Dumbbell RDL

How to Perform the Dumbbell RDL

Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip in front of your thighs.
Pull your shoulders back and down, bracing your core to maintain a neutral spine.
Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back as if trying to touch a wall behind you.
Lower the dumbbells along the front of your legs, keeping them close to your body as you hinge forward.
Continue lowering until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, typically when the dumbbells reach mid-shin level.
Pause briefly at the bottom, then drive your hips forward to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Keep a slight bend in your knees throughout the entire movement to protect your lower back.

Rounding the lower back during the descent

Maintain a neutral spine by keeping your chest up and shoulder blades retracted throughout the movement.

Bending the knees too much, turning it into a squat

Keep only a slight, fixed bend in the knees and drive the movement from the hips rather than the knees.

Letting the dumbbells drift away from the body

Keep the dumbbells sliding along or very close to your legs throughout the entire range of motion.

✓Builds hamstring and glute strength through a full range of motion.
✓Improves hip hinge mechanics which transfers to deadlift and athletic performance.
✓Enhances posterior chain flexibility and reduces risk of hamstring strains.

●Think about pushing your hips back rather than bending forward to maintain the correct hip hinge pattern.
●Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of each rep to fully lock out the hips.
●Control the eccentric (lowering) phase for 2-3 seconds to maximise muscle tension on the hamstrings.

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

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