[DynamiteMMA]

So I was at the gym today and performing Romanian Deadlifts for reps. Now I'm not very flexible, and my back was rounding at the bottom a little. I figured this was okay (I'm a noob what can I say), as long as my back stayed straight for most of the lift.

A trainer comes to me and tells me not to round my lower back as much, by not going as deep. I told him I thought I was supposed to lift the bar all the way up from the floor, and he replied not if you round your back.

So my question for the S&P community is what do I do? Do I continue going all the way down even if my back rounds a bit? Do I only go half way down to keep my back straight?

Also, what stretches are good to make me for flexible so that I could go all the way down on the deadlift without rounding my back?

Thank you.

[takeahnase]

If you are doing RDLs, your back should not round. Ignoring potential injury issues, the lower back remains flat/arched in RDLs at all times as a matter of form.

With SLDLs some people let their lower back round.

In general I would take it easy with the weights so that your lower back does not round for the first couple of months of your training. After that you might get a feeling for what works and what not.

That being said, if you look at strongman comps, it is pretty evident that rounding your back once in a while will not immediately cripple you for life.

[Merrill]

Romanian deadlifts should not be done from the floor. Generally the bar only goes down to an inch or two from knee level.

[DynamiteMMA]

Thanks for the advice, although it is not so much an issue of weight as it is with flexibility. I tried it with a skinny ten pound bar and my back was still rounding at the bottom.

[Donut62]

If you are doing RDL you don't have to go deep. Keeping the tight arch and sitting back is the key to the RDL. If you are doing this right the weight shouldn't be touching the floor.

[DynamiteMMA]

Thanks for the replys guys. All the demos/videos I have seen on the RDL have shown the bar going all the way down. Would someone please be able to show me a link to a video of someone doing an RDL with proper technique. Thank you.

[takeahnase]

But you can also go deep and do them like this

[DynamiteMMA]

Thanks guys! I'll keep all this in mind next time I hit the gym!

[CarnalSalvation]

Originally Posted by takeahnase

But you can also go deep and do them like this

Going down far is just fine, shit, guys do them off platforms so they can get crazy ROM and not touch the floor. But the guy in the second video made two mistakes IMO:

1. Starting from the floor
2. His legs were far too straight. That was actually a Keystone Deadlift. Still a great lift, but not the same as an RDL.

[Jubacat]

I have been struggling with my RDL's, so this is great info.