Romanian Deadlift

Overview

The Romanian Deadlift has a similar purpose to the Good Mornings exercise.  Essentially, the athlete bends from the hip and preserves the normal shape of their spine.  Any flexion of the spine during movement, thoracic or lumbar, should be avoided. The action differs from any Pull exercise because there is no significant knee bending. The range of movement depends on the flexibility of the hamstrings, but generally, the bar should be lowered to just below the knee.  For the Olympic Weightlifter, there may not be much purpose in lowering the bar further.

The Romanian Deadlift is often included in the training program when lighter training is required for recovery or ‘therapeutic’ reasons. It is a relatively simple and low-energy-cost action. Avoid thinking that heavy Romanian Deadlifts are beneficial, as the exercise has lower specificity of Olympic Weightlifting.

Coaching Points

1. To start, stand up with bar and set your posture by breathing in fully and raising your chest maximally.
2. Maintain this postural shape as you lower the bar to below the knees.
3. Keep your head up and eyes forward at all times. Never look down.
4. As you lower and raise the bar, ensure the bar is very close or touching the body.
5. Do not lower the bar to the floor if you have full-size weight plates on the bar. If you do not have full-size weight plates, lower the bar only as far as the top of your shins.
6. Avoid maximal intensity on this exercise and use it more for therapeutic res