Eric Roberts breaks down the dumbbell Romanian deadlift in four steps: angle shoulders 45 degrees with dumbbells close to your body, keep a soft knee bend and tuck your chin, hinge at the hips until dumbbells reach mid-shin, then drive your hips forward and squeeze the glutes. Control matters more than momentum.
Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts are a great exercise to work your glutes and your hamstrings, but they're often done incorrectly, leading to injury. Step 1, turn the dumbbells and your shoulders more at a 45-degree angle and close your armpits shut. Step 2, create a soft bend in your knee and tuck your chin to the wall behind you. Step 3, think about pushing your hips to something behind you, hitting it with your butt, and go down to about the mid-shin. Chin level on your legs. Don't go lower than that. Step 4, stand up by bringing your hips back forward and squeezing your glutes. Not thrusting forward, but more so if someone's gonna stick their finger up your butt. Congrats, that's the perfect RDL!
