WhatWorksWhat.
Hamstrings

Stiff-leg Deadlift

Intense hamstring stretch all the way to the bottom of the rep.

Complexity · Mediumstrengthintermediate+Barbell
Check Your Form
  • Glutes
  • Hamstrings
  • Hamstrings - Deep inner hamstring
  • Hamstrings - Outer hamstring
  • Lower back
  • Outer hamstring
  • Inner hamstring
  • Deep inner hamstring

PrimarySecondary

What it hits

Parts of the target muscle.

  • Outer hamstring

    Hit

    Biceps femoris.

  • Inner hamstring

    Not hit

    Semitendinosus.

  • Deep inner hamstring

    Hit

    Semimembranosus - sits underneath the inner hamstring.

The movement

Get it right, not roughly right.

Optimal form

7:50· Men’s Health Muscle

Fire Up Your Hamstrings With The Stiff Leg Deadlift | Eb & Swole | Men’s Health Muscle

Hinge bottom

Lockout

Bar at the hips, knees softly bent and LOCKED there. Hinge at the hips - push the hips back - and lower the bar in a straight line down the legs. Lower only as far as you can keep a neutral spine. Drive hips forward to lock out.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing this with a Romanian deadlift - stiff-leg keeps less knee bend, more hamstring stretch.
  • Rounding the back to reach the floor.

Where you should feel it

Intense hamstring stretch all the way to the bottom of the rep.

Injury risk · 6/10

SafetyStop the descent the moment the back starts to round - hamstring flexibility, not strength, is the limit here.

Variations

Same movement, moved emphasis.

Ranked by how directly each variation still trains hamstrings. 80%+ means the target barely changes. Below 60%, the emphasis has meaningfully shifted — useful for variety, but less precise for the specific part. The label calls it at a glance.

  • Stiff-leg DB deadlift

    Two dumbbells.

    100% on target

    On target

    Same target, minor adjustment.

  • Deficit stiff-leg deadlift

    Standing on a 1–2 inch platform.

    100% on target

    On target

    Even bigger stretch.

Compare with another exercise

Cool-down

Worked it. Walk it back down.

A couple of minutes here pays back in soreness avoided tomorrow. Browse the full library.

  • Couch Stretch

    Rear foot up on a bench, front leg in a 90/90 lunge. Squeeze the glute of the rear leg, tall torso. 60s per side.

    QuadsGlutes

  • Child's Pose

    Knees wide, big toes together. Sit hips back to the heels, arms long overhead, forehead to the floor. 60s. Walk the hands one direction to bias one side.

    LatsLower backRhomboids

  • Pigeon Pose

    From all fours, bring one knee forward at ~45° with the shin angled across the body. Extend the back leg straight. Lower the chest over the front shin. 60s per side.

    Glutes