The Single Leg Romanian deadlift is one of our favorite exercises to use with our clients at Empower U and one we see used quite often at our affiliate gyms. It requires a delicate balance of multi-joint mobility and stability, as well as single leg balance and neuromuscular control. This exercise is very effective at strengthening the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes), as well as developing single leg stability, necessary for the majority of daily activities. Often times if an athlete or client is ready for this particular exercise, it will expose imbalances and weaknesses that need to be addressed. Here are three common errors we see when teaching this exercise to clients.
- Loss of Spinal Stiffness– If you perform a SL RDL and you have back pain at the end of a set, there is a good chance this is your error. When performing the exercise it is important to maintain a neutral spine throughout the lift. Keeping the chin tucked, core tight, and focusing on hinging at the hips and feeling the hamstrings lengthen, rather than trying to go down to the ground as far as possible will help keep the back from flexing and losing its appropriate stiffness.
- Lazy Trail Leg– It is often the most overlooked component of the exercise, but it is important to keep tension in the back leg by keeping it active. Think of kicking the leg back behind you and squeezing your glute as you slowly descend into the deadlift position. This will significantly improve the sensation of hamstring load on the stance leg.
- Toeing Out Trail Leg– This is a common error that is usually indicative of tight trail leg hip external rotators or lack of pelvic control due to weakness in the gluteus medius muscle. A simple cue to help clean up this error is “Heels to the sky, toes to the ground.” This puts the pelvis in a proper position and loads the stance leg in a proper amount of hip internal rotation.
