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Hey guys, Sean Nalewanyj here of BodyTransformationTruth.com and in this video I’m going to be giving
you a quick tutorial on what I consider to be the very best overall compound exercise
for building hamstring size and strength, which is the Romanian deadlift.Hamstring training
is usually treated as an afterthought in most lifter's programs, with nothing more than
maybe a few sets of leg curls thrown in here and there, but if you really want to develop
the most well-rounded and impressive physique possible, if you want to increase your strength
on other big compound lifts like squats and deadlifts, maximize your ability to run faster
and jump higher, and improve your knee and your lower back health by avoiding lower body
strength imbalances, then hamstring training should be given the same level of focus and
intensity as any other muscle group on your body. So, even when using relatively light
weights, Romanian deadlifts are going to stimulate your hamstrings more effectively than any
other exercise out there, and my recommendation is to use these as the core, primary exercise
in your hamstring workout. The only challenge here is that, while Romanian deadlifts are
a great way to build your hamstrings, they’re also a particularly tricky exercise to really
nail down from a technical standpoint. Most people in the gym make a lot of really crucial
errors on this movement and they end up turning it into more of a lower back exercise rather
than a hamstring exercise, and this not only minimizes the development of the targeted
muscle, which is the hamstrings, but it also potentially increases your risk for lower
back injury as well. So, let’s go over proper Romanian deadlift form so that you can get
the very most out of this exercise possible and perform it in a safe and effective way.
You can perform this exercise using either a barbell or dumbbells. Either tool is fine
here, but I personally prefer to use dumbbells because I find that having each arm free rather
than being locked onto a fixed bar allows for a more natural overall movement. However,
you can still just use the variation that you personally prefer. So here’s how to
go about it. So you’re going to stand with your feet hip width apart and hold the bar
or dumbbells just outside of your legs, keeping your feet pointing straight ahead with the
weight on your heels and with a slight bend in your knees. From there, keep your chest
up, shoulders back, and chin tucked, and your neck in a neutral alignment. To start the
movement, focus on pushing your hips way back while maintaining a slight arch in your lower
back. Then you’re going to extend your hips forward until you feel a good stretch in your
hamstrings, and how far you bend forward is going to depend on your individual flexibility.
Once you feel that good stretch, pull the weight back up by pushing your hips forward.
You’re then going to squeeze your glutes and your hamstrings at the top of the movement,
and then just repeat. So the key here is to really aim for that good stretch in the hamstrings
at the bottom of each rep. It will almost feel like a mild sort of burning sensation,
and you’ll know when you’ve really nailed it down. Don’t worry about exactly how far
you bend forwrad and lower the weights; just go as far as you need to in order to really
feel that stretch. And again, this is going to vary from person to person and it's going
to depend on your individual flexibility. If you’re mostly feeling this exercise in
your lower back, then you need to continue practicing your form until you’re able to
effectively target your hamstrings. If you’ve never performed Romanian deadlifts before,
then you’re definitely going to want to start off with lighter weights first and just
focus on proper technique before increasing the load. Also, don’t think of Romanian
deadlifts as an explosive power movement like you would for regular bent-legged deadlifts
or squats, but nstead, just focus on stability and control. Go with a smooth, controlled
rep cadence using a good 3-4 second negative, focus on maintaining a nice long and neutral
spine, and really focus on trying to isolate the hamstrings as much as possible on each
rep. Again, don’t think of this exercise in terms of weight but rather on directly
loading the hamstrings as effectively as you can. My suggestion is to perform your Romanian
deadlifts for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps, and to use it as the primary hamstring exercise in
your routine. And in order to get a complete, well-rounded hamstring workout, you can then
follow up you Romanian deadlifts with 3-4 sets of leg curls for 5-7 reps each. So thanks
for watching this video lesson. If you want to learn all the details behind properly training
all of your major muscle groups including step-by-step workout plans and other useful
tips, make sure to head over to BodyTransformationTruth.com by clicking the icon at the top of the video
or using the link in the description box below to download my complete Body Transformation
Blueprint System. If you did enjoy the video, as always, please make sure to hit the LIKE
button, leave a comment and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future videos. And make sure
to check out my official blog over at SeanNal.com for all of my latest articles, tips and other
updates. Talk to you again soon.