Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Hold a barbell or dumbbells in front of the thighs, arms straight. Stand tall — soft bend in the knees, this is NOT a locked-knee movement. Hinge at the hips: push them BACK while lowering the weight along the legs. Feel the hamstrings stretch as the weight descends to mid-shin. Keep the back flat — same neutral spine as a deadlift setup. Drive the hips forward to return to standing. Squeeze glutes at the top.
Why It Works
The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is the premier hamstring and glute strength builder — it trains the hip hinge under load through a large range of motion without the complexity of a conventional deadlift. For hockey players, strong hamstrings from RDLs directly reduce hamstring strain risk during explosive skating, improve stride extension, and build the posterior chain balance needed to offset the quad-dominant skating pattern.
Hockey Transfer
Builds hamstring and glute strength — drives skating extension. Three seconds down, one second up. The eccentric is where the hamstring grows. Don't bounce.
Coaching Cues
- "Hip hinge"
- "Soft knees"
- "Bar close to legs"
- "Feel hamstrings stretch"
- "Drive hips forward"
Common Mistakes
Bending the knees too much — turns it into a deadlift. Keep the slight knee bend consistent. Rounding the lower back — neutral spine throughout. Chest tall. Bar drifting away from the legs — keep it dragging along the shins and thighs. Not going low enough — aim for mid-shin before returning.
Progression / Regression
Single-leg RDL — unilateral loading with massive balance and hip stability demand.
Dumbbell RDL — easier to keep the weight close to the body and control the range.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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