How to Do Stiff-leg Deadlift: Form, Benefits, Tips & More

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Whether you are a professional sports athlete or someone who just wants to enjoy a healthy life, it is always beneficial to strengthen your posterior chain. If you are able to integrate your fluid knee and hip flexion, you will be able to do movements such as tackling, jumping, sprints, squats, etc. And a simple yet effective way to strengthen your posterior chain is stiff leg deadlift.

You might have already heard the name deadlift. That is an excellent exercise to engage your glutes, hamstrings, and other major areas of your body. Stiff leg deadlift can be considered as the cousin exercise that gives you all the benefits of the traditional deadlift and a lot more.

What Is the Stiff Leg Deadlift?

Stiff leg deadlift is a strength training exercise that engages almost all muscles in your posterior chain. A few examples of the muscles strengthened by stiff leg deadlift are glutes, calves, lats, hamstrings, and so on. Also known as the single-leg stiff leg deadlift, this exercise can be included in your strength training workout.

If you are a professional athlete who does powerful and explosive movements, there is no way you can ignore stiff leg deadlift. The exercise will target your hip flexion and extension, giving you increased muscular strength.

Stiff Leg Deadlift Muscles Worked

All the effort you put in the exercise is because of one reason: to engage your body muscles. To ensure that you are putting in the efforts at the right place, you have to know more about the stiff leg deadlift muscles worked. Down below, we have jotted the list of muscles that get engaged the most while you perform this exercise:

Hamstrings
Erectors
Lats (snatch grip)
Gluteus Maximus

How To Do Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift: A Step-by-step Guide

It might take some effort to do the exercise but learning how to perform stiff leg deadlift form is simple. We have jotted down a complete step-by-step guide on how to do dumbbell stiff leg deadlift the right way. Follow each step carefully and you will be able to do the reps without any mistakes.

Before jumping straight on how to do a single leg stiff leg deadlift, let us first know what kind of equipment you should use for this type of workout at home.

Equipment Required:

You require a pair of dumbbells for stiff leg deadlift form. The weight of dumbbells depends on your body’s comfort. If you have never tried strength exercises before, we would suggest you use only light-weight dumbbells. You can gradually increase the weight of the dumbbells as you build your muscles.

If you want to try some variations such as barbell stiff leg deadlift, you will also need other equipment such as a kettlebell or barbell.

How to do stiff leg deadlift exercise?

First of all, you will have to assume a standing position with both your feet at a shoulder-width distance to each other.
Now, after assuming the position, hold both dumbbells with your hands. Your palms should be facing your body.
Hold your chest high and move your shoulder blades a little closer to each other.
Gradually, bend your knees and bend your body a little at the waist.
Move your hips back, bring both dumbbells over the feet.
Once you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, stop the movement with the dumbbells.
Meanwhile, you have to ensure that your core remains tight and the back stays straight.
Now it is time to return to the standing position. Squeeze your glutes, contract your hamstrings and get back to the position where you started.
This was one rep. Repeat the exercise while maintaining the tightness of your core.

Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift Variations

Banded Stiff Leg Deadlift
Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift
Alternating Bodyweight Stiff Leg Deadlift
Sumo Stiff Leg Deadlift
Kettlebell Stiff Leg Deadlift

Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift Tips

Here is a list of some easy tips that will help you get the most out of this strength training exercise:

Keep looking up while you perform the stiff leg deadlift exercise. If you look down on the ground, your back will start getting bent.
Keep the dumbbells close to your body. If you keep them a little further from the body, you will start experiencing pain in the back.
It is essential to bend the knees a little but keep them locked at that place during the whole session.

Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift Benefits

We have already touched upon basic stiff leg deadlift benefits. Now, it is time to dive a little deeper and know why this strength training exercise is loved by weightlifting athletes and gym-goers. Here is a list of some of the most important stiff leg deadlift benefits:

Increases The Mass Of Your Glute And Hamstring Muscles

You can perform dumbbell stiff leg deadlift or kettlebell stiff leg deadlift to activate the muscle fibers in the hamstrings and glutes. As a consequence of this activation, each muscle cell grows with the help of a process known as hypertrophy.

Now, there are two direct benefits of muscle cell growth. First, your lower half starts to appear larger (and better defined), and second, your performance in the lifts like the traditional lift and barbell squat gets better.

Improves The Connection of Mind and Muscle

Instead of focusing on a large set of muscles with a dumbbell workout, you can focus on your hamstrings by doing regular stiff leg deadlifts or sumo stiff leg deadlift. By focusing singularly on one type of muscle, you essentially improve the connection between the mind and your hamstrings. As compared to this, other exercises like the traditional deadlift work on a large set of muscles.

Improves Your Athletic Performance

Adding to the list of stiff leg deadlift benefits, you also improve your athletic performance by doing this exercise regularly. Whether it comes to walking, running, jumping, or any other athletic movement, increased hip strength and endurance will definitely improve your athletic performance.

Now, it’s time for you to move your body and get in the much-desired shape with the help of stiff leg deadlift.

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