Romanian Deadlift Strength Standards

Enter one set: we'll estimate your 1RM and rank it against real romanian deadlift lifts logged on Gravitus, by bodyweight and gender.

What Is a Good Romanian Deadlift?

A good romanian deadlift for a 180 lb man is about 265 lb, the intermediate standard; for a 140 lb woman it is about 150 lb. Good is relative to bodyweight and sex, and the calculator below ranks your lift against real romanian deadlift sets logged by lifters in the Gravitus app. The benchmark tables use allometric bodyweight scaling so you can compare fairly at any size.

What's the average Romanian deadlift? See the real numbers →

Learn proper romanian deadlift form, muscles worked, and programming →

Calculate Your Romanian Deadlift Strength Level

1RM estimated from your weight and reps with the Brzycki formula

How Men's Romanian Deadlift 1RMs Are Distributed

Estimated one-rep max

Men: 25th percentile 180 lb · median 243 lb · 75th percentile 302 lb

Women: 25th percentile 88 lb · median 132 lb · 75th percentile 176 lb

The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is the premier hamstring and glute exercise, emphasizing the eccentric (lowering) phase of the hip hinge. Unlike the conventional deadlift, the RDL starts from the top and focuses on the stretch of the posterior chain. These standards help you gauge your RDL strength relative to other lifters.

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Romanian Deadlift Standards for Men (lbs)

Bodyweight (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate median Advanced Elite
120* 80 135 190 250 315
130* 80 145 200 265 335
140 85 155 215 280 355
150 105 165 235 300 385
160 110 180 245 325 395
170 120 185 255 330 395
180 120 195 265 345 425
190 125 195 265 355 440
200 125 195 275 365 450
210 125 195 275 365 450
220 125 195 275 365 455
230 125 195 275 365 455
240 125 195 275 375 455
250 125 195 275 375 455
260* 125 195 275 385 465
270* 130 200 285 395 475
280* 135 210 295 405 490
290* 140 215 300 415 500
300* 140 220 310 425 515

Unmarked rows are computed from real Gravitus lifter data. * Estimated with allometric scaling, outside the bodyweight range with enough logged lifters.

Romanian Deadlift Standards for Women (lbs)

Bodyweight (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate median Advanced Elite
100* 40 80 120 165 210
110 45 90 130 175 225
120 50 95 140 190 235
130 50 95 145 200 240
140 50 95 150 200 250
150 50 95 150 200 255
160 50 95 150 200 255
170 50 95 150 200 255
180 50 95 150 200 255
190 50 95 150 200 255
200 50 95 150 200 255

Unmarked rows are computed from real Gravitus lifter data. * Estimated with allometric scaling, outside the bodyweight range with enough logged lifters.

How These Standards Are Calculated

These standards are computed directly from workouts logged in the Gravitus app: the all-time best romanian deadlift efforts of real lifters, converted to estimated one-rep max (1RM). Each level corresponds to a percentile among lifters in your bodyweight bracket: Beginner (5th), Novice (20th), Intermediate (50th), Advanced (80th), and Elite (95th). Brackets with fewer than 50 lifters are estimated with allometric scaling and marked as interpolated. Figures reflect lifters who share workouts publicly; extreme outliers are excluded.

Tips for Improving Your Romanian Deadlift

To improve your Romanian deadlift: focus on the hip hinge pattern with a slight knee bend, push your hips back rather than bending your knees, maintain a neutral spine throughout, go only as low as your hamstring flexibility allows, and use straps if grip is limiting your hamstring training.

Strength Levels Explained

  • Beginner

    The strength level of someone who has recently started training. Achievable within the first few months of proper training.

  • Novice

    Represents early progress with consistent training. Most dedicated lifters reach this level within their first year.

  • Intermediate

    Above-average strength that represents consistent, dedicated training over multiple years.

  • Advanced

    Exceptional strength that far exceeds the average lifter. Requires years of dedicated programming and nutrition.

  • Elite

    Competitive-level strength representing the top 1% of lifters. May require favorable genetics to achieve.

Frequently Asked Questions

The RDL starts from standing (top-down) while the conventional deadlift starts from the floor (bottom-up). RDLs emphasize the eccentric phase and hamstring stretch, while conventional deadlifts test maximum pulling strength from the floor. Most lifters RDL about 65-75% of their conventional deadlift.

Lower the bar until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, typically to mid-shin level. Don't round your back to go lower. Hamstring flexibility improves over time, allowing greater range of motion. The quality of the stretch matters more than touching the floor.

Yes, straps are perfectly fine for RDLs. The RDL is a hamstring exercise, not a grip exercise. If your grip limits the weight you can use for hamstring development, straps allow you to focus on the target muscles without compromise.

More Strength Standards

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