The Romanian Deadlift helps develop your posterior chain, primarily hamstrings and gluteals, as well as your lower back, though you should focus on involving your lower back as little as possible. Your objective is to engage your posterior chain as prime mover.
Online Personal Training Video: Romanian Deadlift
How To Do It
1. Stand with feet close to one another, narrower than shoulder width. Grasp dumbbells to sides. Slightly bend your knees.
2. Keeping your back neutral (or, if it’s easier to execute, arch your back – meaning spine toward your stomach) and your knees at the same bent angle, lower the dumbbells by bending your hips and engaging your hamstrings, until you feel a mild stretch in your hamstrings.
3. Once you feel a mild stretch, lift the dumbbells by engaging your hamstrings and straightening your hips until standing upright.
4. Squeeze your gluteals to complete the motion. Slightly bend your knees and move on to the next repetition.
Online Personal Trainer Tips
1. Start with light weight (or no weight) and allow your lower back to adapt to the motion before raising weight.
2. Throughout the exercise keep your arms straight, with the dumbbells close to your legs (as pictured).
3. While straightening your hips, it can help focus the exercise if you imagine rolling a tennis ball up your hamstrings and gluteals along with your progression.
4. Keep your back neutral throughout the exercise. This will diminish how “low” you can go with your stretch. Your range of motion will increase as you increase your flexibility.
