Difference between SLDL and RDL

[Grizzly]

What exactly is the difference?

 

[Primo Max]

For an RDL, you lower the bar by pushing your ass backwards with bent knees (probably 15-20 degree bend). The bar travels to about knee level or slightly lower, and it is kept close to the body. For a SLDL, you bend forward with straighter legs and the bar travels more in front of the body. You lower the bar farther down relative to your legs with SL but Romanians have a longer ROM and are a lot safer. That's how I think of it anyways. There's some good articles on Tmag that talk about the difference too.

 

[Pablo34]

I have yet to truly get the understanding of the difference between all of the different styles of deadlifts. Not only are there Romanian, Stiff legged, and Sumo...but there are differences in the pulling motion such as touch-and-go or continuous strain.

I myself do what I 'think' is a Romanian deadlift. My knees are slightly bent...on the way up my knees start straightening out and my back bends backwards also. There is no way I could do a SLDL because my back would round out immediately because I have poor flexibility...I would have to have my knees bent just so I could reach the bar on the floor. Also, I do the touch and go method...I believe I learned about this through John Smith on this board. Most of the bigger and stronger guys at my gym who deadlift usually do 1 rep maxes all the time, or they touch-and-go. Most of the smaller guys, more interested in looks than strength, do the SLDL where there is a continuous strain on the back. I don't know which method is best, I just know I never do SLDL and the Romanian touch and go method has made my upper body thicker and stronger.

 

[oarkinsm]

I have yet to truly get the understanding of the difference between all of the different styles of deadlifts. Not only are there Romanian, Stiff legged, and Sumo...but there are differences in the pulling motion such as touch-and-go or continuous strain.

I myself do what I 'think' is a Romanian deadlift. My knees are slightly bent...on the way up my knees start straightening out and my back bends backwards also. There is no way I could do a SLDL because my back would round out immediately because I have poor flexibility...I would have to have my knees bent just so I could reach the bar on the floor. Also, I do the touch and go method...I believe I learned about this through John Smith on this board. Most of the bigger and stronger guys at my gym who deadlift usually do 1 rep maxes all the time, or they touch-and-go. Most of the smaller guys, more interested in looks than strength, do the SLDL where there is a continuous strain on the back. I don't know which method is best, I just know I never do SLDL and the Romanian touch and go method has made my upper body thicker and stronger.

Stiff leg Dead hit the hamstrings more thabn anything else and lower back. Romain deads are seen to mainly back exerisce or full body exercise. Sumo Deads hit the legs more than the back.

When I do deads i use romain and i rest pause my resps. do a rep drop the bar stand up and reset my postion. This may lose contant tension on the muscle but you still fgoes to failure and by resetting the full grip it keeps me in the grove each rep and prevents me from injurying myself. I find touch and go can kock me out of the grove .

 

[Ramstein II]

Rdl

I’ll chime in b/c this is one of my favorite exercises and one of the best IMO. RDL=legs slightly bent, bar goes to mid shin, back stays arched, stance slightly less than shoulder width. SLDL=legs locked or near locked, bar goes to toes or as low as possible, back might bow, feet almost together or together. RDL slam the hams. The mid point of the range of motion is directly in the middle of the hamstrings, whereas with SLDL the mid point is behind the knees. You can use much more intensity (load) with RDL. I usually only do a warm up and one set (6-8 reps) one time a week because they are so taxing on the CNS and the connective tissue. Any more than that and I’m sore for a week. I use 75% of my squat weight on this movement. Also, RDL are great at working the mid back (lower traps).

 

[Freddy]

Ill chime in b/c this is one of my favorite exercises and one of the best IMO. RDL=legs slightly bent, bar goes to mid shin, back stays arched, stance slightly less than shoulder width. SLDL=legs locked or near locked, bar goes to toes or as low as possible, back might bow, feet almost together or together. RDL slam the hams. The mid point of the range of motion is directly in the middle of the hamstrings, whereas with SLDL the mid point is behind the knees. You can use much more intensity (load) with RDL. I usually only do a warm up and one set (6-8 reps) one time a week because they are so taxing on the CNS and the connective tissue. Any more than that and Im sore for a week. I use 75% of my squat weight on this movement. Also, RDL are great at working the mid back (lower traps).

Thats how I perform the two respective lifts.

I prefer the SLDL though. As a powerlifter, my goal is to bring up my deadlift, and SLDLs have always seemed to do the trick better for me and my partners. I guess for bodybuilders RDLs might be better. JS's kids use RDLs quite often and they all have Mac-truck backs, so thats probably amble reason to do them. Of course, I only ever hear JS talking about his SLDL, not his RDL...so who knows.

Oh, when I do SLDLs I start the bar on the floor, like a normal deadlift. I don't reverse the eccentric/concentric like a lot of guys do. I figure it has a better carryover to my competition deadlift this way, but I can't be sure.

 

[Pablo34]

Ill chime in b/c this is one of my favorite exercises and one of the best IMO. RDL=legs slightly bent, bar goes to mid shin, back stays arched, stance slightly less than shoulder width. SLDL=legs locked or near locked, bar goes to toes or as low as possible, back might bow, feet almost together or together. RDL slam the hams. The mid point of the range of motion is directly in the middle of the hamstrings, whereas with SLDL the mid point is behind the knees. You can use much more intensity (load) with RDL. I usually only do a warm up and one set (6-8 reps) one time a week because they are so taxing on the CNS and the connective tissue. Any more than that and Im sore for a week. I use 75% of my squat weight on this movement. Also, RDL are great at working the mid back (lower traps).

Ramstein,

See, when I do RDL's, the bar comes all the way down to the floor (touch and go) and then when I go for my next rep my knees and back both straighten out at the same time, until I am standing with the bar in hand, back slightly bent at the top, and the bar is even with my quads (basically I am standing while holding the bar during the lockout). It never just goes to mid-shin like you stated. That's why I can never really classify which type of deadlift I do.

 

[Grizzly]

Looks like I've always done RDL's and classified them as SLDL's. Cool, then I've been doing the program JS gave me correctly.

One more question, when bringing the bar back up in the RDL, are you supposed to straighten the legs at the top? I do, so I'm wondering if that's right or not.

 

[Pablo34]

Looks like I've always done RDL's and classified them as SLDL's. Cool, then I've been doing the program JS gave me correctly.

One more question, when bringing the bar back up in the RDL, are you supposed to straighten the legs at the top? I do, so I'm wondering if that's right or not.

Grizz,
I believe you and me both do RDL's, and yes you rise up and lock them out (well knees almost locked) at the top of the movement. It's when you go down that SLDL's and RDL's are different...with SLDL your knees never really bend from position A to position B, you just basically bend at the waist as you lower the bar. RDL's, you bend the knees as you bend your waist forward to lower the bar to the ground.

Grizz, do you do touch-and-go with your reps or do you suspend the weight for the entire set?

 

[Grizzly]

I take it to mid shin level, usually. Once I feel a really good stretch in my hammies, it's time to come back up.