Exercise · Legs and glutes
Landmine Romanian deadlift
The landmine Romanian deadlift targets your hamstrings first, with help from your glutes and lower back. The bar is fixed to the floor in a landmine, so the path is more stable than with a free barbell. It’s a solid option if you want to practice the hip hinge with control, without putting extra stress on your lower back.
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Lower back
Doable at all 76 gyms GoSet follows
The essentials
- Hold the bar with both hands in front of you.
- Push your hips back while keeping your back straight.
- Lower the bar along your thigh, don't round your back.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Hamstrings
- Secondary
- Glutes · Lower back
How to do it
- Set up the landmine pivot on the floor and insert the bar. Place the free end of the bar in front of you, between your legs or just in front of your thighs.
- Hold the bar with both hands in front of you, arms straight but not locked, feet hip‑width apart with toes slightly turned out.
- Keep a soft bend in your knees, chest up. Inhale, brace your core and keep your back straight for the whole movement.
- Push your hips back while keeping your back straight. Lower the bar along your thigh, keeping it close to you and don’t round your back.
- Go down until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, without losing your neutral back position.
- Push the floor away with your feet and drive your hips forward to stand up, keeping the bar close to your thighs and exhaling as you come up.
Common mistakes
Rounding the lower back on the way down
Instead : Shorten the range of motion and think about keeping your chest up. Keep a slight bend in your knees, brace your core and slide the bar along your thighs to help control your back.
Turning it into a squat with too much knee bend
Instead : Keep only a small bend in your knees and focus on pushing your hips back. Your hips move behind you, your torso leans forward, but your knees don’t travel much forward.
Letting the bar drift away from your body
Instead : Keep the bar almost brushing your thighs on the way down and up. If the bar drifts forward, you load your lower back more and take work away from your hamstrings.
Going too low and losing control
Instead : Stop as soon as you feel a good stretch in the back of your thighs while keeping a neutral spine. If your back starts to round, come back up and use a shorter range of motion.
Coach tips
- Use a controlled tempo: about 2–3 seconds down, a small pause at the bottom, then come up in a smooth, strong motion without bouncing.
- Inhale before you lower, keep some tension at the bottom, then exhale as you drive your hips forward to finish the lift.
- Start light to find the right hamstring stretch range. Add weight only once you can keep your back stable from start to finish.
- If you mostly feel your lower back, lower the weight, keep the bar closer to you and think about pushing your hips back instead of just bending forward.
Variations
- Wider grip on the bar if it feels better on your shoulders, especially if you have long legs or a long torso.
- Lower grip on the bar (if possible) to increase range of motion without necessarily adding more weight.
- Landmine Romanian deadlift standing on a small block or step for those with good mobility who want more hamstring stretch, always keeping a neutral spine.
Sets and reps
For strength or muscle, you often see 3–4 sets of 6–10 reps with a controlled lowering phase and a solid hamstring stretch. For lighter work or later in a workout, some people go more for 10–15 reps with a more moderate load.
Equipment
Alternatives for the same muscles
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Common questions
Where should I feel the landmine Romanian deadlift?
Mostly in the back of your thighs, in the hamstrings, and also in the glutes. Your lower back should work to stabilize, but it shouldn’t burn more than everything else. If it does, lower the weight and keep the bar closer to your body.
How deep should I go on the landmine Romanian deadlift?
Go down only as far as you can while keeping your back straight and feeling a strong stretch in your hamstrings. For many people, that means the bar goes to around knee height or just below, not all the way to the floor. Spine position comes before depth.
Is this better than a regular deadlift?
It’s not better or worse, just different. The landmine Romanian deadlift focuses more on hamstring stretch and hip drive, with a guided bar path from the pivot. A regular deadlift uses more leg drive off the floor and needs more technique with a free barbell.
What if I get lower back pain during the exercise?
Stop the set right away and rest. Check your form, lower the weight or shorten the range of motion. If the pain keeps coming back or sticks around, talk to a healthcare professional before you continue doing this movement.