Romanian Deadlift – Dumbbell

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your body.
2. Begin with a slight bend in your knees, keep your back straight, chest up, and shoulders back throughout the exercise.
3. Push your hips back and hinge at the hips to lower the dumbbells along the front of your legs, maintaining a neutral spine.
4. Lower the dumbbells to just below your knees or to mid-shin level, depending on your flexibility, while keeping the weights close to your legs.
5. Pause briefly at the bottom of the movement, ensuring your core is braced and your hamstrings and glutes are engaged.
6. Thrust your hips forward to lift your torso back to the starting position, simultaneously contracting your glutes at the top of the movement.
7. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions without letting the dumbbells touch the floor between reps to keep tension on the muscles.

Notes

Differences between a RDL and a standard deadlift:

• Keep your legs relatively straight with only a slight bend in your knees.
• Focus on the eccentric phase while hinging at the hips and lowering the weight.
• Lower the bar just below the knees or to mid-shin level without touching the ground to maintain tension on the hamstrings and glutes throughout the exercise.

Results