Slight bend in the knees
Push your hips back/to the sky (drive you bum back) whilst maintaining a neutral spine (hinge at the hips)
Chase the stretch in the back of the legs (hamstrings)
Drive-up by squeezing your glutes and driving your hips forwards (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
Banded RDL
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Slight bend in the knees
Push your hips back / to the sky (drive you bum back) whilst maintaining a neutral spine (hinge at the hips)
Keep the band close to your body
Chase the stretch in the back of the legs (hamstrings)
Drive-up by squeezing your glutes and driving your hips forward (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
Dumbbell RDL
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Slight bend in the knees
Push your hips back/to the sky (drive you bum back) whilst maintaining a neutral spine (hinge at the hips)
Keep the dumbbells close to your body
Chase the stretch in the back of the legs (hamstrings)
Drive up by squeezing your glutes into the dumbbells (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
Finish the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift in the upright position with your core braced and your glutes firmly tensed
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
Check out my full RDL tutorial below for more coaching points
Sumo deadlift
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Keep the bar close to your body
Core braced and spine neutral
Whilst maintaining a neutral spine, drive up by pressing the ground away from you then squeezing your glutes into the bar (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
Slowly control the movement back down by driving your hips back (hinge at the hips)and slightly squatting
Once the weight is dead to the ground you can repeat
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
Barbell deadlift
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Keep the bar close to your body
Core braced and spine neutral
Whilst maintaining a neutral spine, drive up by pressing the ground away from you then squeezing your glutes into the bar (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
Slowly control the movement back down by driving your hips back(hinge at the hips) and slightly squatting
Once the weight is dead to the ground you can repeat
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
FULL TUTORAL
Seated leg curl (single leg)
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Curl the heel towards your glutes
Squeeze at the bottom to achieve maximum contraction of the hamstrings
Slowly control the weight back up (DON'T lock out at the knees)
Maintain the tension in the muscles through the full range of motion
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
45 Degree Hip Extension
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Slight bend in the knees
Push your hips back/to the sky (drive you bum back) whilst maintaining a neutral spine (hinge at the hips)
Chase the stretch in the back of the legs (hamstrings)
Drive up by squeezing your glutes into the pad (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
Sumo Deadlift (With Reset)
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Keep the bar close to your body
Core braced and spine neutral
Whilst maintaining a neutral spine, drive up by pressing the ground away from you then squeezing your glutes into the bar (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
Slowly control the movement back down by driving your hips back and slightly squatting
Once the weight is dead to the ground you can repeat
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
Deadlift (with reset)
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Keep the bar close to your body
Core braced and spine neutral
Whilst maintaining a neutral spine, drive up by pressing the ground away from you then squeezing your glutes into the bar (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
Slowly control the movement back down by driving your hips back and slightly squatting
Once the weight is dead to the ground you can repeat
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
Nordics
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Slowly control yourself down (using the hamstrings to slow you down)
Make sure you DON'T arch the lower back
Press up by pushing off the ground then engaging the hamstrings to take you the rest of the way up
Squeeze at the top to achieve a maximum contraction of the hamstrings and glutes
Your knee, hips and shoulders should form a straight line through the full range of motion
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
RDL
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Shoulder blades pinned back
Slight bend in the knees
Push your hips back/to the sky (drive you bum back) whilst maintaining a neutral spine (hinge at the hips)
Keep the bar close to your body
Chase the stretch in the back of the legs (hamstrings)
Drive up by squeezing your glutes into the bar (don't hyperextend the lower back at the top)
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
FULL TUTORIAL
The RDL (Romanian Deadlift) is a compound hinge movement focusing on the hamstrings (back of legs), specifically the eccentric (way down) part of the exercise where we are trying to achieve maximum stretch through the hamstrings. The starting position is holding the bar at hip level with a pronated grip. Your shoulders should be pinned back, your back neutral and your knees slightly bent. Once you have a strong starting position, you’ll be ready to start the movement. Lower the bar by pushing your bottom back as far as you can. Keep the bar as close to your body as possible (it should slide down your legs) and keep your shoulders pinned back. You’ll know when you’re doing it correctly as you’ll feel an incredible stretch in the hamstrings. Once you’ve reached full stretch (generally just below the knee), you can then start to bring the weight back up by driving your hips forward and locking out at the hip joint to achieve full squeeze of the glutes. Make sure your back stays straight through the full range of motion.
Lying leg curls
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Curl the heels towards your glutes
Squeeze at the top to achieve a maximum contraction of the hamstrings
Make sure you DON'T arch the lower back
Slowly control the weight back down (DON'T lock out at the knees)
Maintain the tension in the muscles through the full range of motion
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
Seated leg curl
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Curl the heels towards your glutes
Squeeze at the bottom to achieve a maximum contraction of the hamstrings
Make sure you DON'T arch the lower back
Slowly control the weight back up (DON'T lock out at the knees)
Maintain the tension in the muscles through the full range of motion
MAIN MUSCLE - HAMSTRINGS
TRX leg curl
KEY COACHING POINTS:
Curl the heels towards your glutes
Squeeze at the top to achieve a maximum contraction of the hamstrings and glutes
Make sure you DON'T arch the lower back
Slowly control the weight back down (DON'T lock out at the knees)
Maintain the tension in the muscles through the full range of motion
