners?

It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic legs patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.

What can I do instead of the Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift?

Try the Lever Lying Two-one Leg Curl, Assisted Prone Hamstring or the Kettlebell Hang Clean. Each trains the hamstrings with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.