Legs hamstrings : Romanian deadlifts, vs Stiff legged deads

[arbit]

I never quite knew what RDLs were, found a couple of good articles:
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle....icle=250heavy2
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa63.htm

[Cort]

lol. Funny thing is what they are calling the RDL is how I've always done my SDLs...I consider them one and the same.

I don't know how they can try to pass this off as a SDL though.

or this quote...

The SDL involves rounding the back — be very careful and use light loads!

Either I'm confused or they are, but I've always considered this to be a big mistake whether you were doing regular deadlifts or stiff-legged deadlifts.

[pseudonym]

Originally Posted by Cort's source

The SDL involves rounding the back — be very careful and use light loads!

I too read this when I first started SLDLing but I found/find I have a tendency to straighten my back half way through the lift, making a killer upper back exercise (kinda like a bent over shrug ) but feels just plain dodgy.

I try and keep my back straight from woe to go now.

and as an aside ... if you have to use 'light loads' to successfully do an exercise without injury what is that telling you about your form ??

Nice articles BTW arbit.

[threenorns]

yeah, caught myself cheating the load onto my lower back like that - i think it's cause my lower back is a lot stronger than my hamstrings.

that's one exercise i learned on my own, quite incorrectly. if you don't feel the load on your lower back, it's hard to figure out if you're doing it right or not. now i gotta drop the weight and start from square one.... meh. just goes to show that book-learning ain't the best.

[DaRkAnGel]

I have never really used romanian deadlifts... always stuck to stiff legged deadlifts and sometimes even straight legged deadlifts because of my flexibility.

[pseudonym]

Originally Posted by threenorns

that's one exercise i learned on my own, quite incorrectly. if you don't feel the load on your lower back, it's hard to figure out if you're doing it right or not...

really ? maybe being tall and skinny makes me built for SLDL's (I have no idea why that might be true ) but I really only feel it in my hams, I try and let the weight hang limp in my hanging arms, and then, keeping my back straight and legs ever so slightly bent, I straighten up and bring the weight into my things.

absolutely nails my hams, I love them.

Not that I can, in any semblence of good conscience, teach anyone here (partcularly someone like you three lol) how to perform a movement

[Titus]

I"d just like to point out that I"m romanian..but I find that RDLS work for me better than deadlifts but then of course I"m not maxing out on deadlifts thats why them seem so easy.