Which deadlift works your quads more?
The effect of the conventional deadlift and Romanian deadlift on muscle activation and joint angles at submaximal intensity
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how two types of deadlifts — conventional and Romanian — affect leg muscles and joint movement.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 526 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how two types of deadlifts — conventional and Romanian — affect leg muscles and joint movement.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 526 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
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Claims (6)
Changing how you perform resistance exercises, such as squats or bench presses, changes the amount of mechanical stress applied to the muscles being worked.
The hip, knee, and ankle joints move through different ranges of motion during the conventional deadlift compared to the Romanian deadlift, especially at the lowest point and when the knees begin to extend.
When performing conventional and Romanian deadlifts, the angle of the ankle joint changes more at the bottom and knee-height positions than at the mid-thigh position, showing that ankle motion varies more during the lower parts of the lift.
When performing a conventional deadlift compared to a Romanian deadlift at 50% of the Romanian deadlift one-rep max, the quadriceps muscle on the outer thigh activates more strongly, while the hamstring muscle on the back of the thigh activates similarly in both exercises.
When performing conventional and Romanian deadlifts, the angle of the knee joint changes differently at the midpoint of the lift during both lifting and lowering phases, but not when the knee is at its highest position. This means the two exercises place different demands on knee movement at certain points.