Legs · Barbell
Stiff Leg Deadlift
How to do the stiff leg deadlift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
See it in motion
How to do it
Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, feet hip-width apart. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge at the hips to lower the bar down your legs, keeping your back flat. Feel the stretch in your hamstrings, then engage them to return to standing.
- 1Stand with a slight bend in your knees and hinge at your hips, feeling a strong stretch in your hamstrings
- 2Keep your spine neutral and your shoulders back as you lower the bar along your legs
- 3Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to return to standing, maintaining tension throughout
Common mistakes
- Don't lock your knees completely or round your lower back
- Avoid lowering the weight so far that your form breaks down
- Don't jerk the bar up; use a smooth, controlled motion
Muscles worked
The 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 stiff leg deadlift for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the barbell hip thrust
- How to do the cable kickbacks
- How to do the curtsy lunge
- How to do the barbell deadlift
- How to do the resistance band glute bridges
- How to do the machine hip abduction
Last reviewed April 2026.