Despite its appearance as a simple and instinctual movement, the Hinge Pattern is the stuff of nightmares for many trainees and coaches alike.
The act of hinging can be reduced to loading the hips. This mechanism is pivotal not only for strength, hypertrophy and enhancing athleticism, but also for mastering the basics of human locomotion. Before we sprint into heavy deadlifts, we must (literally) learn to walk…
Single KB RDL
Despite the limited capacity for loading, the Single KB RDL (Romanian Deadlift) is a great place to begin. Load placement (between the legs) and foot positioning (slightly wider than conventional) makes learning the pattern significantly easier. The center of mass stays neutral and fixed (as opposed to the forward-shift that happens when holding load in front of your thighs) — this creates a safer environment to learn the pattern before beginning to significantly load it.
Trap Bar RDL
Shifting from the “straddle” position to the Trap Bar greatly increases the loading capacity of the variation and thus, greatly increases the demands as well. The Trap Bar is a great tool for reinforcing this pattern but comes with inherent instabilities (i.e. the bar can move forward and backward) and strength prerequisites (i.e. the upper back and lats must syncronize to maintain positioning) that force the trainee to generate+sustain rigidity through the hinge. As we continue to progress through the Hinge pattern, this skill becomes more important.
Barbell RDL
The Barbell RDL is the purest hinge variation for developing absolute strength, hypertrophy and athleticism, while minimizing many of the negative externalities associated with more complex hinges. Mastering this movement will do more for the improvement of overall fitness than just about any other singular exercise. The prerequisite skills are minimal and the carryover/benefits vast; so trainees of all levels — from novice to advanced — can and should use Barbell RDLs liberally in their programming.
Conventional Deadlifts
Despite being a progression from the Barbell RDL, it’s difficult to say that Conventional Deadlifts are a superior variation. The largest distinction (and potential area of improvement) is the increased ROM; this opens the possibility of using “deadstops” and/or full resets between reps, which will strengthen abdominal bracing and force toleration to overcome inertia. Unfortunately, the Conventional Deadlift is often viewed as the starting block (rather than the final stretch) for trainees who haven’t yet mastered the less-complex variations, leading to predictable (but avoidable) results.
Barbell Goodmornings
Though Barbell Goodmornings yield incredible benefits when done properly, the issue of doing them properly is what tends to be problematic. Few trainees (even those who are very advanced) will ever master the GM — and even fewer will be able to load them heavy enough or push them with enough intensity to make the risk:reward comparable to a less-complex variation like the Barbell RDL. Add in the mobility requirements (when using a straight bar) with the general discomfort a bar rolling into your neck, it’s easy to understand why the GM has become somewhat of a pariah in the strength training world. We all acknowledge their potential utility but very rarely program them or see them being performed (effectively) in the wild.
The Deadlift — and variants thereof — have been utilized for decades with astounding results. There isn’t a more primordial movement than picking shit up and putting it down.
Issues can arise quickly, however, when steps in the progression are skipped without having the necessary abilities to perform such movements.
If you can’t perform a technically competent Barbell RDL, don’t try Conventional Deadlifts.
If your Conventional Deadlift isn’t pristine, for the love of God don’t jump to Barbell Goodmornings.
There is no shame in scaling back and properly learning a crucial movement pattern if weakness/insufficiency is identified, but there’s A LOT of shame that comes with chronic injury.
Start with Single KB RDLs and master them. As your strength and skill increases, slowly move up the heirarchy into other RDL, Deadlift and GM variations. This is the path to the most impressive posterior chain in all the land!