The Best Deadlift Alternatives

Conventional barbell deadlifts are one of the best compound exercises for gaining muscle and strength, but you don’t need them in your workout routine. There are plenty of great deadlift alternatives that use barbells, dumbbells, exercise machines, or your own body weight. Some of them are easier, safer, or gentler on bad backs. We’ll cover all of them.

If you want to explain your situation and get a personal recommendation, we’ll answer all the comments. We’re both certified coaches, and we have over a decade of experience working with clients ranging from desk workers to college, professional, and Olympic athletes.

Muscles Worked by Deadlifts

Deadlifts are a “hip hinge” exercise that trains your hips (glutes and hamstrings), postural muscles (spinal erectors), and upper back (traps, rhomboids, rear delts, lats, etc). That means they’re both a leg exercise and a back exercise. What makes them so good is that they work many of those muscles under a tremendous amount of tension and at fairly long muscle lengths, making them great for gaining muscle and strength.

Some deadlift alternatives, like the Romanian deadlift and trap-bar deadlift, offer all those same advantages. However, if you can’t do conventional deadlifts, you might not be able to do those, either. In that case, you can swap the deadlift for a couple of smaller exercises.

Fortunately, deadlifts overlap with other compound exercises. Front-loaded squats (like front squats and goblet squats) work your glutes and postural muscles, while bent-over rows work your forearms and back muscles. If you’re already doing those exercises, all you’re missing is a hamstring exercise, like a leg curl.

Barbell Deadlift Alternatives

Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)

Romanian deadlifts put more emphasis on your hamstrings and less on your lower back, making them better for building bigger hips without getting as fatigued (more on that here). They’re often easier on bad backs, too. There’s no real downside to them. They’re one of the best muscle-building exercises of all time.

Sumo Deadlifts

Sumo deadlifts are similar to conventional deadlifts, but you might have an easier time getting into position, and you’ll probably find that your lower back doesn’t need to work as hard. Mind you, they’re still fatiguing, and they do still hit your lower back relatively hard.

Good Mornings

Good mornings work your hips and postural muscles the same way as Romanian deadlifts without demanding as much of your grip or upper back. Mind you, most people find Romanian deadlifts simpler to learn, more comfortable to do, and they work more muscles at once.

Trap-Bar Deadlifts

Trap-bar deadlifts offer all the same benefits as conventional deadlifts, but you won’t need to bend over as far, the trap bar is easier to grip, your lower back won’t get as fatigued, and the movement feels more comfortable.

The only downside is that you need a trap bar. Most gyms don’t have them, and buying a good one can run you a few hundred dollars.

Dumbell Deadlift Alternatives

Dumbbell Step-Ups

Step-ups are the best dumbbell deadlift alternative. They work your hips through the same range of motion as deadlifts, but because you’re only training one leg at a time, you can do them with lighter dumbbells, and your postural muscles won’t get as fatigued.

Goblet Squats

Dumbbell goblet squats work your glutes and postural muscles quite well, but they aren’t quite as hard on your lower back. This makes them a great alternative to deadlifts. However, they work your quads instead of your hamstrings, so you still need an exercise that works your hamstrings.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts

Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts are the best dumbbell exercise for your hamstrings. The only downside is that your hips might be stronger than your grip, preventing you from holding a dumbbell that’s heavy enough to challenge your hamstrings. If your grip is strong enough that it doesn’t limit you, no problem. Otherwise, you might want to use lifting straps or lifting grips.

Dumbbell Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts work your glutes quite hard, but only at short muscle lengths and without much hamstring stimulation. They’re great as a finisher exercise, but I’d also include some exercises that challenge your muscles at longer lengths (like squats, step-ups, or Romanian deadlifts).

Dumbbell Reverse Lunges

Lunges work your hip muscles one leg at a time, allowing you to use lighter dumbbells. They require a bit of practice to master, but they’re well worth it for people training with just dumbbells.

Body Weight Deadlift Alternatives

Bodyweight Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts work your glutes almost as well as deadlifts, just with less tension under stretch. They’re much less fatiguing, much safer, and don’t require as much equipment. You can do them with light weights or body weight, especially if you do one leg at a time.

Swiss Ball Leg Curls

Swiss ball leg curls work your hamstrings about as well as machine hamstring curls. They’re simple, easy for beginners to learn, and you can do them at home with your body weight. The only potential downside is that you need a Swiss ball (aka yoga ball).

Towel Deadlifts

Towel deadlifts are perfect for strong people who are stuck doing workouts at home or in hotel rooms. You pull against the towel as hard as you can, failing to move it but succeeding in challenging your entire posterior chain.

It’s an isometric exercise. Nothing moves. But your muscles still work incredibly hard. Better still, you’re challenging your muscles at long muscle lengths. The downside is that it’s hard to tell whether you’re working hard enough or making progress.

Nordic Hamstring Curls

Nordic hamstring curls work your hamstrings about as well as doing hamstring curls on an exercise machine, but they’re incredibly challenging, meaning you won’t need more than your body weight. You might need a resistance band to use for support, though.

Bodyweight Step-Ups

Bodyweight step-ups are a nearly perfect alternative to the deadlift, but you’ll quickly grow too strong for them. Use them while you can. They’re effective until you can do 40+ reps per leg, but they get miserably painful long before then.

Bodyweight Lunges

Bodyweight lunges are a great beginner exercise. You’re working your hip muscles one leg at a time, so your body weight might be enough, at least initially. However, unless your body is impressively heavy, you’ll probably outgrow them rather quickly.

Exercise Machine Deadlift Alternatives

Back Extensions / Hyperextensions

Back extensions work your hips and postural muscles about as well as good mornings, but you don’t need as much weight, and most people find that they aren’t as fatiguing.

Reverse Hypers

Reverse hypers are similar to hyperextensions, but your back is supported, and you move your legs. Some people find that this makes them even safer and easier to recover from, and some people with finicky backs prefer them.

Leg Curls

Leg curls work your hamstrings about as well as deadlifts, especially if you do them seated (instead of lying down). They won’t fatigue (or stimulate) any of your other muscles. You can pair these with squats for great overall leg development.

Donkey Kicks

Donkey kicks work your hip muscles just like a deadlift, step-up, or lunge would. They aren’t very fatiguing, they’re quite safe, and some people prefer the simplicity of using an exercise machine.

Summary

There are a few reasons why you might need a deadlift alternative:

• Conventional barbell deadlifts are too fatiguing (more on that here). In that case, Sumo deadlifts are slightly less fatiguing, Romanian deadlifts are much less fatiguing, and leg curls aren’t fatiguing at all (but offer far fewer benefits).
• You don’t have enough mobility to do them properly. Romanian deadlifts are perfect for that. You can go as low as you can, getting better over time.
• You train at home with dumbbells. Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts are good, but grip strength can become an issue. Step-ups are often better.
• You need a bodyweight variation. Bodyweight step-ups are good, but they’re often too light. You might do better with bodyweight hip thrusts. Towel deadlifts are great if you’re already quite strong.
• Deadlifts work your lower back and nothing else. Sumo deadlifts shift some of the load from your lower back to your quads. Romanian deadlifts are perhaps even better. Step-ups reduce the strain on your lower back to almost nothing.
• Deadlifts cause a back injury to flare up. Step-ups and hip thrusts are a good place to start. When your back starts feeling better, you could do Romanian deadlifts to make your lower back stronger.
• You want more variation in your routine. That’s where back extensions, reverse hypers, and good mornings come in.
• Deadlifts seem too dangerous. Goblet squats, step-ups, hip thrusts, and leg curls have almost zero risk of injury, especially to your lower back.

As always, if you want a customizable workout program (and full guide) that builds these principles in, check out our Outlift Intermediate Bulking Program. We also have our Bony to Beastly (men’s) program and Bony to Bombshell (women’s) program for skinny and skinny-fat beginners. All of them come with one-on-one support.