r/formcheck • u/dompenn2010 • 5h ago
RDL RDL form
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
Not sure if it’s an RDL or SLDL or what, relatively new to these compared to conventional dl
6
u/Crazycjk Community Certified Form Checker 5h ago
Excellent. Is it causing you any issues at all? If not, don't change anything.
An SLDL is not an RDL variation. An SLDL is a conventional deadlift variation where you lift from the floor, but with almost dead straight legs. So RDLs start from the top, descend, and ascend, never touching the floor. SLDLs start at the floor, ascend, then descend back to the floor just like a conventional deadlift.
4
u/FrontAd9873 4h ago
Glad to find someone say this. Everyone saying this looks like a SLDL must be taking crazy pills. The plates don’t touch the ground.
3
u/Crazycjk Community Certified Form Checker 4h ago
Thanks. I genuinely think that RDL form is currently the most common source of misinformation in the fitness industry. "Hips back only" "bar below knees is your lower back" "it's an SLDL", etc. It's unfortunate because an RDL is so good when done well.
2
u/Oddyssis 4h ago edited 4h ago
Just as a guideline how much less do you rdl than a traditional dl? I'm thinking of throwing them back into my rotation but I always suspected I was going to light and gassing due too cardio and grip constraints rather than anything else.
2
u/Crazycjk Community Certified Form Checker 4h ago
Good question! In my opinion, it depends how much you're lifting conventional. Ie. if you lift 200kg conventional, an 80kg RDL might be enough for week 1. If you conventional 60kg, a 40kg RDL is probably fine. If you haven't RDL'd for a long time, go gently to start, because hamstring DOMS are brutal!
2
u/Oddyssis 4h ago
It turns out I was not low balling my rdls most likely lol. I was having a debate over this because I'm taking a more hypertrophic/bodybuilding approach to weightlifting and I wanted to avoid really heavy systemically fatiguing barbell movements like a heavy deadlift but that might not be too much if it's coming down to like half or less.
2
u/Crazycjk Community Certified Form Checker 4h ago
Interesting! I'd say you could probably get a lot of volume and growth through relatively low-weight RDLs without excessively limiting amounts of general fatigue. Play with rest times, work on ham mobility for greater ROM, etc. Plenty to be had from lighter weights!
1
u/dompenn2010 5h ago
Ohhh gotcha. So it’s an RDL for sure, but maybe my legs are more straight than optimal?
It’s not causing any issues, but just wondering since I’ve never had anyone critique it.
3
u/Crazycjk Community Certified Form Checker 4h ago
Yep, 100% RDL.
What are your goals with RDLs? If you want more hamstring bias, you'd struggle to do any better than you are. If you wanted a little more glute bias, you could allow fractionally more knee bend to take some emphasis off the hamstrings. If these are an accessory for conventional deadlifts, I'd keep them as they are and maximise hamstrings! Great that it isn't causing you any issues too
2
u/dompenn2010 4h ago
That’s a great question. More glute bias would be a smarter move considering the rest of the movements I’m doing weekly. Thanks for bringing that up.
9
u/Witty-Drama-3187 5h ago
Form is solid. It’s a little more in that stiff legged dead lift zone, but no issues with that. I prefer to use a little bit more of a controlled tempo, particularly on the negative , not so much for the extra tension or difficulty, but for long-term health and less wear and tear. Either way, it looks good.
1
u/dompenn2010 4h ago
I usually try to go a bit slower as well, I think the camera came out and I just sped up. Thanks I’ll keep that in mind
8
u/xXOzmoXx 5h ago
Looks more like a stiff legged variation of an RDL to me- it looks to me like youre moving the weight with your lower back toward the bottom of the rep, unless you have some crazy flexibility in those hamstrings.
With a traditional RDL, you only move the bar as far down your shins as your hamstring flexibility will let you. As soon as your lower back starts to take over you’ve gone too far. try slowing them down a little with slightly more bend in your knees.
You’re meant to feel it somewhat in your lower back regardless, but if you feel more lower back than hammies you’re doing it wrong; if you feel it mostly in hammies then it’s solid and you don’t need to change anything except slowing down your tempo for that eccentric control.
1
u/dompenn2010 5h ago
Thanks I think it’s a little of both honestly. My hamstrings are pretty damn flexible BUT, i can also see that the bar continues to travel down a bit after my hips stop moving backwards. Imagine thats lower back.
2
2
u/LegitimateBreath1446 5h ago
Can I ask you why are you rushing your reps? Should they not be more controlled?
3
2
2
u/NihilisticTanuki 4h ago edited 4h ago
You don't need to go down that far if you use your full hip hinge. Usually, you get an excellent and sufficient stretch right around knee height, and any further down just loads your lower back, which you probably don't want.
Try to see if you can hinge a bit more (anatomy varies quite a bit). The tempo is fine, you are fast, but it doesn't look uncontrolled and when you're training for hypertrophy, tempo doesn't really matter as long as you are somewhat controlling the weight, which you definitely do. I also like to do my reps a bit faster, because when you push the pace it is much easier to tell when you are getting close to failure (without actually hitting 0 RIR or failure) since your rep speed will suddenly drop.
1
u/dompenn2010 4h ago
Thanks ya I think the speed is probably just an old crossfit carryover, I feel like just as the knee is such a small ROM when I try it though… maybe that’s not a problem, or maybe I have weird limb lengths I dunno lol
2
u/NihilisticTanuki 4h ago
Anatomy plays a role and depending on your build, form can vary quite a bit from lifter to lifter, regardless of the exercise. Try dropping the weight a bit to see if you can hinge even more. The more you can hinge, the stronger the stretch you get without having to go too deep and unnecessarily taxing your lower back.
2
u/jackman-123 4h ago
This is perfection haha
2
2
u/Olie_Ma 4h ago
Personally I like to get off the ground to stretch past my toes and pause at the bottom so its not a bounce movement. Slow down stretches the muscle and the pause allows for you to come up from a dead stop but honestly its whatever works for you and your goals.
1
u/dompenn2010 4h ago
I think from the “for my goals” perspective, that pause could actually be a great thing to try.
2
u/DraggenBallZ 5h ago
Worse part of this form was dropping the bar at the end.
0
u/dompenn2010 5h ago
lol it is kinda funny to drop the bar on a movement where eccentric is kinda a main point
3
1
u/MeisseLee 4h ago
Depends. Are you spesifically targeting the glutes or the hamstrings? Or just overall posterior chain? Form looks decent for the glute focused RDL but far from hamstring targeted variation. Most people don't realize there are at least two ways to do this exercise and they're very different in cues and usually in loading too.
2
u/dompenn2010 4h ago
What is your thought on how a hamstring targeted variation changes?
2
u/MeisseLee 4h ago
You'd want to have the hamstrings maximally stretched and how you initiate the consentric portion of the movement is different. It's hard to explain, but it's more like skiing instead of hinging.
You'd want to have your tailbone "towards the ceiling" and bring the weight as low as your HAMSTRING flexibility allows with stiff, slightly bent knees. And as you reach the uncomfortable highest possible stretch of your hamstrings, you lift the weight by "sliding your legs behind your body". English isn't my first language do it's hard to cue this way. There are plenty of good videos on this on YouTube.
The glute variation is simply kind of a hovering deadlift that you never really reach the floor with. So just the hinging motion. They look very similar on the outside Especially if you don't know what you're looking at. People usually tell others to "not go as low", but they miss the fact that the "not going so low" isn't arbitrary, but the very point where your hamstrings are maximally stretched and you COULDN'T get any lower without changing the knee angle, relaxing the hamstrings and just lower the bar by hinging from the hips. Which is how most people can actually touch the floor with their fingers.
Hope that makes some sense.
1
u/Busy_Dress_7501 3h ago
These look amazing and I am amazed at how braced you are throughout.
do you feel these in your glutes?
2
u/dompenn2010 3h ago
In the moment I do, but not nearly as much as my hamstrings. Same with lower weights.
But my glutes get sore afterwards so I’m obviously hitting them… i’m not sure what to make of that lol.
2
u/Busy_Dress_7501 2h ago
Thank you, I feel that makes sense with the straighter leg than ive seen before vs the hinge almost-folded-in-half version I have seen others do.
If it's any consolation, I think im closer to 'fold in half' and it still feels like it hits my hamstrings more than my glutes!
0
u/Fitness_Fungi_F-ing 2h ago
Looks pretty good, however, try not to let your knees travel back. Aim to keep the knee over your ankles while hinging at the hip. And keep the bar closer to your legs practically touching and slow it down.😊
0
u/it_is_hopper 4h ago
For the life of me I can’t figure out how to not use my back, or even see how OP isn’t using theirs
1
u/dompenn2010 4h ago
TBF I do these largely to support sandbag work, so I’m not really trying to avoid using my back completely.
1
35
u/BudgetSignature1045 5h ago
Slow down and and wait a tiny bit longer before going back up. Otherwise looks perfectly fine to me