Romanian Deadlift Vs. Deadlift — Their Main Difference

Romanian Deadlift Vs. Deadlift

The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) and Conventional Deadlift are popular exercises among all fitness enthusiasts. They both have the goal of training the posterior chain, but they're different in nature.

The deadlift involves picking up a barbell from the floor, while the RDL focuses on the eccentric portion, or lowering phase of the deadlift. The shortened range of motion and slight hip hinge difference makes the RDL exercise different from the deadlift.

Is one BETTER than the other?

No. It all comes down to the context in which you're planning to use the Romanian Deadlift and Conventional Deadlift.

The RDL is great for isolating and focusing on the hamstrings, while also working on one's hip hinge and body postures for movements like the snatch and clean & jerk.

The deadlift is great for building top-end strength and packing on mass as a whole.

The best advice — use BOTH in your training!

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[omiluv]

This was so informative! I realized that I’ve been doing a hybrid of the 2 movements and calling it a DL, so the visual demo and key points were so helpful. Being seasoned in the gym doesn’t mean we always get it right, so I was happy to learn!

[echoactual]

The romanian deadlift range of motion is not intrinsically shorter. It's only shorter because most people will not be able to touch the floor in that position due to a compromised posterior chain. By all means, if you can lower the barbell to the floor while maintaining a neutral spine, you should!

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[igorcossack]

Proper RDL engages Gluteus Maximus significantly more than Hamstrings. It's the go-to movement for training woman in their butt development. (Aside from that, the video is great)

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This makes so much sense, thank you! I'm now sold on the RDL :)

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[laurencenarbaitz]

Very clear and concise comparison. I really liked how you not only presented how the movements are different but also when a person might want to use one versus the other. Thank you.

[methuselahhoneysuckass]

turns out I was doing rdls all this time without even knowing

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