Faulk accomplished his training pull while wearing just a lifting belt in terms of assistive equipment. He deadlifted from a sumo stance while utilizing a hook grip to elevate his loaded barbell off the floor. Per Faulk’s caption, his pulling technique could’ve apparently used some work, implying he might have left some weight and strength on the table for a future date. The athlete wrote that he weighed 100 kilograms (220.4 pounds) at the time of the lift, meaning Faulk deadlifted approximately 3.5 times his body weight.

As someone who isn’t even 20 years old, this is not the first time Faulk’s monstrous lifts have made headlines. The athlete’s social media platforms, particularly his Instagram, are littered with seemingly countless mighty feats.

Aside from his deadlift, recent milestones include a 463-pound bench press single from early August 2023 and a 275-kilogram (606.2-pound) three-rep paused back squat personal record (PR) from early July 2023. In late 2022, he was recorded capturing a 300-kilogram (661-pound) squat for a new PR when he was still just 18 years old.

On a competitive basis, Faulk’s resume to this stage is mostly sterling. According to his page on Open Powerlifting, in nine different competitive appearances, the athlete has lost on just three occasions. The most noteworthy result of his career thus far might have been a win in the 2022 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Nebraska State Powerlifting Championships while competing raw in the Teen division.

At the time of this article’s publication, it is unclear what Faulk’s future competitive plans are. Thus far in 2023, he has appeared in just one contest, the 2023 USAPL Carolina Primetime Pro Qualifier, where he finished in 15th place. Faulk will likely be seen on a sanctioned lifting platform again soon, but he hasn’t confirmed or clarified when.

Nevertheless, in the meantime, the young dynamo is likened to continue showing off incredible jaw-dropping lifts.

Featured image: @jj.fau1k on Instagram

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Athletes are usually able to lift more from a higher position because it eliminates the original launch point from the floor. Other variations include the Silver Dollar deadlift, which mostly only differs in presentation. Estonian competitor Rauno Heinla broke the 18-inch deadlift World Record with a pull of 540 kilograms (1,190.5 pounds) at the 2023 Tartu Rammumees ja Rammunaine (TRJR). Stoltman, a former two-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion (2021-2022), is in the final stages of his ongoing preparation for the 2023 Shaw Classic (SC). That contest is set to take place on August 19-20, 2023, in Loveland, CO.

This is not the first instance Stoltman has seemingly been more active with training updates in 2023. That’s especially as it pertains to the 2023 SC, which will now award the title of “The Strongest Man On Earth” to the prospective winner.

In late July 2023, Stoltman shared a clip of himself capturing an 800-kilogram (1,763.7-pound) leg press during another workout. A variation of the leg press featuring a vehicle affixed to a machine is one of the main events at the 2023 SC. (Note: The 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic (GLSC) champion Evan Singleton also polished up his leg press strength around the same time.)

Moments like this come after Stoltman’s disappointing runner-up result to Mitchell Hooper at the 2023 WSM. Stoltman was in line for a legendary “three-peat” as a dynastic strongman. He would’ve been only the third strongman to ever notch that achievement but instead fell just short. When coupled with a sixth-place result at the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC), it seems Stoltman is on a mission for redemption and plans to use his tremendous leg power to dig himself out of an early hole from the competitive season.

Even with some of his recent competitive shortcomings, Stoltman remains one of the biggest superstars in strongman, and he still hasn’t reached 30 years old. The athlete seems to understand he has plenty of time to rebound. He might put himself back on an elite map with a tentpole victory at the 2023 SC.

Featured image: @tomstoltmanofficial on Instagram

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On July 24, 2023, Herber posted an Instagram clip of herself successfully locking out a 269.9-kilogram (595.2-pound) raw deadlift for two single repetitions. That number is particularly notable considering it is Herber’s all-time competition best, which she achieved at the 2023 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) The Ghost Clash 2. Herber’s previous best competition deadlift was 255 kilograms (565.1 pounds), achieved 15 months earlier at the 2021 Ireland-UA ABS Pro, making her raw milestone more noteworthy.

Herber completed her recent deadlifts from a conventional stance with a mixed grip and did not appear to have a lifting belt adorned.

One of Herber’s goals earlier this year was pursuing Kristy Hawkins’ all-time raw World Record deadlift of 277.5 kilograms (611.7 pounds) in the 75-kilogram class. Hawkins earned that mark in a first-place performance at the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) American Pro. Herber had planned to make the World Record attempt during the 2023 Extreme Powerlifting Coalition (XPC) European Championship in late March but withdrew from the contest due to unforeseen health issues.

While Herber didn’t break the record, she eventually returned to form just about two months later. The athlete finally broke the 600-pound raw deadlift barrier in late May 2023 when she pulled 272.5 kilograms (600 pounds) during the 2023 Fitness Store Classic in Singen, Germany. It’s not quite the World Record, but the pull does make Herber only the second 75-kilogram competitor (after Hawkins) to pull at least 600 pounds during a sanctioned contest on camera.

That in itself is quite a way to recover and look forward for an athlete unwillingly falling short of a World Record attempt.

At the time of this writing, Herber hasn’t revealed her upcoming competitive plans. The tenor of her latest deadlift post suggests that Herber is only easing her way back in during a recent training program. However, if such a lift is “easing in,” it might only be a matter of time before the athlete can vie for the pulling World Record again.

Featured image: @deniseherber_ on Instagram

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The past record belonged to 2020 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Oleksii Novikov, who finished an 18-inch deadlift of 537.5 kilograms (1,185 pounds) en route to his WSM title. Now, the record is in the 41-year-old Heinla’s possession — who adds to his hallowed reputation as one of the globe’s greatest deadlifters. Novikov offered Heinla a simple “congratulations” in the comments section of the Instagram post showcasing the record-breaking 18-inch deadlift.

A record deadlift of any variation is nothing new to Heinla. If anything, based on his productive 2022, it might be a surprise it took the Estonian athlete this “long” to add another deadlift accomplishment to his resume.

In early June 2022, Heinla broke the Silver Dollar deadlift World Record with a pull of 579.7 kilograms (1,278 pounds) at the 2022 Silver Dollar Deadlift Estonian Championship (SDDEC). He would follow that performance by breaking the Master’s Deadlift World Record with a pull of 476 kilograms (1,049.4 pounds), winning him the 2022 World Deadlift Championships (WDC) title.

Per his page on Strongman Archives, Heinla has had a highly active competitive run in recent months, most notably finishing as the runner-up in both the 2022 Master’s World’s Strongest Man (MWSM) and the 2023 Australia’s Strongest International (ASI). However, none of his recent full competition achievements can compare to now owning three separate deadlift World Records in three separate pulling events.

After securing another pulling World Record, Heinla will likely shift his focus to one of the biggest unicorns in strength sports: the all-time deadlift World Record of 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds) set by Hafthor Björnsson in May 2020. Heinla will get the opportunity to make history as a member of the 2023 WDC roster, which will take place as a part of the 2023 Giants Live World Open (GLWO) on September 2, 2023, in Cardiff, Wales.

The Giants Live organization is offering a $55,000 prize to any 2023 WDC athlete who can break the record and deadlift at least 505 kilograms (1,113.3 pounds). If there were a pick for any strongman capable of reaching the milestone, Heinla would undoubtedly be one of the more plausible options.

Featured image: @rauno_heinla on Instagram

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On July 22, 2023, the administrator of Mica’s Instagram account shared an update on his latest exploits as a 56-kilogram competitor. A clip from the 2023 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Barbell Brigade Open features Mica squatting 80 kilograms (176.3 pounds), bench pressing 42.5 kilograms (93.7 pounds), and deadlifting 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds). According to the caption of the post, all of the top lift stats are all-time raw competition PRs for Mica. At the time of this writing, while shining with strength milestones, it is unclear how Mica fared in the overall competition. The same clip does show Mica receiving a medal, but the distinction wasn’t specific.

In terms of assistive equipment for his lifts, it doesn’t appear Mica needed much help, who weighed in at 53.4 kilograms (117.7 pounds) during the contest. Mica didn’t wear a lifting belt or wraps for any of his top lifts. Knee sleeves for his squat were the extent of his additional equipment. Mica achieved his top deadlift pull from a conventional stance while utilizing a mixed grip. He competed in the contest beltless and raw, adding to his mystique as a rapidly-developing powerlifter.

Notably, the athlete locked out all nine of his allotted attempts.

Here’s an overview of Mica’s performance at the 2023 USAPL Barbell Brigade Open:

Jordan Mica | 2023 USAPL Barbell Brigade Open Top Stats

• Squat — 80 kilograms (176.3 pounds) | All-Time Competition Best
• Bench Press — 42.5 kilograms (93.7 pounds) | All-Time Competition Best
• Deadlift — 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds) | All-Time Competition Best
• Total — 212.5 kilograms (468.4 pounds) | All-Time Competition Best

Mica, whose parents choose not to have him lifting year-round, apparently had a different approach to his pre-competition training. The caption of Mica’s competition post dictates that the athlete participated in wrestling and jiu-jitsu in addition to spending quality time with barbells, refining his technique. Such a “balanced” preparation process appears to have benefitted Mica’s strength prospects to a personal boundary-breaking degree.

When considering that Mica doesn’t practice strength-training year round, it becomes easier to see his ceiling as a powerlifter. For an athlete of any age to showcase this much strength despite only specific periods where he actually lifts weights is an excellent sign of his long-term prospects. Time will only tell for Mica, but these are the kinds of happenings usually only derived from the career of an established powerlifting star.

Featured image: jordan_mica on Instagram

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For assistive equipment on her latest feat of strength, the elite strongwoman wore a lifting belt and lifting straps, and completed her mind-boggling pulls from a conventional stance with a double-overhand grip.

This is far from the first time Underdown has made waves with one of her deadlift sessions.

Only just recently, roughly a week before this three-rep pulling bonanza, Underdown shared a 280-kilogram (617.3-pound) four-rep bout of strength-endurance and power in one. Couple that with owning both the strongwoman deadlift World Record and the Kratos Bar deadlift World Record of 305 kilograms (672.4 pounds), and Underdown continues to distinguish herself as one of the globe’s best deadlifters.

Underdown is not only a powerful athlete when it comes to pulling massive weight from the ground. That’s further evidenced by a personal record (PR) log press of 105 kilograms (231.5 pounds) for three reps from July 17, 2023. In almost every case, Underdown made these lifts look predictably easy. This is a promising sign for her pending competitions.

Underdown is in the midst of preparing for a litany of strongwoman contests.

The athlete will feature in each of the upcoming 2023 Europe’s Strongest Woman, the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Woman (BSW), and the 2023 England’s Strongest Woman contests. Despite her reputation built on World Records, Underdown is still looking to build on the only win of her professional career — the 2022 England’s Strongest Woman — according to her profile on Strongman Archives. The athlete came close during the 2023 UK’s Strongest Woman (UKSW) but ultimately fell short by one point to defending champion Rebecca Roberts.

If Underdown transfers over her deadlifts and displays of strength like this to any of her upcoming strongwoman appearances, another future milestone victory feels likely. It would undoubtedly be a huge moment for one of the sport’s bigger stars.

As Underdown can likely attest herself, all it would take to finally break through with another win is one more glorious moment where she could leap over her peers. Perhaps, her deadlift or log press will eventually help this ambitious quest.

Featured image: @lucyunders_strongwoman on Instagram

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What might make Underdown’s feat more impressive is how the athlete downplayed her mindset beforehand. Underdown wrote that having two bumper plates (four total) on her loaded barbell wasn’t a deadlift set-up she was accustomed to. Plus, there weren’t any collars where Underdown was training, meaning her weight wouldn’t stay steady and even as she worked toward a full lockout. In addition, the strongwoman was apparently “under the weather,” casting doubt on whether she’d come close to the new PR.

Despite all these elements of adversity, it could be a testament to Underdown’s unique power that she managed to transcend and finish off the quadruple set anyway.

It should be no surprise that Underdown notched this four-rep PR. At the time of this article’s publication, the athlete holds the strongwoman deadlift World Record of 300 kilograms (662 pounds) from the 2023 Arnold UK Pro Strongwoman contest. Underdown also possesses the Kratos bar deadlift World Record of 305 kilograms (672.4 pounds), which she set at the 2023 UK’s Strongest Woman. A Kratos bar is characterized by its extended 10-foot length, creating an additional “flex” for athletes when pulling their weight from the ground.

Underdown has already laid out her upcoming competitive schedule. She will be a participant in each of the upcoming 2023 Europe’s Strongest Woman, the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Woman, and the 2023 England’s Strongest Woman contests. To date, the athlete is still seeking her first-ever professional strongwoman victory, having finished as the runner-up at the 2023 UKSW. Nevertheless, she will likely shine based on her precedent.

That’s because regardless of any presented obstacles, Underdown continues to distinguish herself as deadlift royalty.

Featured image: @lucyunders_strongwoman on Instagram

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On July 8, 2023, during the 2023 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Drug Tested Give Me Liberty or Give Me Chaos, Lahlou successfully locked out a 342.4-kilogram (755-pound) top raw deadlift. The mark is an official drug-tested World Record in Lahlou’s 75-kilogram weight class, helping him to a first-place performance. The deadlift surpasses Taylor Atwood’s previous record by 1.9 kilograms (4.4 pounds). Atwood notched the past benchmark of 340.4 kilograms (750.6 pounds) at the 2021 USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Raw Nationals. Lahlou wore just a lifting belt for assistive equipment on his deadlift and completed it from a sumo stance with a traditional grip.

In addition to his new World Record pull, Lahlou captured respective all-time drug-tested competition bests on his squat (252.5 kilograms/556.6 pounds), his bench press (140 kilograms/308.6 pounds), and his final total (735 kilograms/1,620.4 pounds).

Here’s an overview of the athlete’s complete performance at the WRPR-organized competition:

Nabil Lahlou (75KG) | 2023 WRPF Drug Tested Give Me Liberty or Give Me Chaos Top Stats

• Squat — 252.5 kilograms (556.6 pounds) | All-Time Drug-Tested Competition Best
• Bench Press — 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds) | All-Time Drug-Tested Competition Best
• Deadlift — 342.4 kilograms (755 pounds) | All-Time Drug-Tested World Record
• Total — 735 kilograms/1,620.4 pounds | All-Time Drug-Tested Competition Best

Even though he’s still in his early 20s, Lahlou is no stranger to rewriting the record books with his pulling prowess. Per the Open Powerlifting database, the powerlifter is the all-time raw deadlift World Record holder in the 67.5-kilogram weight class with a pull of 322.5 kilograms (711 pounds) at the 2022 WRPF The Freaks Come Out At Night.

To date, according to his personal page on Open Powerlifting, Lahlou can boast 15 victories as an Open and Juniors competitor in a career that began in November 2020. Lahlou has fallen short of a win on four occasions and has only competed raw at the time of this writing.

There’s no doubt Lahlou has established himself as a young dynamo in strength sports, especially when it comes to deadlifting. The athlete hasn’t yet announced his upcoming competitive plans but seems certain to put on a show whenever they arrive.

Featured image: @nabil_lahlou on Instagram

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Browner will compete for the first time in the 2023 World Deadlift Championships, which is part of the Giants Live 2023 Strongman World Open on Sept. 2, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales, and he’s been showing signs of steady progress. He offered evidence of his steady strength gains by sharing a recent conventional deadlift of four reps with 410 kilograms (903.8 pounds), which you can see in the Instagram post posted on June 29, 2023.

Browner arrived at the barbell with a relatively close stance and his feet pointed straight ahead and grabbed the bar with the support of “figure-8” lifting straps. As per the rules of strongman competitions, a sumo stance is not permitted, while lifting straps are allowed. This is a significant difference from the powerlifting Browner is more familiar with. The only other supportive equipment he wore was a basic weightlifting belt.

Browner performed the first rep with ease, and followed quickly the second. The third was slightly slower, but he showed no major signs of struggling. He took an extra breath before beginning the fourth repetitions, but when it was completed, he held the lockout for a few seconds before returning the barbell to the floor.

With roughly nine weeks to go before the contest, Browner said in the post caption that he’s feeling good about his training and even felt that he could’ve added up to 10 kilograms to the bar and still performed the same reps with similar effort.

“Strength is trending in the right direction. I think I was good for another 7.5-10kg [16.5 to 22 pounds]. ”

Browner has pulled 435 kilograms (959 pounds) for a single in training as he familiarizes himself with the conventional stance. He has a long history of heavy lifts under his belt, but the recent challenge has been converting to the required conventional stance.

Browner is only the second-ever powerlifter to successfully complete a 455-kilogram (1,003-pound) deadlift at the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Raw Pro in September. Just a few months later, he pulled the same weight for two reps in training without the aid of lifting straps. Both of these were completed with a sumo stance.

The upcoming deadlift contest will also serve as the opening event for the Strongman World Open contest. The 2022 World Deadlift Championship (WDC) was won by Rauno Heinla, who deadlifted 476 kilograms (1,049.4 pounds) to also set a Masters world record. Heinla will be in the contest to defend that title as well as try to win the overall contest.

2021 WDC champion Ivan Makarov will also be looking for another title. Makarov, himself, recently shared an impressive training update deadlifting the current record — 476 kilograms(1,049 pounds) — for two repetitions.

Even though Browner will be required to use the conventional foot placement, he will also be allowed to use lifting straps as well as a deadlift suit, which could help him greatly in this contest. 

Featured Image: @jamal_b15 on Instagram

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Both of these exercises use a “hip hinge” movement to build muscle while developing the kind of practical, real-world strength that makes you the go-to person when your friends need help moving. Both exercises also have unique characteristics that could make each one an effective choice under certain conditions and training contexts.

There is no “right” or “wrong” answer when it’s time to choose your deadlift. You simply need a better understanding of what these two hinging movements can offer. So if you’re in a certain “one deadlift rules the world” camp, your eyes are about to be opened to a new way of thinking about these powerful pulls.

Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift

• Exercise Differences
• Exercise Similarities
• How to Do the Deadlift
• How to Do the Romanian Deadlift
• How to Program the Best Deadlift for You

Exercise Differences

For consistency’s sake throughout the article, “the deadlift” refers to the conventional deadlift, while the Romanian deadlift refers, clearly, to the Romanian deadlift variation. If you’re curious about sumo deadlifts, sorry, but they’re not part of this conversation. However, they do share many of the same characteristics as the conventional deadlift.

Muscle Activation

Both the deadlift and Romanian deadlift involve hip extension, your glutes and hamstrings are activated and trained effectively. However, the deadlift starts from the floor and involves a more significant knee bend aka knee flexion.

This factor alone makes a huge difference because it’s what gives you more leverage to lift more weight with the classic deadlift. This is also why it’s a preferred stance for competitive powerlifters.

The improved leverage increases quadriceps activation, making the deadlift one of the most comprehensive lower body exercises by involving the glutes, hamstrings, and quads as one unit. The relatively heavy load and overall stability requirements also increase the demands on your core and back muscles.

Contrastingly, the Romanian deadlift is performed without significant knee flexion. This limits your leverage while involving many of the same muscles — except for the quadriceps. This is why the RDL is often considered a primary hamstring exercise. (1)

Eccentric Emphasis

The Romanian deadlift starts from the top, while you are standing upright, and it focuses on controlling the lowering phase (eccentric). This controlled eccentric emphasis is what gives you relatively more control over the movement.

Generally speaking, many people do not control their eccentrics during conventional deadlifts. They typically lift the weight explosively before dropping the weight nearly as quickly. This drop is often (and unfortunately) accompanied by a celebratory scream after each successful lift regardless of gym etiquette.

This difference in the eccentric emphasis, or lack of, can make the cadence and overall effect of the exercises quite distinct. With the higher degree of eccentric control, Romanian deadlifts may be better for training muscular deceleration (crucial for athleticism) as well as hip and hamstring flexibility-related adaptations.

Range of Motion

In a deadlift, the added knee flexion reduces the necessary range of motion at hip extension — because you’re bending at your knees, you can lift the weight without bending significantly at your waist. This also limits the range of motion for your glutes and hamstrings, especially in their stretched position (at the bottom of the exercise).

The goal of a Romanian deadlift is to push your hips back and not perform any large degree of knee flexion. Combine this with the eccentric control mentioned earlier and you get a much longer range of motion with your glutes and hamstrings, especially in the stretched position which recent research is finding to be incredibly anabolic. (2)

Strength Potential

Between the two movements, the deadlift is often more popular because its nature and overall technique allow you to lift relatively heavier weights. That’s why it made the list as one of the three movements performed in competitive powerlifting.

For non-powerlifters, conventional deadlifts can simply feel invigorating and motivating because of the sheer strength-building potential they offer.

Romanian deadlifts allow for less absolute load because of their mechanics. No knee flexion means fewer muscles involved and less loading potential. They’re still a potentially heavy exercise, but Romanian deadlift PRs are not bragged about nearly as often. When people ask how much you deadlift, it’s safe to assume they’re talking about conventional deadlifts from the floor.

Fatigue

This is one of the main differences that many people overlook. Not only is the level of fatigue different, but the type of fatigue is different between the two movements.

Because deadlifts involve more muscles and are often performed heavier, they’re generally more fatiguing. Whether you train with relatively higher reps or low reps, you can often count on feeling pretty beat up after doing deadlifts.

Especially as you get more advanced, one or two sets of deadlifts with a challenging weight or significant volume can leave you fried. This is often described as “systemic fatigue,” where your whole body is affected. Anecdotally, some people also tend to feel more joint stress with deadlifts.

Romanian deadlifts are typically performed with relatively lighter weights, so they trigger less joint stress and are less systemically fatiguing. This makes Romanian deadlifts generally easier to recover from. However, they can produce more fatigue and muscle soreness in the local muscles specifically involved in the exercise.

Romanian deadlifts also involve lots of eccentric stretching. This type of stress through a longer range of motion inflicts a higher degree of muscle damage. After you’ve pushed yourself with Romanian deadlifts, you can feel a clear difference where your glutes and hamstrings may even feel like they’re tearing. This causes your glutes and hamstrings to be more sore.

Exercise Similarities

Both exercises have differences that can be a factor, depending on your goal. However, they also share fundamental similarities and crossover. Most people in the gym, aside from competitive powerlifters, would likely not notice a drastic difference in long-term progress if they were to substitute one for the other.

Hip Hinges

The deadlift and Romanian deadlift are both “hip hinges” — your body primarily moves by bending at the hips. This action trains many muscles throughout your body by coordinating strength, force transfer, and stability from your lower to upper body.

This comprehensive effect allows you to build strength, muscle, and athleticism. Fulfilling these roles is often more important than some of their unique differences.

Posterior Chain Development

Your glutes and hamstrings, along with your low back, are all targeted with both the deadlift and Romanian deadlift. In other words, these exercises develop that backside many people are after.

You need some sort of basic hip hinge in your training program to efficiently target those eye-catching glute and hamstring muscles, while also strengthening your low back.

Building a powerful posterior chain has also been shown to help maintain strength and potentially decrease the general risk of injury and incidence of back pain. (3)

How to Do the Deadlift

The deadlift is often considered one of the foundational lifts that every beginner in the gym should learn. While that may or may not be true, the deadlift (as a hip hinge) remains a fundamental movement pattern that targets a variety of muscles from your hamstrings to your upper back.

This makes it an efficient and effective exercise for several goals, and mastering this exercise should likely be on the to-do list for the majority of gym-goers.

• Stand before a bar with your feet hip-width apart and the bar lined up over the middle of your feet. Grab the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Adjust slightly to get your shins close to the bar.
• Bend at your hips and knees, lowering yourself down while maintaining a neutral spine. Your shoulders should be slightly in front of the bar and your gaze should be focused on a spot on the floor a few feet in front of the bar.
• Engage your core and lat muscles to stabilize your spine. Grip the bar hard, take a deep breath, and brace your core. Drive through your legs, while extending (straightening) your hips and knees simultaneously.
• Keep your chest up. The barbell should move in a vertical path, staying in contact with your legs as you stand up.
• Drive through your heels until you reach a fully upright position. At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes to achieve a strong lockout. Your hips and knees should be fully extended.
• To lower the bar, hinge at your hips, push your hips back, and bend your knees slightly. Avoid rounding your back or letting the barbell drift away from your legs. Lower with control — don’t simply drop the bar.
• Once the barbell is back on the ground, take a moment to reset your starting position before beginning the next repetition.

How to Do the Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift may have a reputation as being more “for muscle” rather than “for strength,” but that’s not really accurate. The increased glute and hamstring recruitment can definitely benefit muscle-building, but you can still gradually work up to relatively heavy weights in the lift if you choose to train for strength.

Alternatively, some lifters focus on the longer range of motion and increased stretching offered by the Romanian deadlift. In any case, it’s a versatile exercise that can be a key player in any workout routine.

• Grasp a barbell using an overhand grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, allowing the bar to rest against your upper thighs. Either begin with the bar in a rack or deadlift the bar into position.
• Engage your core. Push your glutes backward and hinge at your hips to begin the movement. Keep a slight bend in your knees but avoid excessive knee flexion. Maintain a straight back as you move.
• Lower the barbell along the front of your thighs. Continue descending until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Avoid rounding your back during the descent.
• To find the bottom position, if mobility allows, aim for your torso to reach almost parallel to the ground with the barbell somewhere between your knees and ankles.
• To return upright, drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes. Keep your back straight and focus on feeling your hamstrings and glutes lift the weight. As you stand up, maintain control and avoid any jerking motions.

When to Program the Deadlift vs. Romanian Deadlift

For most people, the most effective way to program these exercises is to simply switch from using the conventional deadlift to the Romanian deadlift. The Romanian deadlift is superior for building lean muscle on your glutes and hamstrings, which is often a higher priority than lifting heavy weights.

In general, if you’re looking to build the highest level of strength and you want a more comprehensive exercise that recruits the maximum number of muscles, consider programming the deadlift.

However, the Romanian deadlift is the better choice for a posterior chain hypertrophy exercise. It takes the glutes and hamstrings through a longer range of motion with a muscle-building stretch.

Both are demanding compound exercises that should be programmed early in your leg day, ideally as your first or second exercise. To reduce cumulative stress and fatigue on supporting muscles, avoid programming anything too demanding on the lower back in the next workout, like back squats or direct back extensions.

Pick Your Heavy Hinges

The deadlift and Romanian deadlift are both highly effective hip hinges that will get you strong and build plenty muscle. While this might sound oversimplified, it’s not entirely wrong to think of the deadlift as a “high leverage lift that cuts range of motion to move big weights” while the Romanian deadlift is a “more controlled, long range of motion muscle-builder for the glutes and hamstrings.” You can’t go wrong with either, but one might edge forward depending on your specific needs.

References

1. Martín-Fuentes, I., Oliva-Lozano, J. M., & Muyor, J. M. (2020). Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PloS one, 15(2), e0229507. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229507
2. Nunes, J. P., Schoenfeld, B. J., Nakamura, M., Ribeiro, A. S., Cunha, P. M., & Cyrino, E. S. (2020). Does stretch training induce muscle hypertrophy in humans? A review of the literature. Clinical physiology and functional imaging, 40(3), 148–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpf.12622
3. Tataryn, N., Simas, V., Catterall, T., Furness, J., & Keogh, J. W. L. (2021). Posterior-Chain Resistance Training Compared to General Exercise and Walking Programmes for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine – open, 7(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-021-00306-w

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On June 24, 2023, Hawkins shared an Instagram clip of herself scoring a 275-kilogram (606.2-pound) deadlift with wraps from low blocks. According to the athlete’s caption, it is the first time Hawkins has ever deadlifted at least 600 pounds while utilizing a wider sumo stance. Based on a run-through of Hawkins’ profile, this rep appears to be the first public instance Hawkins has teased her sumo power. That would add up to Hawkins’ competitive history, given that the competitor has usually lifted with a conventional set-up. In addition to her sumo positioning and lifting straps, Hawkins wore a lifting belt to help with the training achievement.

Hawkins has made an apt name for herself being a powerlifting tour de force. If there’s anyone who could begin making a seamless transition to shining in two separate deadlift disciplines, it’d be Hawkins: one of the most successful active powerlifters around.

Hawkins’ current best competition deadlift, using a conventional stance, is 277.5 kilograms (611.7 pounds). She completed this mark at the 2022 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) American Pro. In an early July 2022 training session, Hawkins also completed a 285-kilogram (628-pound) conventional deadlift.

Unlike popular commentary, a sumo deadlift isn’t necessarily “easier” per se. If anything, depending on what an athlete is accustomed to and the health and mobility of their hips, recruiting more muscles from the lower body could present a greater challenge with the wide-stance setup.

It is unclear if Hawkins has some sort of body predisposition that makes sumo pulling harder. Nonetheless, for an athlete who’s built a reputation around monstrous conventional deadlifts, steadily training the sumo variation is a more than worthy change of pace.

Notably, Hawkins isn’t the only athlete to try new deadlift stance ventures over the approximately past year. However, the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak. Her peer Jamal Browner, a prolific deadlifter in the Men’s 110-kilogram division, has been fine-tuning his conventional deadlift pulling after nearly mastering the sumo stance. Hawkins’ apparent new deadlift ambition could present itself as a nice contrast to another big-name powerlifter’s goals.

At the time of this writing, Hawkins hasn’t clarified when she’ll next step onto an official lifting platform. The athlete has also not provided more detail on what she intends to do with a stronger sumo deadlift. Given Hawkins’ propensity for excellence, a jaw-dropping lift or two should probably be the baseline expectation in the future.

Featured image: @kristy_hawkins on Instagram

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To achieve this massive two-rep deadlift PR, Makarov was wore a lifting suit and lifting belt, and utilized lifting straps to help lift his loaded barbell. This equipment is entirely legal under the context of strongman rules. The Russian strongman completed his pull from a conventional stance with a double-overhand grip.

While Makarov has displayed versatility with his strength in the past — a 190-kilogram (418.9-pound) overhead press from November 2022 comes to mind — the athlete is primarily known for his deadlift prowess, and especially of late. Even a quick perusal of Makarov’s events resume on Strongman Archives will lend credence to this fact: most of the athlete’s recent competitive appearances have featured him solely attempting a Max Deadlift.

The same sentiment applies to Makarov’s Instagram profile where, in most any recent instance, a training update is likely of the athlete deadlifting a monstrous amount of weight. That performance is likely expected, as Makarov captured the 2021 WDC title with a 475-kilogram (1,047.2-pound) deadlift. The mark continues to inch higher each year.

“New knowledge, I got new opportunities to stay healthy and very strong.”

In his most recent attempt at the all-time deadlift World Record, Makarov fell short at the 2022 WDC. Thanks to a 453.5-kilogram max pull, the competitor finished tied for second place with three other competitors — the 2023 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Mitchell Hooper, the 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) victor Pavlo Nakonechnyy, and Graham Hicks. Estonia’s Rauno Heinla captured the eventual title en route to a Masters World Record deadlift of 476 kilograms (1,049.4 pounds), a weight that Makarov has now shown he can pull twice.

At the time of this writing, the 2023 WDC roster features notable returning competitors like the defending champion Heinla, 2020 WSM winner Oleksii Novikov, and even powerlifter Jamal Browner. Giants Live embeds the prestigious annual WDC (or Max Deadlift) into the overall annual Giants Live World Open.

Regardless of a stacked field, Makarov figures to be one of the top contenders for the pursuit of one of strength sports’ more hallowed accomplishments. Should Makarov or any of the other participating athletes achieve it, they’ll be $55,000 richer as a result. One gets the sense the fame of scoring such a mark is worth just as much as any prize money.

Featured image: @ivan_makarovstrong on Instagram

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