Romanian deadlifts are a fantastic exercise..but only if you do them right. Discover the secrets of good form to build the biggest muscles fastest.
Perform This Exercise Correctly
The Romanian deadlift, like the deadlift, is a very powerful exercise. It works your hamstrings, lower back, abdominals and traps. The only problem with the Romanian deadlift is that it is often performed with bad form.
This leads to underdeveloped muscles and injuries. This article will explain how to do Romanian deadlifts with good form.
The Romanian deadlift is a great compound exercise if you do it right.
A Romanian bodybuilder by the name of Nicu Vlad developed this exercise. This exercise will strengthen and build up your hamstring muscles, spinal erectors, core muscles and your trapezius muscles.
The best way to perform this exercise with good form is to focus on starting position, grip, stance, bar placement and depth.
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1. Starting Position
The Romanian deadlift is initiated in one of two ways. Either you can set the bar on the hooks of a power rack or you can do a deadlift and then begin the exercise. Either way is appropriate and it just depends on what you feel more comfortable doing. If you decide to deadlift on the first rep, remember that you will be doing that only one time. The Romanian deadlift is different from the traditional deadlift.
2. Grip
When performing the Romanian deadlift you should place your hands shoulder-width apart. Your palms should be facing your body when you perform this exercise. Some people use a mixed grip (one palm facing the body and the other facing away from the body), but this is incorrect.
The palm that is facing away from you will put undue tension on your bicep tendon. In addition, you could experience muscle imbalances in your shoulders, back and forearm if you use a mixed grip
3. Stance
Once you have the correct grip and have chosen to either use the power rack or deadlift the bar from the ground, you will have to get your body in the correct position.
You should be close to the bar with your knees slightly bent. You should never do a Romanian deadlift with your knees locked. Slightly bent knees help to reduce stress on the hamstrings and prevent tears in the muscle.
The other thing that you must pay close attention to is the arch in your back. You must maintain a slight arch in your lower back as you perform the exercise. This will require a lot of focus on your part, but if you want to avoid back injuries and develop the correct muscles, you have to maintain an arch as you perform this exercise.
A final consideration is keeping your head straight. This helps with the alignment of the spine and prevents injury. A good rule of thumb is to focus on an object opposite you as you are performing this exercise.
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4. Bar Placement
Another extremely important thing to consider while doing this exercise is how you place the bar when you are raising and lower the bar. The bar must remain close to your body at all times. As you lower and raise the bar, it should graze your legs.
5. Depth
Unlike the traditional deadlift, the Romanian deadlift doesn’t require that you lower the bar to the ground. A true deadlift requires that you lift the barbell and rest it on the ground and repeat. The Romanian deadlift is done by lowering the bar as far as you can and then raising it again.
6. Putting It All Together
Once you have approached the bar and positioned your hand shoulder-width apart, you will lift the bar off the rack (or off the ground if you don’t have a rack). Your knees will be slightly bent, your back will be slightly arched, your head will be facing forward and then you will start lowering the bar.
As you lower the bar, you will push your hips back and make sure that you have kept a slight arch in your lower back. The bar will also graze your legs as you go as low as you can. When you’ve finished the descent, you will raise the bar up the same way you lowered it, and then repeat.
Conclusion
The Romanian deadlift is a phenomenal exercise that will help you develop your hamstrings, lower back, abdominal muscles and your traps. By concentrating on the proper starting position, grip, stance, bar placement and depth, you’ll perform the exercise without incurring injuries. Perform the Romanian deadlift with good form and make Nicu Vlad proud.
