How To Do Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) Proper Form & Technique

To learn the proper RDL technique, you must know the correct position of your knees (slight bend), neutral hips (appropriate hip extension), and stance (feet hip width), and necessitate proper muscle activation.

Romanian deadlifts, especially the single leg or unilateral version, are among the best exercises to increase athletic performance and functional strength and bulletproof your posterior chain [1].

Before you even think of starting the unilateral version, here is how to perform the bilateral Romanian deadlift correctly and avoid injuries:

1. Place the barbell on the floor, load it with the appropriate weight so you can perform 8 consecutive reps without resting.
2. Assume a standing position, feet hip-width, in front of the barbell.
3. Let your shins touch the barbell and take a pronated grip with your hands, a little wider than hip-width.
4. Lift the barbell off the floor with a flat back and slightly protracted shoulder blades.
5. Now the barbell is hanging from your hands in the standing position. Slightly bend your knees and keep them fixed during the whole exercise.
6. Start the exercise by bending your hips and driving your butt back and up. Don’t bend in your knees and only bend forward in your hips.
7. Slide the barbell on the surface of your body until your wrists don’t cross the knee level.
8. When your wrists and the loaded barbell go past the knee level, reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
9. Repeat for 8 reps, 4 sets, and rest for 2 minutes between the sets.

"When you’re training, you might tend to forget about the things you cannot see. That’s why many lifters run the risk of overemphasizing their “mirror muscles” like their chest, biceps, and quads. Because you can’t see your back without a lot of twisting and turning (or giving your training partner the camera), you may forget how important it is to build a strong, muscular posterior chain."

- Shane McLean, Certified Personal Trainer

Here are the best Romanian deadlift variations to include in your workouts.

Hip-Banded Romanian Deadlift

The hip-banded Romanian deadlift is one of the best variations since it will make the concentric phase much harder due to the resistance of the band.

This is extremely useful in progressive overload since you must pick a harder resistance band for each following workout [2].

How to Perform Hip-Banded Romanian Deadlifts

1. Pick the resistance band that will allow you to perform at least 8 reps without resting.
2. Place the resistance band on the floor, enter it with both feet. Step on the band with both feet so you take the hip-width stance.
3. Wrap the other part of the band around your head/neck. If you prefer a slightly modified resistance, you can cross the band in its middle and wrap it around the head, but the exercise technique remains the same.
4. Start the exercise by lowering your torso towards the ground without bending your knees or rounding your back.
5. Hold that position for one second when your torso becomes almost parallel to the ground.
6. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for 8 reps, 3 sets, and rest for 90 seconds between the sets.

Trap Bar Romanian Deadlift

The trap bar Romanian deadlift is another useful variation that will place the weight on different angles and modify the pressure on your posterior chain muscles.

It is excellent as an accessory exercise and can supplement different phases of strength training.

How to Perform Trap Bar Romanian Deadlifts

1. Place the hex bar on the floor and load it with the appropriate weight so you can perform at least 6 reps without a pause.
2. Enter the trap bar and take the regular neutral grip with your hands.
3. Lift the hex bar from the floor while maintaining your back flat and shoulder blades slightly protracted.
4. Start the exercise by lowering the trap bar towards the floor without changing the position of your knees. Aim to drive your hips back and up as much as possible while bending your torso forward.
5. When the trap bar passes the level of your knees, then reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for 6 reps, 4 sets, and rest for 3 minutes between the sets.

Here are some popular Romanian deadlift alternatives you may add to your workouts.

Good Morning

Good mornings are another excellent exercise that will bulletproof your hamstrings and build a superior posterior chain [3].

They are useful for beginners, but I recommend more advanced lifters transition to Romanian deadlift variations.

How to Perform Good Mornings

1. Place the barbell on the squat rack and load it with the appropriate weight so you can perform at least 8 reps without a pause.
2. Place the loaded barbell on your upper back and unrack it. Take two steps back to have enough space to perform the exercise.
3. Assume a hip-width stance with the barbell resting on your upper back.
4. Start the exercise by bending your torso forward without changing the original position of your knees.
5. When your torso almost becomes parallel to the ground, reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for 8 reps, 3 sets, and rest for 90 seconds between the sets.

Romanian deadlift may be considered an isolation exercise because the movement only occurs in one joint.

However, the Romanian deadlift is a demanding, energy-wise exercise requiring multiple muscles to work simultaneously to complete the movement.

This is why I recommend placing those Romanian deadlifts at the beginning or close to the beginning of the workout.

However, suppose you are experiencing and are already familiar with the amount of energy you will spend doing Romanian deadlifts. In that case, you may place them toward the end of the workout.

The general rule is to place compound exercises at the beginning and isolation ones towards the end.

Also, if you are doing a push/pull/leg workout split, you may place the Romanian deadlift on pull or leg day. This will depend on the number of weekly training sessions you have.