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The Daily Insight

What is a RDL vs deadlift

Author

Emily Dawson

Published Feb 15, 2026

While doing an RDL you are targeting the similar muscles as a deadlift but with more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings. … As you move through a deadlift, you are utilizing your quads, erectors, hamstrings, glutes and various other smaller muscles that help your body stabilize.

Why are they called RDL?

The Romanian deadlift was named after the Romanian weightlifter Nicu Vlad, an Olympic medalist in 1984, 1988, and 1996 who was elected to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame in 2006.

What is RDL Crossfit?

The acronym RDL stands for Romanian Dead Lift. It’s an exercise that is commonly associated with a barbell primarily working the hamstrings, glutes, and hips. … Many people associate deadlifts with a hip hinge movement, however, squatting to lift the weight is also acceptable.

What does DB RDL stand for?

Dumbbell Romanian Dead Lift (Dumbbell RDL) Page 1. Dumbbell RDL is an exercise used to strengthen the hamstrings. The hamstrings are isolated to maximize the work being placed on them.

What are Romanian squats?

This exercise is performed by first lifting one foot onto a bench behind you, whist holding a dumbbell in each hand and your opposite leg should be in-line with the rest of your body. Then, lower your torso, until the knee of your rear leg nearly touches the ground.

Are RDLs good for glutes?

“The RDL is both a strength and mobility movement in that it builds strength in the glutes and hamstrings,” Hulslander says. … As a result, this move is great for boosting mobility in the hips, hamstrings, and lower back, too.

Who invented the RDL?

In 1990, Jim Schmitz, U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Coach from 1980 to 1992, was in his Sports Palace gym in San Francisco with a number of his athletes attending a weightlifting clinic. Holding the clinic that day was the Romanian weightlifter Nicu Vlad and his coach Dragomir Cioroslan.

Should RDLS hurt your back?

It will cement poor movement patterns, which will also carry over into other lifts. It will weaken the posterior chain, leading to increased risk of injury and it will put unwanted strain on the lower back – and all know what happens next…

How much weight should I use for RDL?

Start with an Olympic size bar at about 20kg, and progress upwards from there as strength and proficiency allow. It is not uncommon for very strong athletes to perform RDLs with 150+kg. The most common technique fault is to bend the knees too much and slide the bar down the thighs to the knees.

What muscle does RDL work?

Muscles targeted The Romanian deadlift targets your hamstrings more than standard deadlifts. You’ll also work your glutes and forearm flexors.

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How can I improve my RDL form?

Slowly lower the weight with a slight bend in your knees, bending at the hips and keeping your back straight. Lower until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings – usually when the weight has just passed your knees – then drive your hips forwards and use your hamstrings to power back up to standing.

Is RDLS a compound?

A compound movement simply refers to multiple muscle groups acting in coordination to execute a movement. Because the Romanian deadlift uses musculature from the low/mid-back, glutes, and hamstrings, it is a compound exercise.

How do you RDL a bar?

You take the bar out of the rack, step back, unlock your knees slightly, and bend at the hips to slide the bar down your legs. The range of motion will depend on the lifter’s ability to maintain a rigid back without bending the knees. At some point, the hamstrings reach their full extension.

Are RDLS safe?

Key Takeaways. The Romanian deadlift is one of the single best exercises for developing your posterior chain (including your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back). Romanian deadlifts are easy to load and program, and if you perform them correctly, they’re also perfectly safe (which you’ll learn how to do in this article) …

Are RDL necessary?

The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) is without a doubt one of the best exercises for building the muscles on the backside of the body, muscles that are critical for speed, jumping and nearly every other athletic skill. You find the RDL in many training programs as a supplemental exercise in a lower-body workout.

Do RDLs make you faster?

The Banded Single-leg RDL to Row is a great exercise to train the hamstrings, glutes, lower back and lats to decelerate and accelerate the body during all sports. Whether you want to sprint faster, throw a baseball harder, or protect your body from injury, this exercise should be a part of your training regimen.

Are RDLs harder than deadlift?

Now, compared to the conventional deadlift, the RDL develops a lot of strength through the posterior chain, because you maintain a rigid and long spine throughout the entire exercise. … The back must work harder at resisting flexion in the spine and rounded shoulders.

What do squats work?

When performed correctly, squats are an extremely safe exercise. The primary muscles involved include the gluteus maximus, hip flexors, and quadriceps. Your abdominal muscles, calves, hamstrings, and lower back also get a good workout.

How do you do single legged RDLS?

  1. Get into a position incorporating soft knees and soft hips. …
  2. Extend both arms out as you reach forward. …
  3. Your body should be in a straight line.
  4. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
  5. Once your repetition is done, drive your knee and hips forward.

Can you do RDLs with one dumbbell?

The single-leg RDL can be done with a single dumbbell or kettlebell in the hand opposite the support leg, or with a weight in each hand.

Why does my back hurt after Romanian deadlift?

Stiffness or soreness in your lower back muscles may occur from training hip hinge patterns (think deadlifts, kettlebell swings, Romanian Deadlifts, etc.). This can seem like a normal response to exercise, as the muscles are responding to overload and adapting to get grow stronger.

How far down does an RDL go?

To perform an RDL properly, you need about 15-20 degrees of knee flexion from the start. Too much knee flexion and you don’t hit the hamstrings effectively. Too little and it turns into a stiff-leg deadlift where you round over and feel your lumbar discs shoot out the back side of your body!

How do you not use back in RDL?

Make sure you maintain a tight lower back – feel the stretch in your hamstrings. This is good – go down as low as you can until you have reached the end of your hamstring flexibility. You’ll know you’re at this point where you feel your lower back start to flex over or round – DO NOT REACH THIS POINT!