ACE Technique Series Domaina Deadlift

1. ACE Technique Series: RomanianDeadlift

3. 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 professional’s 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.

4. 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 don’t experience back pain in the first place. 

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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. 

9. 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.

10. 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.