The Romanian Deadlift is an excellent exercise to strengthen your hamstrings, along with several other key muscle groups. And no, this exercise does not involve lifting a deceased Eastern European off the floor… just as soon as I get that image out of my head, I want to cover why you need to do Romanian Deadlifts.
Note: This post is for information only and is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or other wellness professionals.
Okay, Romanian Deadlifts. They’re a pretty popular exercise that you may have done before. But, as with all exercises, a little more insight into the mechanics and focus on form will yield better results.
Romanian Deadlifts: How
A few key points to remember:
- Knees are slightly bent
- Think of sliding the weights down towards your shins
- Only go as far as you can while maintaining good form
- Same goes for weights – use only as much as you can lift well
- Focus on using the hamstrings and glutes to control your descent and then to return to upright
Romanian Deadlifts: Why
Here’s why you need to do Romanian Deadlifts. First, they specifically target the hamstrings and glutes. They also increase your core strength as you hinge at the hips and use your back extensors to maintain a neutral spine as you lower and raise.
Most of us sit a lot. I’ve talked before about how this results in tight hip flexors. Tightness on the front of the hip tilts the pelvis forward and can put strain on the low back. While stretching helps, you can also strengthen the back, glutes, and hamstrings to counteract tight hip flexors.
When your pelvis is tipped forward from tight hip flexors, this can also make it feel like you have tight hamstrings. Engaging the glutes and hamstrings will pull the pelvis into a more neutral position and relieve some of the tension on the hamstrings.
Finally, hamstring strength is an important part of knee health. Having a good ratio of quadriceps to hamstring strength can promote stability at the knee. You can learn more about improving knee health with stronger hamstrings in this post.
I want to emphasize that the Romanian Deadlift is a very accessible exercise – no matter how little or how much weight you lift. Use a broom handle, dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell. Just be conscious of your form and focus on activating the hamstrings, glutes, and back extensors.
Stay fit!
By the way, credit for this exercise goes to Nicu Vlad, a now retired Olympic and World Weightlifting champion from the 80s and 90s. Americans watching him train adopted his technique and dubbed it ‘Romanian Deadlifts’ in his honor.