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Kettlebell exercises

Double Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift: Slow Down, Hold, Stand Tall

A kettlebell in each hand. Knees soft, push your hips back for three seconds until the backs of your legs stretch, hold, then stand tall. Works the hamstrings long and heavy.

3 min read · In Structure · Anti-Folding

Why it works: Chapter 13, Why stretching your hamstrings will not loosen them

How to do it

  1. 1

    Pick them up once

    A bell on the floor just outside each foot. Push your hips back with a flat back, grip both handles and stand up tall. This is the only time the bells leave the floor.

  2. 2

    Soft knees, and keep them there

    Bend your knees a little, then hold that bend for the whole set. The knees do not bend more on the way down.

  3. 3

    Hips back for three

    Push your hips back over three seconds. Your chest comes forward as your hips go back, and the bells slide down beside your legs.

  4. 4

    Hold where it stretches

    Stop when the backs of your thighs are stretched and your back is still flat, usually a little below your knees. Hold for two seconds. The floor is not the target.

  5. 5

    Stand tall

    Drive your hips forward until you stand tall. Squeeze your glutes at the top and stop there; no leaning back. The bells only go back to the floor after the last rep.

  6. 6

    The test

    Your back stays flat, your knees stay where you set them, and you feel the stretch in the backs of your legs, not your lower back. When your back starts to round, the set is over.

Watch for

  • Squatting it. Your knees bend more as you go down, so your thighs take the load and the backs of your legs learn little.
  • Chasing the floor. Going lower than your hamstrings allow rounds your back. Stop where the stretch is.
  • Rushing the way down. The slow three seconds and the hold are where the backs of your legs work hardest.
  • Leaning back at the top. Standing tall is the finish; arching past it only loads your lower back.

Questions

Romanian deadlift or regular deadlift?

A regular deadlift starts every rep from the floor and bends the knees more. The Romanian deadlift starts standing, keeps the knees soft and still, and goes only as low as your hamstrings allow. That keeps the load on the backs of your legs while they are stretched long.

How low should a kettlebell Romanian deadlift go?

As low as your back stays flat, which for most people is a little below the knees. The stretch in the backs of your thighs tells you when to stop, not the floor.

How heavy should a double kettlebell Romanian deadlift be?

Heavy enough that the slow way down is hard by the fifth rep, light enough that your back stays flat through every hold. If the lowering speeds up, it is too heavy.