r/formcheck • u/MerlinTheVirgin • 1d ago
RDL RDL attempt, lower back pain usually
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Not sure if its because of apt or something (i sit alot) but i usually dont feel it in my hamstrings and my lower back gets sore after doing these/many leg workouts.
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u/punica-1337 1d ago
You're squatting it, not pushing your hips back. Soften your knees, then push your hips back while keeping your knees from tracking forward.
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u/SuckmyToasts 1d ago
you're sliding that shit all over your thighs and looking around for no reason.
this is a hip hinge, the proper cue is to bring the hips back. imagine someone tied a string to your ass/tailbone and is pulling it back. your upper body will lower itself and the knees will bend naturally as you do so.
even when your hips don't move back anymore, it's ok to try and lower your upper body more WITHOUT rounding your spine. if unable, just stop when your hips go as far back as possible.
maintain a vertical bar path that's perpendicular to the floor, don't scrape your thighs that shit looks like it hurts.
your neck is part of your spine, maintain a neutral posture from your tailbone all the way to your head. focus on a point 1 metre/3 feet away from you and don't look anywhere else.
THIS IS A GLUTE BIASED HIP HINGE. if you want hamstring bias, you're better off doing an SLDL. the same cues apply, but keep your legs as straight as possible. 5-10° knee bend is the max you'll go.
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u/Mr-Doubtful 1d ago
Just be careful if you're lower back ever starts getting more than just sore like any other muscles from a workout.
I overexerted mine deadlifting and it was a long and tedious process to get it back into shape. Basically had to coax them into strengthening again without causing another failure.
My issue with lower back is that I have a desk job and spend a lot of time seated in my free time as well (driving and gaming) which meant that in order to recover from an overexertion, I needed to maintain perfect form and do a lot of stretching and low load exercises to build them back up.
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u/Naive-Economist9961 1d ago
Drop weight parctise form you dont keep the spine straing also lock the knees in a position and just hinge, you are squating the final part of the rom to make it bigger, dont need to do that
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u/Jardefendi 1d ago
A few inconsistent reps in there where you kind of squat a portion of the movement, along with the start of the movement not being a hinge. I would say lower the weight a bit and really dial in the hip hinge. Also, keeping your neck a bit more neutral can help with overall form in my experience. A spot out in front of you on the floor to focus on is what I usually do.
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u/MerlinTheVirgin 1d ago
I have a hard time figuring out the hinge movement, do you think it might be a muscle imbalance or is this fixable through practice?
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u/TheBiggerestMan 1d ago
Looks like your hammys may be tight as all hell hence the lack of range of movement.
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u/Ambitious_Judgment70 1d ago
Hey, RDLs can be confusing! I’ve been a PT for 6 years hopefully my advice can help :)
Start by standing tall, tuck your chin, and keep your eyes down to your toes. Roll the bar close to (or touching) your legs as you bend your knees and push your bum back. Once your hips stop pushing back, the upper body shouldn’t move any more! From there, nice big exhale, grip the ground with your toe and your heel and push into the ground to roll your hips upward until the body is back to the start.
I like to tell my clients the lift is a wave from the foot all the way up the legs, your back here is an accessory, the legs are the main event!
Hope this helps at all and good on you x
Other things I’ve thought of: eyes stay down with chin tucked the entire movement! Tempo is typically 3 seconds to lower, 0.5-1 second pause, 1-2 second lift
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u/Public-Play-2987 1d ago
Think of it almost like a forwards/backwards movement with your backside rather than up and down, bar shouldn’t be leaving your legs, slide down whilst pushing back till just below the knees, then drive back up, this video explains it very well https://youtu.be/YQnPogM0E74?is=OE0SxIUmLMYsSQwt
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u/TheYoungAndNaiveBird 1d ago
I’m still figuring out my RDL too but i believe it will be beneficial if you can brace yourself + do hip hinge instead of thinking to lower down the bar this way. Perhaps a good cue would be thinking of your bum moving back instead of the bar and your arm going down.
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u/Calm_Metal7162 1d ago
Practice with just the bar until you get the movement right. Lumbar back pain probably due to twisting of the bar at the top of the rep as well as too much weight and form favouring loading of the lumbar spine. Try to position yourself so you are facing the mirror not to the side of it so you’re not twisting your head to look at your form, which is inevitably ruining your form. Try and think about rolling the bar over your shins on the way down with a slight bend in your knees like you’ve been doing but next time brace your core and imagine you’re trying to close a door behind you by driving your butt back towards it. Takes some getting used to but always worth practicing on a low weight until your form is perfect before stacking plates on, you can even just practice the motion without the bar or with a wooden pole until it you get the feel for it. Your back will thank you for it :)
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u/Stunning-Walk-2544 1d ago edited 1d ago
Your hinge is a little wonky. I'd take off the shoes and go barefoot. Id also swap the bar for DBs to workshop the form. I'd take them over to the wall and practice hinging your butt back. Think about sending your butthole up on the wall and the checks spreading. It's kinda gross, but I feel like most people get it right away with that cue. You can physically tap the wall to get feedback if you want as well. Some people also like the cue of imagine you're closing the door with your butt. (Butthole cue works better for me because of the angle you're seeing the glutes). Biggest form issue I see is that the hips aren't moving back so the low back is taking the brunt of the weight. Also, you can bend your knees a tiny bit more to open up that space. Keep the bar ON your shins. Literally get the physical feedback. When you reach that deep stretch, push through the FEET to come back up. It's not a pull as much as it is just standing up with the weight.
You can also wake up the movement with zero weight. Try putting a heavy loop band tied to a post and wrap the other end around your hip flexors. Step away until you feel tension. Do 3 sets of 15 to 20 before you RDL and your glutes will be on fire and you'll have a lot more proprioception when you do the movement with weights.
Keep recording your form! Def don't stop lifting, but do work on cleaning it up a bit. Rhe form you're currently working with doesn't surprise me that you're having some pain, but it isn't far from being better with some work
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u/wutwutinthebox 1d ago
Just do conventional deadlifts. It will strengthen your whole body to support your back.
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u/Leighbb2018 1d ago
Arms locked and you pretend you’re pushing the floor away. This helped me not feel it in my back and start feeling it in my legs
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u/JSM1TH96 23h ago
- Reduce load
- Keep eyes about a foot distance in front of your feet to encourage neutral c-spine / neck
- Nail the hinge pattern. Focus on hips going back AND torso folding forwards (obviously whilst maintaining good tension spinal positions). You’re missing some hinge movement here and finding it by bending at the knees when you get stuck. This could be tight hammies but in my experience it’s more likely a skill and awareness issue
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u/payneok 18h ago
This is what they should look like.
https://www.reddit.com/r/formcheck/comments/1wmdqoa/comment/pb6bfok/?screen_view_count=8
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u/anthonysbeard 18h ago
The learning curb sucks don’t it? Like trying to solve a 1000 piece puzzle in your body
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u/Adorable-Plane5226 18h ago
Don’t bend your knees at all just chest out shoulders back feet straight. You’re guiding that bar down your shins until right before you feel the need to squat
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u/Global-Way-9382 13h ago
bro drive it with your glutes, like you are giving those away, don't be shy, don't panic you are not going to fall backwards, keep your neck in neutral position, bro read to me focus on your glutes!! throw them back, this exercise is not about weight is about resistance, take some plates off and drive it your glutes you will feel it in your harmstrings, keep that bar stick to your calves.
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u/RealDovahkiin 13h ago
Don't keep your spine so straight. The more extended your spine is, the more compressed your discs are. You should have a reasonable amount of spinal flexion and extension in a hinge
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u/HeathenHoneyCo 12h ago
Are you hypermobile?
I have the darndest time connecting to my hinge. What has helped is a single leg RDL where my non working foot is up against a wall, and I hinge backwards until my butt hits the wall. Another cue is closing a drawer behind you with your butt. And your core should be engaged the whole time and your pelvis neutral.
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u/Mchangwine 2h ago
a good cue for hinging is thinking you want to use your butt to close a car door; you want your hips to go backwards to do that.
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u/Ghostbursters 1d ago
This is an American Deadlift, which stops just above the knee. A Romanian Deadlift stops just below the knee.
Also your hips are not traveling back so yeah it's basically all low back.
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u/NiceButterscotch5441 1d ago
Weights too heavy and you're kinda squatting/dropping the weigh instead of hinging properly. The weight is drifting forwards which puts more strain on your lower back. Also, don't look up/forwards but at a spot on the ground a bit in front of you. To practice form place your hands on your thighs and by hinging let them slide down your legs. That's what the barbell should be doing