Stiff-Legged Deadlift
Deadlift with fully straight legs. Maximal stretch from heel to glute. It works mainly the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, with help from the adductors, trapezius and forearm flexors.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 1.55× bodyweight (125 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 1.1× (65 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Stiff-Legged Deadlift
- Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet, feet shoulder width, and grip it with only a slight bend in the knees.
- Flatten the back, brace, and stand up by driving the hips forward while the knees stay almost straight.
- Lower the bar along the legs by pushing the hips back, going as low as the hamstrings allow with a flat back; the plates may touch the floor.
- Keep the bar close to the body the whole way; rounding the back to reach the floor is the mistake to avoid.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Hamstrings | Biceps femoris |
| Primary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
| Primary | Lower back | Erector spinae |
| Secondary | Adductors | Adductores |
| Secondary | Trapezius | Trapezius |
| Secondary | Forearm flexors | Flexores antebrachii |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Hamstrings and glutes under a long stretch
- The hinge that protects your back elsewhere
- Posterior chain strength you can see
Strength standards for Stiff-Legged Deadlift
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 1.05× | 0.75× | 85 kg | 45 kg |
| Gold | 1.55× | 1.1× | 125 kg | 65 kg |
| Platinum | 2.1× | 1.45× | 167.5 kg | 87.5 kg |
| Diamond | 2.6× | 1.8× | 207.5 kg | 107.5 kg |
| Obsidian | 3.25× | 2.3× | 260 kg | 137.5 kg |
| Painite | 3.9× | 2.75× | 312.5 kg | 165 kg |
| Antimatter | 5.2× | 3.65× | 415 kg | 220 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Stiff-Legged Deadlift, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Stiff-Legged Deadlift work?
It works mainly the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, with help from the adductors, trapezius and forearm flexors.
How do you do Stiff-Legged Deadlift?
Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet, feet shoulder width, and grip it with only a slight bend in the knees. Flatten the back, brace, and stand up by driving the hips forward while the knees stay almost straight. Lower the bar along the legs by pushing the hips back, going as low as the hamstrings allow with a flat back; the plates may touch the floor. Keep the bar close to the body the whole way; rounding the back to reach the floor is the mistake to avoid.
What is a good Stiff-Legged Deadlift for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 1.55× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 1.1× for women, Diamond at 2.6× and 1.8×. For an 80 kg man that is a 125 kg and a 207.5 kg one-rep max.
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