A common exercise seen in post-therapy patients, athletes, or any gym goer, is the Romanian Deadlift, or the RDL. The RDL has many benefits, including hamstring and glute strength, erector spinae strength, overall core strength, and upper back/posterior deltoid strength. When done properly the exercise will look like this:
However, there are also many errors that are commonly made when performing this exercise, such as improper hinging of the hips, arching of the lumbar and thoracic spine, and forward rolling of the shoulders. These errors typically occur due to lack of education on how to properly perform an RDL. To emphasize the motion of pushing the hips back to engage a hip hinge, prevent arching the spine, and avoid rolling the shoulders forward, try out this technique:
-
- Stand with your back facing towards a wall about 1-2 feet away
-
- To simulate performing the exercise with added load, hold a dowel or pole
-
- Push your hips/butt back, while bending forward, until your butt meets the wall
-
- Make sure the dowel is traveling in a straight up and down path, with no forward or backward movement
-
- Lastly, to prevent arching of both the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine, as well as to avoid rolling the shoulders forward, make sure that your core is engaged and avoid collapsing the chest inwards while performing the motion:
When correcting these errors, it is common to still see difficulty performing the exercise properly. This is primarily due to weakness in one area of the movement leading to faults in other areas. For example, weak lumbar spinae muscles can cause arching of the lumbar spine, leading to thoracic spine arching and forward rolling of the shoulders. The hip hinge may be correct, but there may still be arching of the back and rolling of the shoulders, most likely coming from overall back and core weakness. Using this knowledge, you can then further decide if other areas need isolated strength training to further progress the RDL.
When done correctly, this exercise can have great benefits for anybody, both inside and outside of the gym. Whether you’re a competitive athlete, or just a casual weekend go-getter, not only can RDLs increase your speed, power, and performance, but it can also reduce lower back pain, reduce knee pain, and make picking up and carrying around those heavy household items feel like a breeze when done correctly. If you’re interested in hearing more expertise on training and exercise performance, check out Panorama Pro Formance at our Golden, CO or Highlands Ranch, CO locations!