Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Band Straight Back Stiff Leg Deadlift: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The band straight back stiff leg deadlift is a lower body exercise targeting the glutes, with secondary emphasis on the hamstrings and lower back. It uses a resistance band and requires maintaining a straight back while hinging at the hips, focusing on posterior chain strength.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Hamstrings
Equipment
Band
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the band straight back stiff leg deadlift
Front view: muscles worked by the band straight back stiff leg deadlift. Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the band straight back stiff leg deadlift. Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the band straight back stiff leg deadlift

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band around your upper legs.
  2. Step 2: Hold the band with both hands in front of your thighs, palms facing your body.
  3. Step 3: Keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent, hinge at the hips and lower the band towards the ground.
  4. Step 4: Feel the stretch in your hamstrings as you lower the band.
  5. Step 5: Engage your glutes and hamstrings to lift your body back up to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the band straight back stiff leg deadlift by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

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