🔥RDL VS STIFF LEG DEADLIFT 👇
✳️ I like a lot of people thought that RDL’s are the same thing as stiff leg deadlifts, however they’re not. There are slight differences in the execution of the exercises and the possible benefit of doing each. The RDL is thought to have been coined by Nicu Vlad, a Romanian Olympic weightlifter who used the exercises to strengthen his back. ⠀
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✳️ The differences between the RDL and stiff leg deadlift is that the RDL has a greater knee flexion angle compared to the stiff leg deadlift. This is possibly so in order to increase the amount of hip flexion that occur without being limited by the hamstrings. The next difference is that the RDL never enters a deadweight position, meaning there is always tension on the bar. This technically withdraws it from the DEAD-lift category and puts it in more of a rack pull area.
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✳️ Having the weight never enter a deadweight position causes tension to be maintained on the muscles and requires much greater eccentric control than a regular deadlift where the weight is lowered relatively quick. This can make the RDL a great back strengthening exercises as back stiffness is maintained throughout the movement while a stiff leg deadlift tends to lose it towards the bottom.
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✳️ The RDL is a better exercise for someone who has limited hamstring mobility or longer shins relative to femur which can make lowering the weight to a dead position hard. The RDL is arguably harder on the back as there is constant tension which can be good for strengthening it and can be used as an accessory for conventional deadlifts. ⠀
The RDL can also be used as a mobility exercise to increase hamstring flexibility to allow for full ROM in a stiff leg deadlift. One may make an assumption that the stiff leg deadlift may possibly work the hamstrings slightly more due to a more favorable length of the muscle at the hip.
