Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift

What it is

This barbell exercise is a powerful compound movement that builds strength in your posterior chain. It primarily targets your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. This variation focuses on hip flexion while maintaining a slight, static bend in your knees.

Technique tips

• Keep your back straight and core engaged throughout the movement.
• Initiate the descent by pushing your hips back, not bending your knees.
• Maintain a slight, stationary bend in your knees as you lower the bar.
• Lower the barbell until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings.
• Inhale as you lower the weight, exhale as you return to the upright position.
• Consider using wrist wraps for heavier working sets to aid grip.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.