A Guide to RDLs: Boost strength, prevent injuries. Learn essential muscle-targeting exercises for a powerful and injury-resistant workout.
RDLs (Romanian deadlifts) are an excellent compound exercise to strengthen posterior chain muscles such as glutes, hamstrings and the erector spinae muscles of the lower back. Furthermore, RDLs engage core muscles for stabilization and improved posture.
One of the key errors people often make when exercising is failing to hinge their hips properly, instead rounding or arching their spine during movement. Rad suggests including other hip-hinging exercises into your workout such as lunges and glute bridges for best results.
Hamstrings
Hamstring muscles (biceps femoris long head, short head and semimembranosus) make up your posterior chain and play an integral part in hip extension and knee flexion as well as walking, running, jumping, kicking and throwing motion. Strengthening and mobility focused exercises on this muscle group are vital in order to avoid injury while increasing performance; especially important if you are involved with sports as they account for 15% of lower body injuries at elite football level.
The short head of biceps femoris originates at three points on your femur bone and runs closer to your knee than hip. Although some experts consider this muscle part part of hamstrings, others prefer not to include it due to it spanning two joints differently from other hamstring muscles.
Studies have demonstrated that hamstring injuries are particularly prone to occurring due to their high proportion of slow typology muscle fibers, which fatigue more quickly than fast fibers and are therefore more susceptible to becoming tight and overstretched – this explains why many athletes experience reoccurring hamstring strains even when undertaking regular stretching sessions.
Exercise routine is key to avoiding such injuries, since this muscle group is particularly prone to damage when performing eccentrically biased movements such as RDLS. RDLS exercises like the one outlined here can be especially beneficial as they build the eccentric strength while increasing hip flexibility and supporting proper foot positioning.
Correct execution of a RDLS will engage all major muscle groups targeted during traditional deadlifts, including the hamstrings, glutes and core stabilizers like the obliques & erector spinae group (lower back). When done on a power rack with barbell, safety can be improved as lifters can begin with weights at thigh-to-waist height to protect hamstrings further.
Executing this movement once per week should provide your hamstrings with enough eccentric and isometric work to promote muscular balance, but if you’re trying to address recurrent hamstring injuries then I advise adding it twice each week alongside another posterior chain exercise such as good mornings or single-leg bridges – this will prevent overworking them and prevent training ruts that can develop when performing the same exercises repeatedly.
Gluteus Maximus
The gluteus maximus is a large quadrilateral muscle located on the outer aspect of the hip that acts as the largest in our bodies and collectively known as “glutes.” Together with smaller gluteal muscles (gluteus medius and gluteus minimus), gluteal muscles facilitate hip movement such as walking, running, jumping, bending over to carry heavy loads and climbing stairs; additionally the gluteus maximus contributes to lower back stability and core strength.
RDLS is an effective exercise for targeting gluteus maximus and lower posterior chain muscles. As such, this exercise should be an integral part of anyone looking to improve functional movements and overall performance.
Correct execution of the RDLS will target not only glutes and hamstrings, but also the erector spinae and trapezius muscles in the upper back. Erector spinae are responsible for compressing and moving lumbar spine, while trapezius helps stabilize shoulder blades. Furthermore, RDL requires strong grips so as to strengthen forearms.
RDLS variations allow users to target other areas of their body depending on their training goals, with close foot placement targeting more inner thigh muscles while wider grips work the chest and shoulders more intensively.
For optimal muscle growth, perform three working sets of eight reps at moderate or high weight and rest between sets for about five minutes between sets. To increase functional training benefits, daily RDLS workouts at low to moderate intensity may help warm up muscles before beginning other exercises.
RDLs provide an effective alternative to hip thrust-based exercises that only target a limited range of motion and don’t engage core muscles as effectively. To perform an RDL properly, stand tall with good posture while holding dumbbells or kettlebells at arm’s length in front of your body with an overhand grip and maintain neutral spine alignment and brace core bracing as you bend forward from hip until your torso is parallel with ground, then squeeze gluteal muscles until return back into starting position for desired repetitions on both legs or alternate legs until desired repetitions have been reached.
Quadriceps
The quadriceps muscle group, located in the front portion of the thigh, is an invaluable muscle that assists with activities like walking, running and jumping. They also play an essential role in supporting hip and knee flexing movements. Unfortunately, because this powerful muscle is connected to two major joints, its power makes it more susceptible to strains, contusions and tears that can become debilitating injuries for athletes and everyday people alike; quad strains are especially prevalent in sports like soccer, football and basketball where frequent kicking, sprinting or running occurs frequently – especially with frequent kicking, sprinting or running (i.e. soccer, football vs NBA games).
The quadriceps muscles (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius) work in unison to flex hips and straighten knees while simultaneously climbing stairs and standing up from chairs.
Quadriceps strains are frequently caused by overuse or sudden increases in activity; often caused by overstraining the quadriceps tendon attached to the kneecap (patellar tendon). Quadriceps injuries range from mild to severe and usually take several weeks for recovery.
A grade 1 quadriceps strain involves the tearing of several muscle fibers and can result in mild pain, tenderness, and swelling in the quadriceps region. Your knee may still bend but mobility may be restricted slightly. This type of injury often requires up to two weeks for full healing.
Grade 2 quadriceps strains typically present themselves with moderate pain and an accompanying loss of strength when trying to bend or straighten the knee, along with swelling and bruising that could take four weeks or more to heal.
To avoid quadriceps injuries, be sure to warm up properly prior to beginning any workout or training activity. Avoid repetitive exercises which force the quads against resistance for extended periods, while strengthening surrounding muscles will help correct muscle imbalances that contribute to injury. RDLS exercises offer another effective option that targets these same muscle groups but offers increased resistance or load for a more challenging workout; Squats and RDLs with barbell are great choices that work all these muscles simultaneously while building power.
Core
The core muscles – or posterior chain – are another essential element to any strong lift, including gluteus maximus, hamstrings and the erector spinae muscle. In addition to building strength through deadlifts or power lifting exercises, core muscles help prevent injuries by stabilizing spine, pelvis and shoulders during lifts.
The rdl is an effective exercise to add to your workouts in order to strengthen your core and develop better form for other movements. Remember that proper form is paramount when performing any strength-training activity to avoid injury and maximize results from each strength training workout.
When conducting an RDLS exercise, be sure to monitor your body. Shins should be vertical and knees slightly bent with your chest moving forward when hinged; squeeze glutes while lowering down into position if necessary. If these positions cannot be maintained it’s likely you are using too much weight or doing it incorrectly.
RDLS are ideal for beginners as they require just a bar and their bodyweight to complete, helping to familiarize them with the movement before progressing to heavier weights. More experienced lifters may use RDLS as an adjunct exercise to increase load in conventional deadlifts.
If you want to add an extra challenge to your rdls, try including single leg or double-leg deadlift variations into the mix. These will challenge your core muscles by forcing you to keep legs and torso aligned while lifting.
As you begin deadlifts for the first time, it’s essential that you start slowly and build up strength gradually over time. Doing this will prevent injuries while simultaneously helping your muscles adapt more effectively. Once you have mastered basic hip hinge deadlifting techniques, add in more challenging variations of RDLS into your routine so you can become an experienced, powerful lifter!
