Whether you’re a strength-training competitor or a weekend warrior, you’ll be adding pull exercises to your program sooner or later. The conventional deadlift and the Romanian deadlift are two premium pulling options. But how do you choose between them?

In today’s blog, we’ll discuss what deadlifts are, the differences and similarities between conventional and Romanian deadlifts, and the advantages of doing both at our Thornton gym.

What Is a Conventional Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift at the Gym?

The conventional deadlift is a powerhouse of a workout that builds remarkable muscle mass, strength, and pulling power. Its cousin, the Romanian deadlift, has a different starting and ending point, but it’s still a potent pulling exercise.

What Is a Conventional Deadlift?

When you do a conventional deadlift, you lift a weight from the floor to hip level. During a conventional deadlift, you perform a full range of motion, typically using a barbell.

This is deadlifting in its purest form. All other variations will have words added to them, such as the Romanian deadlift.

What Is a Romanian Deadlift?

The Romanian deadlift, on the other hand, involves a partial range of motion compared to the conventional deadlift. During a Romanian deadlift, you move the weight from just below your knees to hip level.

The Romanian deadlift is often abbreviated as “RDL.”

What Are the Differences Between a Conventional Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift at the Gym?

Now that we know what conventional deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts are, let’s take a look at the differences between these two iconic strength training exercises.

Starting Positions

One of the most obvious differences between the conventional deadlift and Romanian deadlift is the starting position of the movement.

With the conventional deadlift, you begin each rep from the floor. With the Romanian deadlift, you begin each rep from the upright standing position.

Range of Motion

Another difference between the conventional deadlift and Romanian deadlift is the range of motion.

The conventional deadlift brings your body through a full range of motion, from squatting down as the weight touches the floor to standing up.

The Romanian deadlift isolates the top half of the range of motion, from bending over to about shin-height to standing up.

Body Mechanics

Your body will move differently during a conventional deadlift vs. a Romanian deadlift.

While performing a conventional deadlift, you’ll bend at both the knees and hips. While performing a Romanian deadlift, you’ll bend mainly at the hips.

Due to these slightly different body mechanics, you’ll recruit different muscles during each lift.

Muscles Worked

Both the conventional deadlift and the Romanian deadlift work your entire posterior chain including your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Your quadriceps are also involved, to some extent, in both of these lifts.

The conventional deadlift, however, works the quads more because of the larger knee bend. The Romanian deadlift and its isolated hip bend targets the hamstrings and glutes more.

Competitions

The Romanian deadlift is not a lift that you’ll be asked to perform during a competition. The conventional deadlift, on the other hand, is a powerlifting competition lift that you’ll see at both CrossFit and strongman/strongwoman events.

That doesn’t mean, however, that both types of deadlifts can’t play a critical role in your training. It all depends on your goals whether you think the RDL or conventional deadlift will work better for you.

Maximizing Strength

To build brute strength, you’ll want to turn to the conventional deadlift. Bringing a loaded barbell from the floor to a standing position is a much different exercise than bringing the weight off the floor, lowering it to shin height, and then repeating that move without ever touching the ground until you’re done.

It’s said that the conventional deadlift is the king of compound movements. The conventional deadlift works virtually every muscle in your body including your traps, forearms, lats, glutes, hamstrings, quads, abs, calves, rhomboids, rear delts, and grip strength, so it can be the greatest full-body strength exercise in a weightlifter’s arsenal.

Concentric vs. Eccentric Phases

Because of the different starting positions, the conventional deadlift and RDL work your muscles through different lift phases – concentric and eccentric.

The concentric phase is the lifting part of the exercise. The eccentric phase is the lowering (or negative) portion of the exercise.

Since the conventional deadlift starts from the floor, the focus is on the lifting of the weight – the concentric phase. This is followed by a controlled drop to the floor.

On the other hand, the Romanian deadlift focuses on a controlled lowering of the weight to your shins (the eccentric phase), followed by a raise back to the starting point.

Learning How to Do Conventional and Romanian Deadlifts at the Gym

Neither the conventional nor Romanian deadlift are beginner moves. If you’re just starting strength training, it can take some time and practice with a variety of tools before you are able to properly deadlift with a barbell.

Before deadlifting, you should have a good mastery of squats, good mornings, and lunges. And, because doing a deadlift improperly can injure your back, make sure to start with light weights or no weight at all. If you have a history of back problems, speak to your doctor before trying deadlifts.

In addition to time-honored barbell deadlifting, there are many other ways you can practice deadlifting at the gym, including with:

Which Is Better at the Gym – Conventional Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts?

When you start comparing the RDL to conventional deadlifts, you might wonder which one will give you the biggest bang for your buck at the gym. The answer to this question is, it depends on your goals, as one is not necessarily better than the other. Each type of deadlift has its benefits and limitations, and you might find that you’ll want to incorporate both into your gym program.

Pros and Cons of the Romanian Deadlift

Pros — The Romanian deadlift is great for targeting hamstrings and glutes for muscle growth (hypertrophy). In addition, you can use RDLs to improve your conventional deadlift gains. You also don’t need as much weight to get benefits from the RDL, so it’s not as hard on your nervous system.
Cons – The Romanian deadlift is not as good for strength gains as the conventional deadlift.

Pros and Cons of the Conventional Deadlift

Pros — The conventional deadlift is one of the best exercises for total body strength. It will also help you build a thick back. The conventional deadlift works more muscle groups than the RDL, and it also burns a lot of calories.
Cons — The conventional deadlift typically requires heavier loads, which means more time for nervous system recovery.

How Do I Perform the Conventional Deadlift at the Gym?

To perform a conventional deadlift at the gym, begin with the barbell on the floor in front of you.

Step up to the barbell with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
The bar should be located directly over your feet, about mid-foot.
Your feet should be pointing straight ahead or slightly outward.
Squat down by bending your knees and lowering your hips. Keep your back straight and angled to the floor. Do not hunch your shoulders.
As you bend forward, grab the bar just outside of your shins. You can use an overhand grip or a mixed grip (over/under) for this lift.
Roll the bar back until it is touching your shins.
From this starting position, pull the bar off the floor by pushing through your legs and driving your hips forward.
As you lift, keep your chest high, your back flat, and pull your shoulders back as you stand up.
The bar should stay close to your shins and thighs throughout the pull.
When you reach the top portion of the deadlift, hold the position for 2 seconds.
Allow the bar to drop straight back to the floor while controlling it as it descends. Push your hips back and slightly bend your knees until you’ve returned the bar to the floor, with your shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
Repeat for the desired number of reps.

How Do I Perform the Romanian Deadlift (RDL) at the Gym?

For the Romanian deadlift, begin with a barbell sitting on the floor in front of you.

Step up to the bar and plant your feet about shoulder-width apart.
The bar should be just touching your ankles.
With a straight back, hinge your hips and bend your knees to bend forward and grab the bar with an overhand grip just outside your shins.
Lift the bar to hip level, just like you would for a conventional deadlift.
From this starting position, push your hips backwards, keep your back flat, pinch your shoulders back, and bend your knees slightly as you lower the bar.
Keep the bar as close to the front of your thighs as possible.
Once the bar passes just below your knees and you reach a maximum stretch in your hamstrings, your shoulders will be positioned in front of the bar.
Squeeze your hamstrings, drive your hips forward and lock them out as you raise the bar back to the starting position.
This should give you a nice squeeze in the hamstrings and the glutes.
Keep your back straight and your chest up throughout the exercise.
Repeat for the desired number of reps and then set the bar back on the floor.

Doing Every Type of Deadlift at AFAC Gym

AFAC gym has every type of strength training equipment you’ll need to perform your preferred deadlift variations, including conventional and Romanian. We also have a team of personal trainers who can coach you on proper deadlift form so that you receive the maximum benefits of this exercise while protecting your back.

If you’d like more information about creating a strength training and cardiovascular program to achieve your goals, please stop by and speak to our team at AFAC gym. We can give you a tour of the gym and tell you about our cardio machines, strength training equipment, and packed schedule of fitness classes. As the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, we are here to support each member’s fitness goals. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.