2. After a To avoid putting much stress on the lower back, you shouldnt lock out your knees because it can be unsafe. Here, Ill share my favorite dumbbell leg exercises, and give you a workout that ties them all together to build muscular, strong legs that are also capable of explosive speed and agility. Arching your back can reduce the load on the glutes, which is counter to the intent of the exercise. The split stance Romanian deadlift is an effective variation of the classic RDL that is performed with a split stance (one of your legs is in front, the other behind). Coach Ryan Horton has worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and Sports Scientist for 20 years at schools like the University of Tennessee, Temple and Georgia Tech. Why? You want to maintain this neutral spine position throughout the exercise. Steps: Brace your core, and squat down, sitting back into your heels and keeping your chest up. Try not to put your foot down to rebalance yourselfjust step straight into a forward lunge. Use your hands for balance as needed, but dont use them for momentum to help you rise up. Gently pull your heel closer to your butt so you feel a stretch in your quads. Horton Barbell was created by Ryan Horton who has served as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and Sports Scientist for almost 20 years at schools like the University of Tennessee, Temple University and Georgia Tech. Finally, strength training can help you lose weight and keep it off by building muscle, and has also been shown to strengthen your bones. Complete the movement by pulling the weight with the muscles of the backside of your bodythe hamstrings and butt muscles. With a good morning, the lifter holds the bar on their back similar to a low bar back squat instead of holding it in their hands. The founder and co-owner of Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance in Seattle, WA, Hocevar has personally coached more than 3,000 clients, including pro athletes in the NBA, NFL, UFC, and MLB, as well as rehab patients and people from every other walk of life. Learning the proper biomechanics of standing hip flexion and extension helps us in basic exercises like squatting and otherdeadlift variations. Keep your arms straight at your sides with palms facing in. Stability is important for any athlete. It teaches you to stay upright and sink into your hips, and often leads to near-perfect squat mechanics right away. It combines the latest muscle-building science with old-school training principles to get you lean, mean and strong. To perform this exercise, youll have to change only one thing. Exclusions Apply. And theres no reason to take risks for something that is not important to you. Hold dumbbells at your sides and rest the top of your back foot on the bench. Squat down as low as you can, extending your spine as you do so that you end up in the bottom of a squat with your elbows inside your knees and a long spine. Good mornings are the other exercise that closely mimics an RDL, however there are some distinct differences when looking at a Good Morning vs RDL. Get strong unilaterally, and youll almost certainly be stronger when you use both legs at once. The single-leg deadlift is a simple yet effective exercise for simultaneously strengthening and toning the butt muscles and improving balance. Starting the lift from the top rather than the bottom makes it safer, and the dumbbells help you keep the weight closer to your center of gravity than the barbell alternative. The knees are only slightly bent in a stiff-legged deadlift, while they bend more in a Romanian deadlift. Be careful not to fully lock out your front kneeit should be slightly bent at the top of each rep. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs with your arms straight and palms facing the body. But there are several benefits that go beyond improving your strength and muscle. Lower your torso toward the ground as your rear leg trails behind you, letting arms hang in front of you. Drive your hips forward in a slow, but controlled manner. With the Romanian deadlift, the dumbbells are kept a lot closer to the body than they are during the stiff-leg deadlift. Related Story. As a compound move, it's very effective for training the . The discount applied every time is 15% off MSRP or the current sale discount, whichever is greater. We use industry-standard, 256bit SSL encryption to protect your personal information online, and we also take several steps to protect your personal Dont let them drift too far in front. Grip the dumbbell and tuck your chin, then squeeze your core and inhale. The single-leg Romanian deadlift (RDL) can be a great tool to help improve stability as well as overall body control. Step 3. Visit our corporate site. You will need an area where you will be able to stretch out fully. The RDL, or Romanian deadlift, is a lower-body exercise that predominantly focuses on the posterior chain. Bending your back puts stress on your spine (that can cause injury) and isolates the wrong muscles. Flex your glute when. As a result, you are going to feel the dumbbell Romanian deadlift in your lower back, both during the workout itself and sometimes for a day or so later. Sit back into your hip (its a hinge/deadlift movement more than a squat), and make sure your knee aligns with your big toe on the left leg. You can perform this with a kettlebell or dumbbell, although beginners can do it without any weights. Circuit 1: Bulgarian Split Squat. Stand with feetbetween hip and shoulder-width apart and turn your toes out about 30 degrees. Written by Jake Boly Last updated on April 23rd, 2020 The single-leg Romanian deadlift (RDL) is one of the most popular unilateral lower body exercises for training the posterior chain and. On any dumbbell exercise, youll need to work up to the right weight gradually by doing what coaches call ramp up sets. 173.236.184.113 However, If you feel pain in the lower back after doing the RDL, use a gym belt as it may protect your back from injuries and allow you to lift heavier weight. Romanian deadlifts are often referred to as a stiff legged deadlift, or straight leg deadlift, because they are very similar to a conventional deadlift just with minimal knee flexion. Free shipping is only available in the contiguous U.S. and Rounding it can lead to back pain. Execution Stand on one leg with the knee very slightly bent and the other slightly behind the support leg. Take a slight pause to assure you have full control of your balance, then lower the kettlebell back to the floor under control. With dumbbells, you can perform the Romanian deadlift in various ways, such as single-leg and crossbody, while the barbell has limited options. Shift your weight forward to intensify the stretch. The single-leg dumbbell Romanian deadlift is a movement targeting the muscles of the hamstrings, glutes, and back. Stand lunge-length in front of a single-leg squat stand (shown here) or bench. You can perform this with a kettlebell or dumbbell, although beginners can do it without any weights. The single-leg RDL is a hip-dominant exercise that can strengthen your glutes and hamstrings. If youve got a strong posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes and lower back), youre better off using a barbell, as youll be able to challenge your muscles with more weight. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand and stand with your left foot on a weight plate or other platform that elevates it about two inches above the floor. Complete 3-4 sets of each before moving on to the next circuit. Pushing your hips back, slowly bend at your hips and lean your torso forward until your chest is parallel to the floor. Luka Hocevar is a former professional basketball player in the elite European Leagues as well as the NBA Summer Pro League. Get a soft bend of the knee on the other leg. Step 4. Single Leg RDLs can be done either with a barbell or with a dumbbell (usually held in the opposite hand of the foot on the ground). Step 3. Dumbbells offer many advantages over barbells, machines, and other implements for training the legs. Pause a second at the bottom, and then explode upward. Some are for straight-up leg mass, and others help to build explosiveness and athleticism. Unilateral training also allows you to work with greater ranges of motion (you can typically go further down on a single-leg RDL or squat than you can on the two-legged versions), and its more in line with how we move in real lifebalancing, landing, and pushing off from one leg at a time rather than both together. The workout has been devised by fitness trainer Olivia Ostrom, and involves five different exercises in a traditional resistance-style format, with a short break in between each. Doing that engages the working muscles effectively and maximizes the results. The RDL strengthens the posterior chain muscles, including the lower back, but it is not the primary targeted muscle. USA. Lunge down until your right thigh is parallel to the floor, then straighten back up on your right leg, pushing from your heel, and return your left leg to its starting position. But if youre just getting started, and your hamstrings, glutes and lower back arent particularly strong, the dumbbell RDL will do the job just fine. If you have very tight hamstrings, the end point may be level with your knees. The Single Leg Deadlift Works The Posterior Chain. Twist the other direction and grasp the opposite knee. The RDL, also referred to as a stiff leg deadlift, is a great exercise to work the posterior chain muscles, specifically the hamstrings, glutes and erector spinae of the low back. The difference between a Romanian deadlift and a stiff-legged deadlift is the amount of knee bend. Suite 302 You want to make sure to balance on the opposite leg in which you are holding the dumbbell, Canepa says. To get a FREE copy of the cheat sheet emailed to you, please click or tap here.GET THE CHEAT SHEET. As you deadlift, your front leg will be straight, and your back leg will be bending. Moreover, you should keep your chest up and core tight during the movement to perform effectively. The Romanian deadlift is a traditional barbell lift used to develop the strength of the posterior chain. Keep your arms straight in front of your thighs with your palms facing in. As you lower the dumbbells, keep them close to your body. Think elevator, not escalator, so you push the plate away while staying vertical and not rising back on an angle. Although, it isnt that type of workout that is done at a fast pace. Start out with a few light sets, and gradually increase both the weight and effort level over time. Engage your glutes, contract your hips, and drive back to the starting position, locking your hips out at the top. Olympic lifts, Back Squat and Front Squats are all great exercises for building strong, explosive athletes and all three demand a strong posterior chain. Stand straight with both feet on ground and legs straight, hands hanging down in front of you. The RDL isnt the kind of exercise where youll lift a heavy load. Split-Stance Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Common Mistakes To Avoid When Doing DB RDL. Both high reps and low reps can be used to build muscle, with lower reps and heavier weights giving you more bang for your buck in terms of strength gains. This tends to reduce the amount of work done by the spinal erectors, so you wont feel it as much in your lower back. The single-leg RDL enhances lower-body stability, which helps to optimize performance and body control, professional baseball strength and conditioning coach Jorge Canepa says. If one drill makes you feel tighter than another, spend more time on that one and focus on owning the positions. And the best thing is you can do it with onlyone dumbbell. 3. Many of the movements that I utilize with athletes demand a very strong posterior chain (as does many sports movements as well). Unless youve got an injury thats taken the regular RDL off the menu, one leg is significantly weaker than the other, or you want to focus on improving hip stability, I think youre better off with the regular RDL. The only difference is using dumbbells in place of the bar. Step 3. The host(s), presenter(s) and/or distributor(s) of this Communication are not responsible for the content of Lower your torso toward the floor as low as possible without bending your front knee. Reach down with the dumbbell toward the floor. You can slightly bend your knees. Set your neck by giving yourself a double chin. The different variations of DB RDL help improve balance and flexibility. Note: Its OK if your knee travels in front of your toes at the end-range of a lunge. After that, try these three combination mobility drills that will open up your hips and knees while raising your core temperature. FREE: The Muscle Building Cheat Sheet. Your back leg should be kept straight, in line with your spine. Wrap the opposite side of the bend in your hand and grab a dumbbell in each hand. financial transactions through the website. The Gluteus Maximus is one of the primary muscles engaged during the dumbbell RDL. It may end up being two rounds of each move, or five; just keep moving. Are Romanian deadlifts better with dumbbells or a barbell? Rounding the back puts a lot of stress on the spine and can be very dangerousif not corrected. I like dumbbells for all kinds of trainingespecially lower-body workand if theyre all youve got due to your gym being closed or out of your budget, youd better learn how to make the most of them. Earn One Point for Every $1 and get a $10 Reward for Every 300 Points. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Draw your shoulder blades back and down, pack your chin, and get a long spine from your head to your pelvis. Dumbbells allow you to adjust where the weight is in relation to your body, and that can let you customize your exercises to perform them more safely. The common mistake made by most gym freaks is rounding the back during the Romanian deadlift, whether its a dumbbell or barbell variation. Multiple bottles, foods, As you bend forward, dont let the dumbbells drift too far away. I love researching and writing about exercise and nutrition. Now that you know how to do the single-leg RDL, check out these Pro Tips on how to do a regular Romanian deadlift. Dumbbells provide several advantages, including freedom of motion, the ability to correct strength imbalances, safety, and stability. Easily the most common mistake (and easily identifiable) that I see with athletes for a Romanian deadlift is rounding the back. If this is a problem, imagine pushing a $100 bill into the floor with the inside of your foot. If the product doesn't perform for you, however, were not gonna play games with you. The Romanian deadlift is typically done with a barbell, but you can also do it with dumbbells. The upper back also gets worked by having to stabilize through the lumber spine (both mid and upper back) throughout the lift. 1.3K Likes, 25 Comments. Push off the lunging leg and come back to the starting position in one fluid motion. The bar should almost drag right down the legs, across the knees and straight down the shins. Apply as much force to the ground as possible, and imagine trying to touch your head to the ceiling. The dumbbell crossbody RDL is the same as usual and provides the same advantages. Push your hips back like youre trying to shut a car door behind you with your butt. Step your right leg forward and plant it next to your right arm. Stay as vertical as possiblethink of your body like a canister. To do a goblet squat, get into your normal squat position with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and your core engaged. Lower your torso only as far as gives a mild stretch to the hamstrings. You start to worry that youve put your back out, or done something wrong. The dumbbell Romanian deadlift, or RDL for short, is a deadlift variation where the legs are kept straighter than a conventional deadlift. And it is true because when I had no idea about properbreathing during exercises, I often felt uneasy during or after the training. So if your goal is to increase strength and hypertrophy using the dumbbells only, you can incorporate it into yourdumbbell training programs. Go down until the dumbbell is at mid-shin level, or you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings. Were confident youll love your Onnit supplements. But dont attempt to make any exercise harder until youre sure youve got the form down properly. Return to a standing position with both feet touching the ground and your arms at your sides. The RDL is the best way to teach a true hip-hinge movement, which is used in all sports and multiple daily activities. Your IP: Because you're balancing on one leg at a time, the emphasis of this exercise is on stability.