Romanian Deadlift Basics

The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) is similar to, and can be called either a straight-legged or stiff-legged deadlift. 

1)      Start standing with feet regular/standing width apart, pointing forward.

2)      Grab a light bar with both hands in front of you with a normal grip (double overhand grip)

3)      Feet are normal standing width apart, pointing forward.

4)     Pull your shoulder blades together and down, towards your lumbar spine (nothing extreme, just get them in place)

5)     Create tension in your hips by trying to pull your feet away from each other and twisting outward (your feet don’t move, you’re just activating the muscles)

6)     Brace your abdominal muscles and keep them braced

7)     Stick your butt backwards, your head will tilt forward (don’t look up)

8)     Your knees will bend a little bit to allow your butt to move, that’s good

9)     Flex your hamstrings (back of lag) and butt to stand back up

10)  Flex your butt as you stand up nice and tall, make sure your shoulders are still in place

Repeat 10 times

As always, use a light weight when doing a new lift.  You need to learn the setup, the movement, and how to do it using the targeted muscles.  Most people will want to use their lower back, so use a light weight so you can focus on bracing (which keeps the spine rigid) and using your hips and hamstrings.

Don’t lower the bar below your knees if you’re new to this, just focus on the bracing and using the correct muscles (not your back).  Keep the bar close to your body the whole time (e.i., the bar should stay above your feet, not way out in front).

Great form, but you may not not get your upper body to be horizontal

The point of the exercise is NOT to lower and raise the bar.  The point of the exercise is to hinge the hips as much as possible.  Essentially, the movement is an exaggerated humping motion.  Think of Ace Ventura if you’re old enough to know. 

Can ya feel it? Do ya?

The bar is there to make the movement harder (bow-chicka), but the entire purpose of the exercise to move your hips back while maintaining proper balance, stretching the hamstrings, and then using the hamstrings and glutes to drive the hips forward to a standing position (while your core remains braced to prevent your spine from getting in on the action).

This is a great exercise for: the hamstrings and glutes, learning how to brace your core, learning to move your hips without moving your back, and serves as a stepping stone to a full deadlift.