The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is the king when it comes to training your backside.
But a common gym problem is that most men only focus on training the muscles they can easily see in the mirror. Most women will at least pay attention to their glutes. But many of the exercises they choose don’t produce any real results.
Most meatheads’ workouts target the “mirror muscles”: the chest, biceps, and abs. It’s fine to train what you can see. The problem is not training what you cannot easily see in the mirror.
Your back, hamstrings, and glutes will all get high-quality work when you do RDLs. But to maximize the benefits of the RDL, you must do them with the right form.
1) The First Rep Is A Conventional Deadlift
To protect your lower back, you will do a conventional deadlift to get the set started.
The conventional deadlift is a stronger move than the RDL. You get more help from the quads in the deadlift in comparison to the RDL. This is why you will do the first rep from the conventional deadlift position.
2) Start The RDL With Your Hips
Once you have lifted the weight off the ground to a standing position, you will begin your descent.
As you begin to descend, you will push your hips back. When you push your hips back, you shift the emphasis of the RDL to your hamstrings and glutes. Your lower back is still involved. But when you push your hips back during RDLs, your lower back will be in a strong position.
3) Lock In Your Upper Body
Before the descent begins, you will want to make sure that your chest is up, and your shoulders are back. By locking in your upper body, you will protect your lower back during the descent.
4) Position The Bar Close To Your Body
Not keeping the bar close to your body during RDLs is a fatal mistake.
Many lifters let the bar get away from their legs during the descent. The further that bar gets away from your body, the higher the chances are that you will break your back.
You and the bar must become one. You take the bar out on dates. You buy the bar some flowers. You walk down the aisle with the bar. You sleep in the bed with the bar. You cannot let the bar get away from you or it will be catastrophic for your lower back.
I’ve seen some lifters get hurt while doing their version of RDLs. This movie has always has a bad ending due to the lack of a script.
Conclusion
If you perform RDLs with proper form, you will add quality muscle mass to your backside.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman
