Legs · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift
How to do the dumbbell stiff leg deadlift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge at the hips to lower the dumbbells down the front of your legs, keeping your back flat and the weights close. Feel the stretch in your hamstrings, then drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.
- 1Feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings as you hinge
- 2Keep your spine neutral and shoulders back as you lower
- 3Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand up
Common mistakes
- Don't lock your knees completely or round your lower back
- Avoid lowering so far that your form breaks down
- Don't jerk the weights up; use a smooth, controlled motion
Muscles worked
The dumbbell stiff leg deadlift mainly works the glutes, lower back, and hamstrings, with the forearms, quads, upper traps, upper abs, and calves assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackPrimary
- HamstringsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
Kovo programs the dumbbell stiff leg deadlift for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.