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
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
Stiff Leg Deadlift strength standards
See how your stiff leg deadlift ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM145 lb
Silvere1RM212.5 lb
Golde1RM295 lb
Platinume1RM380 lb
Diamonde1RM430 lb
Champione1RM472.5 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the 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 April 2026.