Fix Your RDL: Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
The Romanian Deadlift is a game-changer for your posterior chain—just avoid these common mistakes to lift safer and stronger!
The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is one of those exercises that gets the job done. It hits your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back like a champ, building a foundation of strength that you can carry through your entire training program. But here’s the catch—if you’re not careful with your form, you might not be hitting the right muscles or worse, you could injure yourself.
So, let’s break down the most common Romanian deadlift mistakes and how to fix them—no more guessing games. We’re here to help you make your lifts stronger, safer, and more effective. Ready? Let’s dive in.
1. Rounding the Back: The Big No-No
One of the biggest mistakes people make with the Romanian deadlift is rounding their back. Whether it's from poor posture, fatigue, or simply not knowing better, rounding your spine puts a lot of strain on your lower back. Over time, this can lead to injury, which is the last thing you want.
Why this happens: When you start the movement, it's easy to collapse your chest forward and round your back, especially if you’re lifting heavy or rushing through the set.
How to fix it
Think about pulling your chest up and your shoulders back the entire time. A good rule of thumb is to imagine a string attached to your chest, pulling you upward. This will help maintain a straight back, keeping the pressure where it belongs—on your glutes and hamstrings.
Pro Tip: A good way to check if your back is rounded is by using a mirror or filming yourself. You’ll be surprised how often a rounded back sneaks in when you don’t even feel it.
2. Bending the Knees Too Much: It’s a Hip Hinge, Not a Squat
When you’re doing an RDL, remember this isn’t a squat. The goal is to hinge at your hips, not bend your knees like you're about to drop into a squat. A lot of people make this mistake, which shifts the focus away from the hamstrings and glutes and puts it on the quads.
Why this happens: People often confuse the Romanian deadlift with a traditional deadlift or squat, both of which do involve bending the knees more. But for the RDL, that’s not the case.
How to fix it
Keep the knees soft—not locked, but not too bent. The movement should come from your hips pushing back, not your knees bending forward. Imagine you’re trying to touch your butt to the wall behind you while keeping the bar close to your body. This will help activate your posterior chain.
Pro Tip: If you feel like your quads are doing most of the work, check your knee position. Adjusting the bend and really focusing on your hips can make a world of difference.
3. Forgetting to Engage the Core: Stability Starts Here
Your core is your foundation. Without engaging it, you’re not just risking poor posture—you’re also making it harder for your hamstrings and glutes to fully activate. A weak or unengaged core puts unnecessary stress on your lower back.
Why this happens: It’s easy to forget about your core when you’re focused on pulling heavy weights. But the core is your body’s center of power, and it needs to be on lockdown for this movement.
How to fix it
Before you even pick up the bar, take a deep breath and brace your core like someone’s about to punch you in the stomach. Keep that tension through the entire lift—this will protect your lower back and help keep the bar path in check.
Pro Tip: If you're having trouble engaging your core, try doing some standing planks or dead bugs before you lift. Activating your core outside of the RDL will help you find that tension quicker when it's time to lift.
4. Overextending the Range of Motion: Stop Dropping Too Low
The RDL doesn’t require you to touch the floor. Many lifters drop the bar too low during the descent, thinking it will give them a bigger stretch in the hamstrings. While it might feel like you’re getting a deeper stretch, you're actually increasing the risk of rounding your back and losing tension.
Why this happens: Flexibility is great, but the goal is to maintain control and keep the tension on the target muscles. If you drop too low, your form will break down.
How to fix it
Go only as low as you can while keeping your back straight. This might mean stopping at knee height or just above your knees. Focus on the hinge of the hips, not how low you can go. Your hamstrings will still get a killer stretch, even without touching the floor.
Pro Tip: If you're flexible, you might find it hard to resist the urge to go lower. But remember, the goal is quality over quantity. Don’t sacrifice form for depth.
5. Dropping the Bar Too Quickly
It's tempting to let gravity do its thing and drop the bar after you hit the bottom. But if you're letting the bar fall quickly, you're missing out on key benefits like muscle engagement and control. The Romanian deadlift is all about slow, controlled movement—both up and down.
Why this happens: People often get in a rush to finish their set or focus too much on lifting the weight. But the descent is just as important as the ascent.
How to fix it
Control the descent, like you're trying to stretch your hamstrings and control the weight all the way down. Don’t just let the bar flop. Make it a deliberate, slow movement—this will help build strength in the right muscles and protect your joints.
Pro Tip: If you’re struggling to control the descent, try lowering the weight a bit and practice slowing the movement down. You’ll feel the difference!
6. Using Too Much Weight
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to lift heavy weights to see results. But here’s the deal: lifting too heavy before you’ve nailed the technique is a one-way ticket to injuryville. Progress takes time, and it’s better to build up strength gradually than to jump into heavy weights too quickly.
Why this happens: Ego lifting is real. But progress takes time, and it’s better to build up strength gradually than to jump into heavy weights too quickly.
How to fix it
Start with lighter weights and really focus on mastering the form first. Once your technique is solid, you can gradually increase the weight. Progressing slowly is the safest—and smartest—route.
Pro Tip: Use a weight that challenges you, but doesn’t compromise your form. If you can’t maintain your posture, it’s too heavy.
7. Not Pushing to Failure
It’s easy to stop a set when you’re not feeling it anymore, but you might be leaving serious strength gains behind. If you’re not pushing through to failure, you’re not working your muscles hard enough to really challenge them.
Why this happens: Sometimes you might hold back because your grip is giving out first or you’re just not in the mindset to push through. Or maybe you’re worried about form breaking down at the end of the set. Whatever it is, stopping early could be costing you progress.
How to fix it
Push yourself to failure—but here’s the trick: use lifting straps to reduce grip fatigue. The grip is often the first thing to give out, but your muscles can keep going long after your hands start to slip. Lifting straps help you focus on your hamstrings and glutes, rather than letting your grip hold you back.
Pro Tip: If you’re feeling like your grip is failing, don’t be afraid to throw on some straps. They’ll let you finish your set strong, fully focusing on the posterior chain muscles that need the work.
8. Not Feeling the Stretch
If you’re doing everything right and still don’t feel the RDL in your hamstrings and glutes, something’s off. The Romanian deadlift should be all about feeling the stretch and activation in the posterior chain. If you’re not feeling it, your form might be off.
Why this happens: Sometimes we’re so focused on completing the lift that we forget to focus on where we should feel the work.
How to fix it
Slow down, breathe, and really focus on feeling the stretch in your hamstrings on the descent. Try pushing your hips further back and keeping the bar as close to your legs as possible. The more you focus on the muscle you're working, the better the results.
Pro Tip: If you don’t feel your hamstrings working, check your hip hinge. You might be bending your knees too much or not driving your hips back enough.
Let’s Wrap It Up
The Romanian deadlift is a key exercise for building posterior chain strength. But like any exercise, it’s only effective if you’re doing it right. Avoiding these common mistakes and focusing on perfecting your form will help you build stronger, more powerful hamstrings and glutes.
So, keep that chest proud, hinge at the hips, and control the movement. Once you get it right, your posterior chain will thank you—and you’ll be crushing your lifts in no time.
