RDL Techinque - feedback wanted

[Zeus100]

I posted a couple clips taken from my built-in webcam (sorry for the poor quality/view). Hope it's enough to to get a feel for where I need to improve.

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/training/101990-program-critique-please.html

Not sure if I set the you-tube permissions correctly, so if it doesn`t work, let me know and I`ll try to fix it

 

[Marat]

"This is a private video"

 

[P-funk]

yea, you need to change the settings on your youtube account if you want any of us to view it.

patrick

 

[Zeus100]

Fixed!!

 

[danzik17]

May as well jump the gun since I know this will be asked - get a video where we can see the full body (feet included).

It's really hard to tell if you're leaning too far forward onto the balls of your feet - it looks that way in a few of the reps.

 

[Built]

I uploaded a video of my deadlifts. Please take a look and let me know if they look ok. (sorry for the crappy picture quality)

YouTube Video

Those aren't RDLs.

They look like reasonable rack pulls or even off the floor deads, but not RDLs.

With an RDL, you don't squat down with the bar, but rather keep your knees only slightly bent and lean over the bar to lower, pushing the barbell into your legs in both directions. Lower until you are about to lose the arch in your back, then stand to lockout. For me, this is roughly mid-shin, and my knees bend about 20 degrees at the most.

This is good RDL form:

YouTube Video

 

[gtbmed]

First, those aren't RDLs. RDLs require you to push your hips very far back and keep only a slightly bent knee, as Built said.

Second, on a few of the reps you are shrugging your shoulders. You may feel like this helps with locking the weight out, but it's really unnecessary.

 

[T_man]

Maybe the R stands for Regular?? thats what I always thought, didn't think about romanian, i'd have called those SLDL.

 

[Zeus100]

Thanks for the feedback guys (and gal)

May as well jump the gun since I know this will be asked - get a video where we can see the full body (feet included).

That's the plan, I'd borrowed a friends video camera to get a better shot, but they'd forgotten about a major milestone family birthday (a grandma's) and needed it back before I'd used it.

This one was more for me to see if I was doing anything terribly wrong and wasn't ever intended to be put out, but I time was passing and I wanted to get "some" feedback.

Second, on a few of the reps you are shrugging your shoulders. You may feel like this helps with locking the weight out, but it's really unnecessary

.

Hadn't noticed that, thanks.

Originally Posted by Built
Those aren't RDLs.

First, those aren't RDLs. RDLs require you to push your hips very far back and keep only a slightly bent knee, as Built said.

Ah, You-tube is full of vidoes with DL, RDL and others that look similar to what I was doing, so I wasn't sure, it's good to see what a "true" RDL is. (skib had one a few weeks ago, but i guess he just called it Deadlift, not RDL)

So my questions would be (assuming I'm doing them correctly) would my Deadlift, or true RDLs be a better part of my routine? I know there won't be an aboslute answer, but what do people perfer.

Not ever having tried ture RDLs I'm going to say I like to look of what I'm doing better, to me it's a better range of motion.

Pros/cons?

 

[AKIRA]

They look like a cross between RDLs and Conventional. Only difference is you arent picking the bar up from the ground every time.

 

[Built]

Maybe the R stands for Regular?? thats what I always thought, didn't think about romanian, i'd have called those SLDL.

Indeed, a properly-executed stiff leg deadlift is virtually identical to an RDL. I prefer to call them RDLs since so many people think the "S" in SLDL stands for "straight", and the knee is not locked straight for stiffs.

Ah, You-tube is full of vidoes with DL, RDL and others that look similar to what I was doing, so I wasn't sure, it's good to see what a "true" RDL is. (skib had one a few weeks ago, but i guess he just called it Deadlift, not RDL)

So my questions would be (assuming I'm doing them correctly) would my Deadlift, or true RDLs be a better part of my routine? I know there won't be an aboslute answer, but what do people perfer.

Not ever having tried ture RDLs I'm going to say I like to look of what I'm doing better, to me it's a better range of motion.

Pros/cons?

Off the floor deads and RDLs are different versions that have overlapping functions. They are both posterior-chain movements, and thus both hit everything from the calf to the trap; the difference lies in the location of the emphasis.

Off the floor deads hit not only the posterior chain, but because of the "squat" component, hit more quad than RDLs. This addition, plus the position, mean you can go much heavier on an off the floor dead; this makes the movement phenomenal for overall mass-building.

RDLs still do this to some extent, but with less quad involvement and the position of your upper body through the lift, there is more direct emphasis on the hamstring and less on the rest of your posterior chain.

My personal preference is for RDL, but that's because I have injuries and my form is better for RDL. They're both great movements.

Hopefully this helps.

 

[T_man]

Does any form of deadlift hit the hams much more than glutes?? I need to find a way to work my hams and not so much my ass. It's a ghetto booty and I don't want it any bigger lol.

 

[Built]

RDLs and glute ham raises do it for me.

 

[gtbmed]

To get the RDL form right, I would do them from a hang position. I don't see much need to go down to the floor when doing an RDL or a SLDL.

Also, focus on pushing your hips backwards to lower the weight. The knee bend should be slight and really shouldn't happen until the hips have been pushed back. For me, this knee bend only occurs near the very end of the concentric part of the lift.

By contrast, it seems that your knees bend before there's much movement of your hips. That's why what you're doing seems closer to a conventional DL than an RDL.

 

[VILBAUGH]

Not ever having tried ture RDLs I'm going to say I like to look of what I'm doing better, to me it's a better range of motion.

Pros/cons?[/QUOTE]

I like what your doing better too, like Built said if you got nothing holding you back, doing full conventional DL off the floor will bring about serious results. Remember to put the weight on the floor between reps and go heavy.

 

[gtbmed]

Eh, sometimes a greater ROM isn't best for what people want. Doing full-range olympic style squats requires the greatest range of motion but you don't see many powerlifters doing them.

Traditional deads can use a lot of quads. RDLs are a good way of getting more hip/ham and lower back out of them.

 

[VILBAUGH]

Eh, sometimes a greater ROM isn't best for what people want. Doing full-range olympic style squats requires the greatest range of motion but you don't see many powerlifters doing them.

Traditional deads can use a lot of quads. RDLs are a good way of getting more hip/ham and lower back out of them.

I was assuming total overall mass and strength was the goal.