The stiff leg deadlift is a great exercise for adding strength and thickness to the lower back and hamstrings. The stiff leg deadlift is often referred to as the Romanian deadlift (RDL) or SLDL for short. Adding stiff leg deadlifts into your routine can really blast your lower back into growth and really work those hamstrings.
If you want to perform the deadlift and stiff leg deadlift in the same routine then do not go to failure on the first exercise. If you hit failure the following exercise will be tough and your likely to be sloppy with the form. Sloppy form will only result in an injured back so be careful and train smart.
How to Perform The Stiff Leg Deadlift
To begin the stiff leg deadlift you have two choices. Either rack the weight first and step out with it or assume a normal deadlift position and deadlift it up to the starting position. Once you are standing completely upright with the bar in your hands and resting on your thighs you are ready to begin.
Keeping the bar close to your body, push your hips back and bend forward. Legs can have a very slight bend in them but must remain in this position throughout the movement. The bar does not have to move down your thighs and remain close to your shins as it would in a traditional deadlift but should not be placed so far forward that the movement feels uncomfortable and tips your balance. Remember to keep looking forward. Do not look up or down.
Keeping your back flat and arched with hips pushed back, travel down until your back is parallel to the ground or the weight brushes the floor. If you don’t have the flexibility for this range of motion feel free to lower the bar to a place that feels comfortable for you.
Lock the weight out by returning to an upright position. Do not bend your legs. Keep them slightly bent throughout the movement. Arms should remain straight throughout the entire movement and back should also be kept flat and arched when lowering the bar.
Valuable Tips For The Stiff Leg Deadlift
Keep that bar close to your body. Although the bar wont be travelling in a direct straight line when performing the stiff leg deadlift you need to ensure the bar does not swing out in front of you when you lower yourself. The further away the bar is from your body the more lower back pain you will experience. This may result in injury.
Eyes looking forward. As we mentioned earlier, your eyes need to be focused on looking forward and not down or up. Looking up will strain your neck. Looking down will cause your back to round. Look forward for maximum comfort.
Weight on the heels. When lowering the bar you need to ensure the majority of your weight is placed on your heels and NOT your toes. This will help protect your lower back from injury when using heavy weight. If you find the majority of your weight is on your toes when lowering the bar focus more on your form. If this doesn’t cause injury now, it will later on.
Push those hips back. Hips need to go back in order to keep everything tight and prevent you from injuring your back. Do not just bend at the waist, push those hips back. If your struggling with this focus on lowering the bar down close to your body. If this is done correctly your hips should naturally get pushed back.
Controlled form. The stiff leg deadlift is not an explosive exercise. Do not speed the exercise up. Doing so can throw your form off and will result in injury. Keep the movement nice and controlled and keep those muscles tight.
