How to do romanian deadlifts safely, by Jack Hanrahan Fitness on YouTube. 10 min 49 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 49 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Practise the hinge with no weight. Stand with feet hip-width apart and knees soft, push your hips back and let your torso tip forward until you feel a hamstring stretch, then drive the hips forward to stand tall.
Hold a broomstick against your back so it touches your head, upper back and tailbone. Keep all three contact points as you hinge back and stand for 10 slow reps.
Set up with feet about hip- to shoulder-width apart and the bar over your midfoot. Grip just outside your thighs, pull your shoulders back and keep your ribs down.
Your knees slightly and brace your core. Push your hips back and slide the bar down your legs, keeping it in contact with your thighs and shins.
Stop when you feel a strong hamstring stretch, usually around mid-shin or just below the knee. Do not go lower once your lower back starts to round.
Drive your hips forward to stand up, squeezing your glutes at the top. Keep your ribs down and do not lean back past standing.
Do 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps with a light load and rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Film one set from the side to check your back stays flat.
Check the four common mistakes: squatting the weight down, letting the bar drift forward, rounding the lower back, and arching hard at the top. Fix one at a time.
Add weight only when you can keep a flat back and bar contact for every rep of every set. Small jumps of 2.5 to 5 kg are plenty.
Tips and common mistakes
Start with an empty bar or light dumbbells, because form breaks down fast when the load jumps.
Keep the bar touching your legs the whole way down and up, since drifting forward loads your lower back.
If your back rounds before your hamstrings stretch, shorten the range instead of forcing extra depth.
Stop the set if you feel sharp lower back pain rather than a muscle burn.
Questions
How heavy should I start?
Use a load you can lift 10 times with a flat back and the bar close to your legs. Add 2.5 to 5 kg only when all reps look clean.
Can I do these with dumbbells instead of a barbell?
Yes. Hold a pair at your sides with palms facing your thighs and use the same hinge, keeping the weights close to your legs.
Are Romanian deadlifts bad for my lower back?
Not when you hinge at the hips and keep a neutral spine. The movement loads your glutes and hamstrings, so back rounding or a bar drifting forward is what causes trouble.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
