ACE Technique Series: Romanian Deadlift

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ACE Technique Series Romanian Deadlift
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• Most people experience low-back pain at some
  point in their lives and there are countless
  reasons why back pain occurs. While it is beyond
  the health and fitness professionals scope of
  practice to attempt to diagnose a cause of
  injury, you can, however, help your clients
  reduce the risk of developing back pain by
  teaching them proper movement sequencing,
  including how to safely use the hips and
  stabilize the spine when lifting heavy objects.

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• You may not be able to tell clients why their
  backs might be bothering them, but you can
  definitely teach them how to use their bodies
  more effectively so they dont experience back
  pain in the first place. 

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• The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a traditional
  barbell lift used to develop the strength of the
  posterior chain muscles, including the erector
  spinae, gluteus maximus, hamstrings and
  adductors. When done correctly, the RDL is an
  effective exercise that helps strengthen both the
  core and the lower body with one move.

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• One significant benefit of the RDL is that it
  teaches clients how to lift from the hips instead
  of using the lower back. The base move of the RDL
  is the standing hip hinge, which is an important
  component of learning how to squat correctly. The
  first move during the lowering phase of the squat
  should be the hips moving back in a flexed
  position. Back pain is often associated with not
  using the hips properly when squatting or bending
  over to pick an object up off of the ground.

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Primary Movement Pattern

• The primary movement pattern of the RDL is
  pelvis-on-femur hip flexion and extension with
  the feet in a closed-chain position on the
  ground. Hip flexion occurs during the lowering
  phase and hip extension occurs as the result of
  the muscles shortening to return the body to an
  upright position.

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Major Muscles Involved

• The primary muscles involved in the RDL are the
  erector spinae, gluteus maximus, hamstrings
  (biceps femoris, semitendonosus and
  semimemtranosus), adductor magus, gastrocnemius,
  trapezius and forearm flexors. 

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Benefits of the Romanian Deadlift

• The most important benefit of the RDL is that it
  teaches the proper movement and biomechanics of
  standing hip flexion and extension. This is the
  foundational movement for squatting, whether the
  movement is performed with a weight in the gym or
  while bending over to pick an object up from the
  floor.

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• Gentilcore appreciates the RDL because it can
  help clients enhance their movement skills and
  body awareness. I feel it also helps clients
  learn to dissociate hip movement from lumbar
  movement, he says. This is important because
  many clients will move from the lumbar spine when
  bending over, as opposed to moving from the hips.