To do a Romanian deadlift with dumbbells, start by standing in an athletic posture with feet hip to shoulder-width apart, and hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs. Initiate the movement by flexing your hips and slowly pushing your butt back as far as possible while keeping your spine in a neutral position. Drive your hips back as far as you can to generate tension in your hamstrings before returning to the starting position.