Romanian Deadlift (RDL): Why the Weight Should Not Touch the Floor, and Proper Technique

Should the Weight Touch the Floor in RDL?

In a Romanian Deadlift (RDL), the weight generally should not touch the floor. The primary goal of an RDL is to maintain continuous tension on the posterior chain muscles (hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae) through a hip-hinge movement, typically stopping the descent when a significant stretch is felt in the hamstrings or just above the floor, depending on individual flexibility and the specific training goal.

Understanding the Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) is a fundamental strength exercise primarily targeting the posterior chain musculature. Unlike a conventional deadlift, which starts from the floor and involves significant knee flexion, the RDL emphasizes a hip-hinge movement with relatively straight legs (a slight, constant knee bend) and focuses on the eccentric (lowering) phase to maximize hamstring and glute development. It's a powerful movement for building strength, hypertrophy, and improving hip mobility and stability.

The Core Question: To Touch or Not to Touch?

The distinction between an RDL and a conventional deadlift often hinges on the range of motion and the starting/ending position of the weight. For an RDL, the consensus among exercise science professionals is that the weight should not touch the floor during each repetition.

The RDL's Purpose and Biomechanics

To understand why the weight typically doesn't touch the floor, we must revisit the RDL's core principles:

• Hip Hinge Dominance: The movement is initiated by pushing the hips back, not by bending the knees or rounding the lower back. The torso acts as a lever, hinging at the hips.
• Posterior Chain Focus: The primary movers are the glutes and hamstrings, with significant involvement from the erector spinae (lower back muscles) to maintain a neutral spine.
• Continuous Tension: A hallmark of the RDL is maintaining tension on the target muscles throughout the entire set. Lowering the weight to the floor often allows for a momentary rest or re-grip, disrupting this continuous tension.
• Eccentric Emphasis: The controlled lowering phase (eccentric contraction) is crucial for muscle growth and strength development in the hamstrings.

The Role of Range of Motion (ROM)

The optimal ROM for an RDL is dictated by individual flexibility, particularly hamstring flexibility, and the ability to maintain a neutral spine.

• Optimal ROM for RDLs: The descent should continue until you feel a significant stretch in your hamstrings. For most individuals, this will be somewhere between mid-shin and just below the knees, or even a few inches above the floor. The key is to stop before your lower back starts to round or your technique breaks down.
• When Touching the Floor Might Occur (and Why it's Usually Not the Goal): While some exceptionally flexible individuals might be able to lower the weight very close to the floor while maintaining perfect form, actively aiming to touch the floor often leads to compromising technique for depth.

Why Touching the Floor is Generally NOT Recommended for RDLs

There are several compelling reasons why the weight should typically not touch the floor in an RDL:

• Altered Muscle Engagement: When the weight touches the floor, especially if it's done without strict control, the exercise begins to resemble a conventional deadlift or a "stiff-legged deadlift" that may involve more lumbar flexion. This shifts the focus away from the continuous hamstring and glute tension that defines the RDL.
• Increased Lumbar Spine Risk: To reach the floor, many individuals will compensate by rounding their lower back (lumbar flexion) once their hamstring flexibility limit is reached. This places undue stress on the spinal discs and ligaments, significantly increasing the risk of injury.
• Loss of Tension: Allowing the weight to rest on the floor removes the continuous tension from the hamstrings and glutes. This interrupts the work being performed by these muscles, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise for hypertrophy and strength specific to the RDL's intended muscle activation pattern.
• Transition to a Conventional Deadlift: If you lower the weight to the floor and then initiate the concentric (lifting) phase from a dead stop, you're essentially performing a conventional deadlift (or a hybrid), not a pure RDL. While both are excellent exercises, they serve different purposes and have different biomechanical demands.

When Is It Acceptable to Go Lower (or Touch)?

There are very specific scenarios where going lower, or even lightly touching the floor, might be considered:

• Exceptional Flexibility: Individuals with extraordinary hamstring flexibility and the ability to maintain a perfectly neutral spine throughout the entire range of motion might naturally lower the bar very close to or lightly touch the floor without compromising form. Even then, the intent is still continuous tension, not resting.
• Specific Program Goals (Advanced): In some advanced programming, an RDL might be intentionally combined with a deficit or a pause at the bottom to increase time under tension or range of motion, but this is usually done with lighter weights and under strict coaching supervision, with the explicit understanding of the risks.
• Light Weights/Warm-ups: When using very light weights for warm-ups or technique practice, exploring a slightly deeper range might be less risky, but the principle of stopping before lumbar rounding still applies.

Key Cues for Proper RDL Execution

To ensure you're performing RDLs effectively and safely, focus on these cues:

• Initiate with the Hips: Start the movement by pushing your hips straight back, as if reaching for a wall behind you.
• Maintain a Soft Bend in the Knees: Keep a slight, constant bend in your knees throughout the entire movement. Do not lock them out, but also avoid excessive knee flexion (which would make it a squat or conventional deadlift).
• Keep the Bar Close: The barbell (or dumbbells) should travel in a straight line, close to your legs, throughout the entire movement.
• Maintain a Neutral Spine: Keep your back straight, chest up, and core engaged. Avoid any rounding of the lower back. Look slightly forward or down to maintain cervical spine alignment.
• Lower Until a Stretch is Felt: Descend until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings. This is your signal to stop the eccentric phase. For most, this will be around mid-shin or just below the knees.
• Engage the Glutes and Hamstrings: To initiate the ascent, drive your hips forward, squeezing your glutes powerfully at the top. Think about pulling the weight up with your hamstrings and glutes, not lifting with your back.
• Control the Descent and Ascent: Perform the exercise with deliberate control, especially during the lowering phase. Avoid "dropping" the weight.

Conclusion: Prioritize Purpose Over Depth

In summary, for the vast majority of lifters, the weight should not touch the floor during a Romanian Deadlift. The RDL is designed to maximize continuous tension on the posterior chain through a controlled hip hinge, stopping at the point of maximal safe hamstring stretch. Prioritizing proper form, maintaining spinal neutrality, and ensuring continuous muscle tension will yield far greater benefits and reduce injury risk than striving for an arbitrary depth that compromises technique. Focus on the feeling of the stretch and engagement, not just how low the bar goes.