I can’t stress this enough but your weights DON’T have to touch the ground during RDL. That’s what mostly causes people to roll their back, they think they have to go all the way down. This isn’t the case. Go until you feel a heavy stretch but maintain your form. If you can’t go all the way down with a STRAIGHT back, come back up and you have found your max range of motion.
@@jahdjajbdj731 That's enough, just control the weight on it's way down, feel the stretch. It's not an explosive exercise. Keep the range of motion like that and eventually your mobility will increase. In fact, the large majority of people don't have the mobility to perform RDLs to the bottom, due to the lifestyle we as a species have developed. The same it is with squats. Just put enough work and you will improve, no need to haste.
I believe there are FAR and safer ways to work your legs, whether compound or isolated movements, this one requires far too much hassle in order to work But this is just my humble opinion. I've had friends who knew their stuff around working out for years and had injured or at best, felt some nasty back pain for a few days with RDL, and they didn't even exaggerated with with the weight
Rdls changed my life. It’s the perfect hip hinge. They rehab my back while deadlifts would often tweak it. But that was before rdls helped prime the hip hinge
The RDL was CREATED to strengthen the lower back - specifically, Nicu Vlad’s lower back. You cannot avoid spinal movement in this exercise, nor should you try to. Your lower back is not fragile, and if you do your RDLs it’ll be even LESS fragile 😉
Yeah I’ve debated with so many ppl regarding this exercise. For some reason everyone thinks you shouldn’t feel your lower back muscles activate in this workout. Idk why, physiologically you can’t do these motions without them activating lol
i dunno my lower back hurts even with just the bar after a few sets. i'm not weak at other exercises except RDL's and deadlifts. my core isn't super weak, i have easier time with abs and planks than many of my peers. I feel like I'm doing something wrong but nobody can see what it is while i'm doing it. i'm strong in other back exercises. it's so tiring to deal with, a deadlift is supposed to be one of your heavier lifts. maybe one day i'll just figure it out, or maybe my back is just fucked and i'll have to slowly keep training RDL's with only the bar.
@@flowmastaflam I don’t think you’re stuck, you just need appropriate dosing - which might be the empty bar right now. Nothing wrong with that if that’s where you’re at. You are a complex, adaptable biological organism. You are not a machine that is broken. You can train this movement and get better at it, provided you use an appropriate load and volume, and progress this as and when you are able. You got this.
You should breath with the diaphragm and lower torso extension all the time. Accessory muscle usage (raising the shoulders) activates sympathetic responses that cause early fatigue
I injured my L5 S1 deadlifting. Got fatigued and lost the bracing on the ninth rep of my fifth. It was just a momentary loss of brace, and BAM 💥, my disc exploded. Luckily the surgery went well, I am good today, but now I fear all things deadlift.
@@doctordaro2112 not even that heavy, compared to heavier lifters. It was a basic 5 set pyramid. Started 180, then 200, 255, back down to 200, then 180. It was 9th rep of the last set at 180. This was nowhere near my max either. I could’ve easily lifted 300. I was just trying not to push myself too hard. My core just got fatigued and slipped on the bracing.
@@doctordaro2112 The spine surgeon looked at my MRI of all my spine. He pointed out that all the discs were “not well defined.” The edges of the discs look weak. He said it’s possibly just genetic. There are a few people with bad backs in my family. So maybe this was just the straw that broke the camels back, and won’t be a problem for most people. Kinda like how we see some random runners have heart attacks.
I did it today with a Smith machine and more weight than usually, and it killedy lower back. When I use a free barbell or dumbbells I push my glutes out easily and don't put any pressure in my lower back
One mistake I realized I was making too was going too far down, at a certain point you're just bending your back instead of hinging at the hips. I stopped going too far down and tada no low back strain for me! Yay!
So I intentionally took in a deep breath and sucked in my core while doing the movement and I definitely feel less tension on my back. I also remembered to do a warm up set before with a third of the weight I was gonna do. 👍
I think my back .. all the way done the back of my right leg hurts when I do rdls due to my herniated disc.. I’ve been able to do these just fine for over a year then I did something to it last week and now it feels like I have a right hamstring and can’t do one without pain.. I do believe it’s possible the herniation is touching my nerve… must find ways to get better😢
The “chest up” cue is good, but not great. Chest up helps beginners not to round their back, which is good, but we also don’t wanna arch that shit either. Ribs down, lats tight, abs packed is a much better set of cues than knees back, chest up, tummy out.
Make sure to keep the legs and back stiff, arch the low back for a bit of duck butt, and slow on the way down make sure those hamstrings stretch to the max. It’s basically a weighted touch your toes stretch. If you’re hamstrings aren’t getting the brunt of the work it’ll probably end up hurting your low back
I honestly only feel my lower back even with pretty sound form. I barely feel anything with my glutes or hamstrings. I don't go all the way down, but I think im getting rid of this excersize. It's not worth the risk. Hopefully my lower back is fine.
Serious question though: how do you breathe if you have established that core tension? I get take a breath in > establish core tension, start the move...but then I still need to be able to breathe.
I brace with my breath but after first set my lower left back fatigues on RDL. I think my mild scoliosis fatigues it. I’m 16 and I’ve been lifting for two years, any bad tendencies while lifting that could of given me scoliosis?(also schmorls nodes) also any help on exercises for spine would be greatly appreciated 🙏 thanks for all your informative videos, helped a lot for a newer lifter.
I don't understand. Do locked leg dead lift. Full stretch don't touch the ground. Pull no higher than ir knee caps. 20-30 reps with heavy weight. You'll get there
This is so annoying Once i had severe lower back pain i learned this breathing method and it would avoid the pain. Now that the back pain is gone i cant manage to breathe and lock stomach correctly without either having back pain or not able to breathe properly. Its like my lower back mis aligns when i focus tensing my core.... Its very annoying and i want to find the connection i once had... I either find glutes contraction or stomach, cant do both without having back pain so far..
Anyone ever have one hamstring get a lot more sore than the other on these? I’m guessing my pelvis is anterior my tilted too much on that side (pre stretching my hammie) and then the RDL stretches it further causing it to get super sore. Anyone have any tips for this?
I’ve been doing big 3 and 3 10 min walks a day. Along side trying to maintain healthy spine posture. It’s been almost 30 days and I have seen zero improvement in my low back pain. When I hinge I am still stuck very high with super sharp low back pain. Please post more on lower back pain. I can’t seem to figure out how to cure my injury.
Also it’s been over 2 years I’ve been dealing with injury. Gone to multiple pts. Mri show bulging disc l5-s1. All this time and I haven’t seen any improvements. I have been doing core stability work for 1.5 years and no improvement. I don’t know what to fucking do.
I can relate man. Let me share what I've learned: 1. it's often other joints above and below the pain that are holding you back. Hip internal/external rotation, tight quads and hamstrings; good spine flexion but limited extension (or opposity) or imbalanced in mobility between the 3 sections of the spine. 2. You've had pain for so long, you don't even know anymore what's good posture and what's not. All you can do is identify left-right and top-bottom imbalances in mobility/flexibility and strength. Get ALL of it balanced out in a way that does not trigger your pain! 3. After posture, mobility and flexibility improvements, you NEED to regain muscle and (muscle/tendon/ligament) strength. This is the biggest challenge, because its difficult to know when you're ready for this and to find a way you can actually progress without triggering your pain. But it's absolutely key. 4. Aim to steadily progress towards the EXTREME. Get strong through all ranges! Don't stop and fall back into old habits once your hamstrings are flexible enough to touch the floor with straight legs - just to give an example... Work towards loaded jefferson curls wrists below toes! Treat your spine like bodybuilders treat their arms! Work the QL, work hamstrings, groin, spine flexion and extension... Work at those every week! These principles have helped me tremendously getting over 5-10 year old injuries!!
I would imagine because I started having killer back pain after upping my weight to make it more challenging. Now I’m thinking I’ll decrease the weight again.
I can do the up movement with straight back but I have trouble bringing the barbell back down. My back tends to round at the bottom and I can feel it my lower back after 🫤
It’s not dangerous to look forward. Most Olympic weightlifters look straight forward or slightly up during cleans and snatches which will mimic very similar positions as the RDL
I can’t tell ya how many times I heard, “push your butt back”. Now it’s simply “hinge” keeping your trunk stable.
Push your head all the way to the ceiling while pulling your feet back in an "I don't think so" motion. This is your new cue.
It’s all a conspiracy by body builders to give you lower back pain lol
Omg all these young fitness youtuber saying to do the butt back one way to snap city
idk what hinge means
What’s the problem with telling people to push their butt back?
I can’t stress this enough but your weights DON’T have to touch the ground during RDL. That’s what mostly causes people to roll their back, they think they have to go all the way down. This isn’t the case. Go until you feel a heavy stretch but maintain your form. If you can’t go all the way down with a STRAIGHT back, come back up and you have found your max range of motion.
Bro if my range of motion is just below knee, without rounding my back, is it okay??? will it hit the hamstrings enough??
@jahdajbdj It’s okay, just make sure that you stretch your glutes far back enough to stretch your hamstrings
@@jahdjajbdj731 100% fine. Once you feel a sufficient stretch in your hamstrings, that is far enough. Everyone’s ROM here is different.
@@jahdjajbdj731 That's enough, just control the weight on it's way down, feel the stretch. It's not an explosive exercise. Keep the range of motion like that and eventually your mobility will increase. In fact, the large majority of people don't have the mobility to perform RDLs to the bottom, due to the lifestyle we as a species have developed. The same it is with squats. Just put enough work and you will improve, no need to haste.
You can literally feel your hamstrings firing when you reach your max range of motion.
This was so helpful, I almost gave up doing RDL because of the lower back involvement and not what it should be. Using the core completely changed it.
Give up on them. It's a trash movement that became a fad
I believe there are FAR and safer ways to work your legs, whether compound or isolated movements, this one requires far too much hassle in order to work
But this is just my humble opinion.
I've had friends who knew their stuff around working out for years and had injured or at best, felt some nasty back pain for a few days with RDL, and they didn't even exaggerated with with the weight
Surprised you couldn't figure it out in your own. It's not rocket science
This is by far the best RUclips channel ever
Thank you
Indeed
Make sure you don’t look up while performing the RDL! Keep your chin in line with your torso. Think of one’s face like the “drinking bird” toy.
I agreed.
Doesn't make a difference. Stop noceboing yourself
@@ThePainkiller9995 it make. You can injure your neck.
Exactly
I was recently told the opposite but this makes more sense to me
Dude this is exactly the video I need. I don't feel hardly anything in my hamstrings when trying this, only a sore lower back. Thank you!
Rdls changed my life. It’s the perfect hip hinge. They rehab my back while deadlifts would often tweak it. But that was before rdls helped prime the hip hinge
Thank you so much doc, i was suffering from a back pain while doing dumbbell romanian dls. This really fix the issue
The RDL was CREATED to strengthen the lower back - specifically, Nicu Vlad’s lower back.
You cannot avoid spinal movement in this exercise, nor should you try to. Your lower back is not fragile, and if you do your RDLs it’ll be even LESS fragile 😉
Based and true
Thnx for this comment bro
Yeah I’ve debated with so many ppl regarding this exercise. For some reason everyone thinks you shouldn’t feel your lower back muscles activate in this workout. Idk why, physiologically you can’t do these motions without them activating lol
i dunno my lower back hurts even with just the bar after a few sets. i'm not weak at other exercises except RDL's and deadlifts. my core isn't super weak, i have easier time with abs and planks than many of my peers. I feel like I'm doing something wrong but nobody can see what it is while i'm doing it. i'm strong in other back exercises. it's so tiring to deal with, a deadlift is supposed to be one of your heavier lifts. maybe one day i'll just figure it out, or maybe my back is just fucked and i'll have to slowly keep training RDL's with only the bar.
@@flowmastaflam I don’t think you’re stuck, you just need appropriate dosing - which might be the empty bar right now. Nothing wrong with that if that’s where you’re at.
You are a complex, adaptable biological organism. You are not a machine that is broken. You can train this movement and get better at it, provided you use an appropriate load and volume, and progress this as and when you are able. You got this.
This was a game changer for me. No more back pain when doing these now
YESS THANK YOU!!!! Felt a tinge of back pain first time aroundbut after using this method (of couse neck down) back pain was gone!! 🎉
You helped me a lot in only 30 seconds it’s so unbelievably, thanks!!!
THIS! That breathing technique helped so much!
Thank you for the pro tips. It was easy to understand!
You should breath with the diaphragm and lower torso extension all the time. Accessory muscle usage (raising the shoulders) activates sympathetic responses that cause early fatigue
Broooooo thank you soooo much, it actually feels right when lifting now
I injured my L5 S1 deadlifting. Got fatigued and lost the bracing on the ninth rep of my fifth. It was just a momentary loss of brace, and BAM 💥, my disc exploded. Luckily the surgery went well, I am good today, but now I fear all things deadlift.
If you did several 9 or 10 rep sets, may I ask what weight you were using?
@@doctordaro2112 not even that heavy, compared to heavier lifters. It was a basic 5 set pyramid. Started 180, then 200, 255, back down to 200, then 180. It was 9th rep of the last set at 180. This was nowhere near my max either. I could’ve easily lifted 300. I was just trying not to push myself too hard. My core just got fatigued and slipped on the bracing.
@@TheNativeTwo that is quite unnerving to be honest. RDLs are my main hamstring/posterior chain exercise. Glad to hear you healed well.
@@doctordaro2112 The spine surgeon looked at my MRI of all my spine. He pointed out that all the discs were “not well defined.” The edges of the discs look weak. He said it’s possibly just genetic. There are a few people with bad backs in my family. So maybe this was just the straw that broke the camels back, and won’t be a problem for most people. Kinda like how we see some random runners have heart attacks.
@@TheNativeTwo fair enough. I also have a history of hernias in my family. It's just not something you get checked before you have an incident.
Thank you. I'm in so much pain today. I didn't brace
I can do rdl’s fine without lower back pain considerably heavy. But I can’t say the same for conventional dl 😭
Exactly!!
Sumo is your friend.
Long torso and short legs is better for sumo
Bracing with your abs is the most important thing... use that for squats and deads to save your lower back
The best channel!!!!
Dr. Can you please explain how to use this in hip thrust. Thanks!!!
I did it today with a Smith machine and more weight than usually, and it killedy lower back.
When I use a free barbell or dumbbells I push my glutes out easily and don't put any pressure in my lower back
One mistake I realized I was making too was going too far down, at a certain point you're just bending your back instead of hinging at the hips. I stopped going too far down and tada no low back strain for me! Yay!
Yeah depends on your mobility you can build that over time too just by doing them I had the same issue now I can almost touch the floor
pulling with a slightly rounded low back helps engage the glutes more and it’s not even dangerous.
Who doesn’t want a strong lower back though too?
Stress doesn't mean you'll get a strong lower back
@@neilaloysius3634 it definitely correlates in this case
Strengthening your lower back is the entire purpose of the rdl
@@fartmaster--po4ti No its for hamstrings primarily
@@neilaloysius3634 that’s exactly what stress means 💀😂😂😂😂 I’m embarrassed for you
I learned this way to breath because of running/jogging.
Nice information.. Thank you
Omg I needed this so bad!
So I intentionally took in a deep breath and sucked in my core while doing the movement and I definitely feel less tension on my back. I also remembered to do a warm up set before with a third of the weight I was gonna do. 👍
Do you reset your brace at the start of each rep or should you maintain the brace throughout?
Reset. U need to breath.
It's dangerous to keep your breath for extended times while lifting, so definitely reset your brace
I don't get whats a trunk ? what part of his body is a trunk?
BUTT
I feel like everyone of my problems lifting can b solved by breathing/bracing 😮
I think my back .. all the way done the back of my right leg hurts when I do rdls due to my herniated disc.. I’ve been able to do these just fine for over a year then I did something to it last week and now it feels like I have a right hamstring and can’t do one without pain.. I do believe it’s possible the herniation is touching my nerve… must find ways to get better😢
idk why these are called romanian deadlifts but it feels kinda nice to hear when you're romanian
The Romanian Deadlift was named for Nicu Vlad, a Romanian competitive weightlifter who used the exercise.
The “chest up” cue is good, but not great. Chest up helps beginners not to round their back, which is good, but we also don’t wanna arch that shit either. Ribs down, lats tight, abs packed is a much better set of cues than knees back, chest up, tummy out.
Or try a hex/trap bar instead of a straight barbell.
The Tyson Cameo !
Also don't forget how tight your midback should be and shoulders down, head positioning.
Make sure to keep the legs and back stiff, arch the low back for a bit of duck butt, and slow on the way down make sure those hamstrings stretch to the max. It’s basically a weighted touch your toes stretch. If you’re hamstrings aren’t getting the brunt of the work it’ll probably end up hurting your low back
Bro got an entire cake bakery 💀
I honestly only feel my lower back even with pretty sound form. I barely feel anything with my glutes or hamstrings. I don't go all the way down, but I think im getting rid of this excersize. It's not worth the risk. Hopefully my lower back is fine.
I cant do rdls i always hurt my back
Nice, i prefers neck + back right, same axes
amen to that
Nice
Core compression...pump the inner tube!
Serious question though: how do you breathe if you have established that core tension? I get take a breath in > establish core tension, start the move...but then I still need to be able to breathe.
It's like hamon. Gotta get that breathing right
Thanks
good job
I would recommend bear feet in this exercise instead of using weightlifting shoes
I've tried everything and I've concluded I just can't do this 😂
I brace with my breath but after first set my lower left back fatigues on RDL. I think my mild scoliosis fatigues it. I’m 16 and I’ve been lifting for two years, any bad tendencies while lifting that could of given me scoliosis?(also schmorls nodes) also any help on exercises for spine would be greatly appreciated 🙏 thanks for all your informative videos, helped a lot for a newer lifter.
You cannot get scoliosis from exercises unless you traumatically injure them. Scoliosis is largely genetic.
I don't understand. Do locked leg dead lift. Full stretch don't touch the ground. Pull no higher than ir knee caps. 20-30 reps with heavy weight. You'll get there
Guys ok love how I can feel this in my glutes instead of my back now!! but how do you breathe
Seria bueno subtitulado al español
Good
What's the difference between conventional deadlift and RDL?
I gave it a thumbs up when I saw Iron Mike
I feel degraded in that position
This is so annoying
Once i had severe lower back pain i learned this breathing method and it would avoid the pain. Now that the back pain is gone i cant manage to breathe and lock stomach correctly without either having back pain or not able to breathe properly. Its like my lower back mis aligns when i focus tensing my core.... Its very annoying and i want to find the connection i once had... I either find glutes contraction or stomach, cant do both without having back pain so far..
Don't too much to avoid injury
I feel some odd sharp pain in the romboids like in the upper back area
If you can’t do a RDL right way then don’t do it. I had bad form and did it for a while until my tailbone was hurting so bad that I stopped doing RDL
Why do some people bend at the knees towards the bottom?is this incorrect?
Caked up tho
Anyone ever have one hamstring get a lot more sore than the other on these? I’m guessing my pelvis is anterior my tilted too much on that side (pre stretching my hammie) and then the RDL stretches it further causing it to get super sore. Anyone have any tips for this?
You could try this: ruclips.net/video/1kiJYhf5WR4/видео.html
I'm kinda curious what's the difference between romanian deadlift and regular deadlift isn't it literally the same ?
I’ve been doing big 3 and 3 10 min walks a day. Along side trying to maintain healthy spine posture. It’s been almost 30 days and I have seen zero improvement in my low back pain. When I hinge I am still stuck very high with super sharp low back pain. Please post more on lower back pain. I can’t seem to figure out how to cure my injury.
Also it’s been over 2 years I’ve been dealing with injury. Gone to multiple pts. Mri show bulging disc l5-s1. All this time and I haven’t seen any improvements. I have been doing core stability work for 1.5 years and no improvement. I don’t know what to fucking do.
I can relate man. Let me share what I've learned:
1. it's often other joints above and below the pain that are holding you back. Hip internal/external rotation, tight quads and hamstrings; good spine flexion but limited extension (or opposity) or imbalanced in mobility between the 3 sections of the spine.
2. You've had pain for so long, you don't even know anymore what's good posture and what's not. All you can do is identify left-right and top-bottom imbalances in mobility/flexibility and strength. Get ALL of it balanced out in a way that does not trigger your pain!
3. After posture, mobility and flexibility improvements, you NEED to regain muscle and (muscle/tendon/ligament) strength. This is the biggest challenge, because its difficult to know when you're ready for this and to find a way you can actually progress without triggering your pain. But it's absolutely key.
4. Aim to steadily progress towards the EXTREME. Get strong through all ranges! Don't stop and fall back into old habits once your hamstrings are flexible enough to touch the floor with straight legs - just to give an example... Work towards loaded jefferson curls wrists below toes! Treat your spine like bodybuilders treat their arms! Work the QL, work hamstrings, groin, spine flexion and extension... Work at those every week!
These principles have helped me tremendously getting over 5-10 year old injuries!!
And back extensions, loaded when possible
It looks like he has a lot of curve in the lower spine, like lordosis. Is that safe?
How exactly does one reach failure with RDLS?? My grip gives out before my hams
That’s a mixture of Romanian and conventional deadlift
Thank you, Squat Uni!
Mr. Gray, you were a terrible 8th grade gym teacher.
Will heavy load cause the lower back pain too?
I would imagine because I started having killer back pain after upping my weight to make it more challenging. Now I’m thinking I’ll decrease the weight again.
well what if your spine does stay straight but you still experience pain?
Can someone with low back pain do this exercise?
I strained my left hamstring last week been hurting since
My back rounds
I find it hard to feel the stretch with both hams..often only one side, anyone got a solution ?
maybe try b stance rdls to focus on only one leg at a time? could be good to start with your weaker leg to put more of your attention there
@@potato-sweet thanks
I feel tightness on my Lats when RDL, not my spine. Is it still OK?
Still has pain
How to do it without going to gym.i don't have those weights at home
What are those things you are standing on and what purpose do they serve? How do u know if u need them?
Hi odd questions I see your wearing shoes with the higher heel is it better to perform wearing those shoes or flat
people wear them to better plant their heels for balance and straight down force. probably up to how you feel while doing certain exercises
i just dont get this move (yes i just started) i cant seem to get it right
don’t look up!!
As a romanian I have ro ask:WHY IS IT CALLED ROMANIAN???
pentru ca felul in care se face acest exercitiu a fost inventat de români
I do mine like you but others bend their knees so much more. Confused
Romanian deadlift
What is "the trunk"?
Don't forget to kiegel
My lower legs keep bending help
You don’t look up when Rdl and you do not arch your back either because it will deactivate your glutes, you are not doing it right…
Do you need lifting shoes for pull exercise such as rdl
So what's wrong if i feel it in my upper back?
What if I feel it in my upper back
I can do the up movement with straight back but I have trouble bringing the barbell back down. My back tends to round at the bottom and I can feel it my lower back after 🫤
0:27
Is there an advantage to doing these in squat shoes?
Should you also keep your neck neutral in the bottom position rather than cranking it back to look in the mirror?
It’s not dangerous to look forward. Most Olympic weightlifters look straight forward or slightly up during cleans and snatches which will mimic very similar positions as the RDL
@@SquatUniversity Thanks! Good to know