Stiff Leg Vs Romanian Deadlift

[@darymetal]

I swear you could ask 20 different coaches what a SLDL is, and you would get 23 different answers

[@Noxide1021]

One is more hamstring the other is more flute that’s it

[@jaalanodaicyr868]

This guy looked almost like a regular deadlift haha

[@EGstill85]

So true. One lift touches the weight to the ground, the other reaches shin level. Yeah, and?

[@incurseio]

I feel the same way with lateral raises

[@omergoktuggunes4730]

​@kevintran6409Nah RDL is when you do not bend your knees unlike a SLDL in which you bend your knees a little to start in your normal deadlitf position SLDL s difference from deadlift is you dont lower your hips at the start of the lift to incorporate more quads and get some strech reflex out of your legs.So in RDL there is ZERO quad activation and generally a arched back to prestrech the hamstrings and no touching the ground making it a good hamstring streching exercise while SLDL is a deadlift without leg drive used as a accesory to build up a stronger deadlift and work mainly the glutes

[@EGstill85]

After watching a million of these shorts struggling to provide a sufficient explanation delineating between the two, I think I agree with Israetel that there is basically zero difference

[@youteubakount4449]

Basically just keep your leg as straight aas possible while going down as far as possible. Or if you care about rep consistency keep your legs as straight as possible while barely touching the ground

[@BigstickNick]

I think I’ll take Dorian Yates approach, and position myself so you don’t have to go down as far anyways. If the point is to hit hamstrings…you can stretch them and hit them just fine

[@tomashorst9544]

@marken816 THIS. My god nobody understands that difference

[@charliebaker1427]

​@marken816i mean rdls youre also pushing your butt back not staying straight up asmuch and your knees can bend

[@przemas141]

@@charliebaker1427 same with stiff legs man, there's really so little difference between those two that for me they are the same

[@kiffe22]

These two always vary, depending on who you ask but this is the weirdest definition of stiff-legged Deadlift I've seen.

[@rupsamukherjee3679]

Yes. I thought the difference was about the bent knees 😮

[@Reliant1864]

​@@rupsamukherjee3679seems depending on a person's anatomy some Stuff leg dead lift can have a little knee flexion

[@vietdungnguyen6612]

​@@rupsamukherjee3679 more knee bent more glutes activation and less knee bent more hamstrings

[@whitemakesright2177]

It's funny because he says "keep your legs straight," but he's clearly bending his knees in order to get the bar to the ground.

[@michaelsailor6016]

YEA ​@@whitemakesright2177

[@lachlankimpton4923]

This guy just said go down with your legs straight and then he bent his knees

[@CarlosVargas-oo6gn]

Replace the word “legs” with “shins” A regular deadlift involves bending the knees in order to push with your quads. A stiff-legged deadlift involves no quad drive by keeping the shins straight (in other words: not bending the knees) in order to involve more hamstring and lower back. I swear, if people who explain this exercise just say “keep your shins perpendicular to the floor” instead of “keep your legs straight” everybody listening would be a lot less confused

[@CaptainAMAZINGGG]

​@@CarlosVargas-oo6gn reading this comment just made me understand everything less. I hate the internet 😂😂😂

[@kman9884]

@@CarlosVargas-oo6gnA regular deadlift is pushing with hammies bruh. It’s a hip hinge.

[@IamLEGENDkb24]

@@CaptainAMAZINGGG a SLDL is basically a regular conventional dl.. you set up the same, shins 2-3 inches from the bar.. BUT in a regular dl, you let your shins move forward to make contact with the bar, more knee bend, more up right.. SLDL minimal knee bend and shins are str8, no contact with bar.. you'll be more horizontal.. i see RDL as same as SLDL but bar just doesn't touch the ground..

[@alfredhitchcock7386]

Exactly, like wtf dude... We can see you.

[@pablobonilla973]

I was taught (1980’s) stiff leg deadlifts was to be done with knees locked n u did not touch the floor unless u had the flexibility to do so. I guess times have changed.

[@LoveLikeaHurricane]

That would be the straightleg deadlift...which in this day is almost never done.

[@saviola5194]

@@LoveLikeaHurricane😂

[@Queazyboot3]

​@marken816my dick is not straight but it does get stiff. They aren't the same thing

[@CaptainAMAZINGGG]

​@marken816 literally what i just would naturally assume 🧐

[@nikolamiticdev]

Same here. Nothing about his legs are stiff. Any explanation?😅 or I just don't know English?

[@micheldebruin6229]

His stiff deadlift looks a look like a normal deadlift.

[@johnnyw329]

This is correct. The "stiff leg" part will look diffrent for different ppl bc of anatomy and proportions. Most ppl don't realize there is going to be a tiny bit of knee flexion in the SLDL otherwise it becomes more of a lower back dominant exercise rather than hamstring focused

[@RiddhimaBhadoriya-o5b]

Great breakdown of the differences between stiff leg and Romanian deadlifts. I always struggled with form on both, but this video really helped clarify things for me.

[@huglug9195]

In a stiff leg deadlift you should bend your knees as little as possible. When you bend your knees your hamstrings can't do work and your glutes take over.

[@mcquadextx]

Maybe that is his legs bent as little as possible. Your not his anotomy. Simples.

[@huglug9195]

@@mcquadextx maybe but it seems he's defining it based on rom instead of knee bend which is(in my opinion) not a very useful definition

[@gnb1222]

@@mcquadextx he’s def capable of putting his knees back, there’s more than one variation. This demo is the type of stiff leg where it would be possible to load it heavy. When you keep the knees back obviously you’d have to lighten the load because that is one of the hardest movements out there. It’ll absolutely fuck you up if you go slow eccentric with just 135 for 12-15 reps

[@TheBoon14]

OP knows what’s up.

[@jamestang96]

Seconded. At least in my vocabulary when comparing Stiff-leg (hamstring-centric) vs Romanian (glute-ish-centric) deadlifts. Guess it's just semantics?

[@rjvsmb]

The RDL was created by Nicu Vlad and his coach, Dragomir Cioroslan, to strengthen Nicu's back for the clean and jerk. There was no name for it. In 1990, Nicu and his coach were in San Francisco conducting a clinic at a gym named The Sports Palace owned by Jim Schmitz, the then President of the US Weightlifting Federation and the US weight lifting in 1980, 1988, and 1992. While at the clinic, Nicu demonstrated the Olympic lifts and proceeded to do his deadlift variation. Someone asked what the name of the lift and Nicu and Dragomir just shrugged. At that point, Jim Schmitz said, "Let's call it the Romanian deadline, or RDL for short." Dragomir could have learned it from Istvan, but Nicu and Jim Schmitz gave it a name and a place in the training world.

[@gabrieloliver-kose4090]

A simple google search shows this to be accurate. Not sure why he’s talking about Istvan 🤷

[@rjvsmb]

@@gabrieloliver-kose4090 I trained and worked at the Sports Palace in those days.

[@pricerowland]

The explanation is good, his knee flexion on the SLDL is deeper than most people's would be because of levers (long torso, short legs), not because technique is incorrect. Your legs are flexed, not locked, otherwise the spine would have to flex and the whole thing would be wonky.

[@efisgpr]

Long torso would mean he DOESN'T need to bend his knees to reach the ground.

[@SubhasisDutta-y1w]

I never realized how much of a difference the hip hinge can make in these exercises. Definitely going to focus on that in my next workout.

[@jacobkarlin6147]

I had coach Javorek teach me weight lifting in the early 2010s. He was a brutal coach but, looking back, it was the most enjoyable part if my teenage years

[@aaronmgriffin]

Your SLDL just looks like a normal DL

[@921FM]

there needs to be more knee flexion for it to be a normal deadlift watch the hips stay high

[@fVNzO]

I would say definitely not. Normal deadlifts you want to basically leg press at the bottom, otherwise you rise fucking up your back.

[@aaronmgriffin]

@@fVNzO your back is not made of glass. How much do you deadlift to be proclaiming such things?

[@fVNzO]

@@aaronmgriffin its very abnormal to deadlift with a rounded lower back and little to no bend in the knees at the bottom. That's it lil bro.

[@fVNzO]

@@aaronmgriffin Since i'm guessing you're very new to lifting here's a nice video explaining how to do it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jH2YcpVmiZVqm5Y you can see how your knees want to extend over the bar at the bottom and you want an almost 90 degree angle. So like i said, it's like a leg press at the bottom. Keep it up bro proud of ya!

[@riceimprove]

You said straight leg and bent your leg sooo much , you basically just did rdls on both sldl and rdl.

[@anhchien1992nt]

He had said straight leg when pratice it

[@upstateNYfinest]

I prefer to really try and place as much emphasis on hamstrings as possible by pointing toes straight and driving hips back as far as possible. If you havr the flexibility and core stability, you can really isolate ur hamstrings in a way that you dont with a traditional deadlift

[@moonstone4475]

The legs were straight in the SDL? What part did you mean because your knees were bent. Thanks :)

[@טלברודקין]

I was quite surprised to hear such an explanation from you, of all people. The difference seems to come down to whether or not the bar touches the floor, which sounds pretty arbitrary. From what I know, the difference is that in the Stiff Leg Deadlift, there’s less bend in the knees, keeping them relatively straight, which emphasizes the hamstrings. In contrast, the Romanian Deadlift involves more bending in the knees and hips, which engages the glutes more.

[@jlirving]

For me: Romanian, the cue is legs striaght and arse back. This gives me that ridiculous stretch in the hamstrings with a fraction of the rom. Stiff leg, I take to the floor, I'm folding my body a bit more allowing a littke bit more of upper back bend, there is a little leg bend allowed. Both are important imho. Slap on some defecit deadlifts and rack pulls and you're golden for all your deadlift accessory work.

[@x-techgaming]

And what if you stand on plates, for more floor height?

[@lilymcnabb6621]

I do rdls by hinging at waist with slight knee bend. I keep the barbell close to the legs and lower to a few inches off the ground. I am using 45lbs so I hold as long as i feel glutes and hamstrings stretching, usually 10 seconds and then hinge back up. My glutes have grown substantially. I see lots of women with super heavy weights. It looks hard on the back. I prefer lower weight and holding the stretch. No pain in the back.

[@charliebaker1427]

Romian deadlifts you hinge mostly,think kinda like a good morning but holding a bar not one on your back. where sldls are really just a deadlift you set up in a similar position to a normal but before you move your knees to touch the bar after pulling the slack out, ie keep your legs alot straighter during the pull and not bringing them to the bar as much

[@CarneGranada]

I thought the stiff leg dead lift was a deadlift from the floor with relatively straight legs. And an RDL was similar motion but it started at the top and never touched the ground.

[@King_Kenlee]

That's what he said?

[@Jay-we2ek]

That is exactly what he said though...

[@yaboijedi6653]

Ur right.

[@CaptainAMAZINGGG]

​@@Jay-we2ek what i thought, but then why is everyone else arguing about it in the other comments tho?! Omggg

[@mikumartikainen954]

I heard that romanian dl was invented by this guy named Roman, and he lifted stones so he invented it so he would not have to pick that rock of the ground after each Rep, so he never lowered it to the ground but did his reps just below his knees, dont know if its bullshit or not,

[@Luca21011]

It's fake, a Romania invented it

[@kenshin1644]

Why is it called straight leg when clearly his leg is bent. He even says go down with straight legs. And then he says the only difference between straight leg and rdl is straight leg the barbell touches the ground. I’m so confused

[@edmistonjohnathan]

My understanding is the targeted muscles. Your legs are almost locked out in the sldl to target the hamstrings. Most people with a straight back can’t go to the floor in that movement. And the Romanian has slightly more knee bend to target the glutes.

[@lifeisgood070]

Stiff leg dead lift I pushed down and twist my feet outwards while pulling. Basically like a leg press, but with the weight in my hand. Romanian dead lift I'm kicking my heels back like I'm doing a broad jump

[@ED-yo4qi]

RDL was developed by Nicu Vlad actually. But close enough.

[@RanRat717]

Which was why it was called the romanian DL.

[@triluve]

um, he had a coach called Istvan Javorek?

[@kame2.0]

@@triluve yeah people have problems with listening comprehension.

[@CaptainAMAZINGGG]

​@@kame2.0welcome to the internet 😂

[@KaMe....]

​@@CaptainAMAZINGGGbut its getting so much worse, unbelievable

[@bahandplays8373]

I thought stiff leg deadlift you hing your hips(to stretch the glutes and hamstrings) WITHOUT bending the knees(so the hamstrings stretch effectively) And RDL you hinge your hips(to stretch the glutes and the hamstrings) and bend your knees(so the hamstrings don’t get stretched as much) Making the RDL more glute biased and less hamstrings than the stiff leg deadlift

[@samuelbalavoine5031]

I always thought that stiff leg meant minimal knee bending and romanian was lots of knee bending, meaning one was a hamstrings dominant exercise while the other a glute dominant exercise

[@2pacgallar]

Why does this look more like a conventional deadlift to me ? 🤔

[@willeGG17]

Do you still have movement on the knees with a stiff legs?

[@kuroya113]

Good information❤❤😊

[@malceaalexandru]

As a romanian, i tottaly agree with his technique.

[@dave_m31370]

no, a stiff leg deadlift is just what it sounds like: "STIFF must the leg be" ! Legs should be BENT to a degree that allows you to put the bar down, then you lift IN THAT LEG POSITION all the way up, without straightening your legs. Romanian deadlift instead focuses on keeping the legs as straight as possible to emphasize low back and hamstring (even calves!) strength while stretched; obviously, you can't quite touch down in that straight leg position, and *that's* WHY you don't.

[@dave.h4075]

Can you suggest ideas for people who have long overweight torso’s and weak short leg’s only if you are able? Thx

[@mrose4132]

This is the third fitness influencer that I’ve watch for the difference between RDL and stiff leg deads and none of them understand what a “straight leg” is.

[@jarrodkunjka]

Eugene bro? When targeting hypertrophy would you suggest not locking out at the top of both exercises compared to locking out? Is there a benefit

[@ianscreamsvideo]

So more time under tension, no break?

[@eddiealexander6066]

So what do you call when you have your legs really straight and you hip hinge until you get a deep stretch on the hams?

[@henrikgulyas]

Well, Istvan is Hungarian ethnic, so it should be called Hungarian Deadlifts, shouldn't they? :) (Also you are pronouncing his surname, Javorek, as if it was a Spanish word...)

[@Ohmu]

I'm convinced this dude just likes to show off his level 4 gyatt

[@MichL_71]

What's that?

[@Ohmu]

@@MichL_71 gyatt is slang for ass

[@karkkimarkkinat2109]

Lvl 4??? More like lvl 99

[@mango1492]

That’s not a stiff legged dead lift.

[@TheKinetic]

István Javorek was born in a Hungarian family in Romania and then went to US later. But nevertheless, I never understood why they are talking so much about the slight (or even not existing) difference between SLDL and RDL. Even if there is a slight difference still the exact same muscles are working.

[@ohgood5299]

What’s the difference between a deadlift and standing good morning? They look the same to me and it’s confusing personally

[@jefffisher-uf7bc]

Its less a range of motion and more not releasing the tension by placing it down.

[@deadkidnextdoor]

I just can’t get to a point where the load is on my glutes keep feeling it on my lower back even with light weights and it’s stressing me out

[@nostra1874]

Difference between SLDL and DL is just the bend in the knee and starting off lifting from the ground?

[@ThanhLe-rt4sm]

So which one better? And what should i pick

[@austingomes2016]

Both!

[@NextGeneration789]

Bench

[@fred9148]

they are basically the same, so just pick the one you like more (for powerlifing stiff leg dl could be a bit better tho)

[@aravindthiagarajans6281]

Both

[@aravindthiagarajans6281]

​@@fred9148yes, a good mix for strength and size esp. for hammies, would say rdls are a bit more glutes

[@The_Mosaique]

What’s the difference between sldl and dl?? 🤔

[@anonymous-hj7zn]

I thought the idea with RDLs was to work lower back by not bending the knees and keeping the spine straight I've never done stiff-legged deadlifts though

[@KimMartin1969]

Quick question which one is better for hamstring growth?

[@Sofloasian]

@@KimMartin1969 I would say Romanian deadlift

[@bendodd2405]

That is not a straight/stiff leg deadlift at all. A straight leg deadlift is exactly that, straight legs. Essentially a good morning with the load infront of you. What he did was just two RDLs with a shorter range of motion. A stiff leg deadlift doesn't allow you to use as much weight becuase its easer to round the low back so have to focus on lower weight with better form

[@robertbeecroft5570]

How can you call it a stiff legged dead lift when your knees are bent?

[@NotNJF]

Straight dead lift, proceeds to bend legs.... key indicator of you're doing it wrong

[@dirtbagsailing]

Coming from a former student, I don't think Coach Javorek would make that claim. More known for his complex's that he invented, not the deadlift.

[@renderlifestyle]

I think i end up doing both. I struggle to find the difference between the two. Not sure why but i just do Zercher Deadlift instead

[@brianholt594]

The difference is time under tension and only that

[@aussiebodie]

That first one was just a normal deadlift. Stiff leg is just that..stiff...no bend in the knee. If you don't have the flexibility.. you can't do a stiff leg.

[@Greekhistoryyy]

Hey should we lock knees or not

[@jacobbutler169]

Usually love Eugene's work but stiff leg shouldn't have any bend in the knees and aims to target the hammies secondary gluteys

[@DunkinNugget]

Honestly I just consider them the same thing at this point. Pretty sure this is the kind of stuff that puts off newcomers.

[@stiflingmystrife]

What's the point of an RDL ?

[@sayantanghosh1675]

Which is best for hamstring

[@AstronomicaIPhotos]

romanian

[@kanyewestfmypp2967]

Guess what they are actually the exact same thing.

[@brianholt594]

One is to build strength and flexibility the other is strictly for bodybuilding purposes

[@SherazH1]

A stiff dead is when you have the legs completely locked straight. Using non heavy weight going all the way down and up.

[@hendo2920]

That’s wrong Stiff leg is RDL. The deeper you go, the deeper the stretch and more muscle you build. Remember muscles are built more in the stretched position

[@somethingwittygoeshere4364]

says straight legged and proceeds to have same knee bend as rdl lmfaooooo

[@omergoktuggunes4730]

Nah RDL is when you do not bend your knees unlike a SLDL in which you bend your knees a little to start in your normal deadlitf position SLDL s difference from deadlift is you dont lower your hips at the start of the lift to incorporate more quads and get some strech reflex out of your legs.So in RDL there is ZERO quad activation and generally a arched back to prestrech the hamstrings and no touching the ground making it a good hamstring streching exercise while SLDL is a deadlift without leg drive used as a accesory to build up a stronger deadlift and work mainly the glutes

[@wogelson]

István is a Hungarian name btw just saying

[@absp2006]

What about leg placement?

[@buddygenemusic]

I like to do Romanians and then not go all the way up for 10 reps or so so you never get rest on hammys it's constant tension. Learned that from poppa John

[@Alexs-Gym]

Also, greater time under tension

[@BulkBrogan.]

Ah yes the stiff legged deadlift the one where I bend my legs a lot right!?

[@bigslice54]

Is it me or are his "straight legs down" bent the same the whole time?

[@chrisconnolly1949]

Sorry but wrong. RDL never locks out the knees or fully straightens the back. Both stay slightly bent at all times and thus puts the load on the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Plus, like you said, plates never contact the ground. Just sayin.

[@rodg8926]

What about Yuri Glokina??

[@Endlesnes]

SLDL gotta be with a straight stiff leg eh compared to RDL with slightly bent knee.

[@vikingthedude]

Will a long femur person’s conventional DL look similar to a SLDL? Asking because i have long femurs and when i do conventional my hips end up pretty high up anyway

[@simonrudbech-jepsen2518]

Most of the people in the comments don't know RDL from SLDL from conventionel DL. He did it correctly. And most people can't do SLDL without bending the knee joint slightly!

[@dr.t7245]

SL aim to feel more hamstrings, RDL aim to feel more glutes.

[@swinsop3220]

No,the stiff legged Deadlift means your knee doesn't move through the movement unlike a Romanian Deadlift

[@LoveLikeaHurricane]

I personally never saw the benefit of Stiff leg and the romanian does everything Stiff leg does...but I argue is safer, and you can also do more weight.

[@andreipitu128]

The rdl was developed by Nicu Vlad, not Istvan Javorek

[@ilo5736]

Dude just said straight legs and had them hella bent

[@kadenwilson9511]

My knowledge is not nearly as profound as yours, so by no means am I saying you’re wrong. However I thought the primary difference between an rdl and sldl was the angle of degree bend in the knees

[@Teja-l8b]

My lower back aches while I perform SLDL.. Is it normal or not please🙏 let me know guys

[@DazTheNord]

“Straight leg”

[@madhurchari6851]

Isn’t stiff legged supposed to be where you dont bend your knees at all and hinge from your hip, thats why the name “stiff legs” because they remain straight. RDLs are when you bend the knees and then hinge How come what you are saying is so different

[@willparsons9551]

Can we all agree that a bent leg is not a straight leg? When you bend your leg it’s no longer straight. To have a straight leg you can’t bend your knee.

[@freud1025]

If this is SLD then what is a normal DL

[@Cumberland_swasige]

He's performing the same movement.

[@jaygee5546]

I do RDLs because I dont have the flexibility to touch the bar to the ground. But I'm progressively improving my ROM so... stiff legs here I come..?

[@sammyttheg412]

If this is a stiff leg deadlift whats the difference with a conventional deadlift. Seems exactly the same

[@comrade_freddy]

But isnt your SDL Just a normal Deadlift ?

[@spiloFTW]

Straight leg is a deadlift where you start in a less optima starting position - hips higher. Don't take the "straight leg" part of the name literally.

[@cotalk]

Im not convinced those arent the same damn lift.

[@stevearttus8164]

I always do RDL's, since I workout with multiple reps and sets. I don't see the benefit in going down the additional 6 inches.

[@tanngrisnr5076]

I think my legs are too long for a stiff legged deadlift