How to Feel Hamstrings in RDL Reddit

Why You Feel RDLs in Your Back (It's a 2-Inch Mistake)

You're doing everything you're supposed to. You hinge at the hips, keep your back flat, and push your butt back. But when the set is over, the only thing you feel is a screamingly tight lower back, while your hamstrings feel like they did nothing. It’s one of the most common frustrations in the gym, and it’s the reason people give up on the single best hamstring-building exercise that exists.

The problem isn’t your effort; it’s leverage. The entire reason you feel this in your lower back is because the weight is drifting too far away from your body. For 9 out of 10 people, the barbell is floating 3 to 6 inches in front of their shins. This tiny distance shift turns the exercise from a hamstring-builder into a lower-back destroyer. The fix is to keep the bar within 1-2 inches of your legs for the entire movement. Think of it as shaving your legs with the barbell on the way down and on the way up. When the bar stays close, your hamstrings and glutes are forced to act as the primary movers. When the bar drifts forward, your center of gravity shifts, and your lower back has to fire like crazy to act as a counterbalance, taking all the tension that should be going to your hamstrings. This isn't a suggestion; it's the fundamental physics of the lift. Fix this 2-inch mistake, and you fix 90% of the problem.

The "Tripod Foot" Cue That Unlocks Your Hamstrings

Even with a perfect bar path, your RDL can still feel unstable and disconnected. The issue often starts from the ground up: your feet. Most people perform RDLs with passive, floppy feet. They rock onto their toes as the weight goes down or shift back to their heels, creating instability that travels right up into the hips and lower back. To build a solid RDL, you need an active foot. This is where the "tripod foot" cue comes in.

Imagine three points of contact on the bottom of each foot: the base of your big toe, the base of your pinky toe, and your heel. Before you even begin the lift, actively press these three points into the floor. Feel the arch of your foot engage. Now, without moving your feet, try to mentally "spread the floor apart" or "screw your feet into the ground." You will immediately feel your glutes and hamstrings tense up. This is called creating torque. By establishing this stable base, you pre-activate the entire posterior chain before the bar even moves. This active foundation prevents energy leaks and ensures the tension stays where it belongs-in your hamstrings. A passive foot leads to a strained back. An active tripod foot leads to powerful, targeted hamstring growth. This isn't just a mental trick; it's about creating a stable structure to lift from. You wouldn't build a house on sand, so don't do an RDL on a weak foundation.

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The 4-Step RDL Fix You Can Do in 5 Minutes

Reading cues is one thing, but feeling them is another. This simple, 5-minute diagnostic protocol will retrain your RDL pattern. Do this with very light weight or just the bar before your next workout. Don't focus on lifting heavy; focus on feeling the movement correctly. This is about motor learning, not progressive overload.

Step 1: The Wall Tap Drill (No Weights)

This drill isolates the hip hinge, which is the core of the RDL. Stand with your back to a wall, about 6-8 inches away. Place your feet shoulder-width apart. With a very slight bend in your knees (think a 15-degree angle that you will hold constant), push your hips straight back until your butt taps the wall behind you. Your torso will naturally lean forward as a result. Keep your back perfectly flat. Then, drive your hips forward to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top. Perform 10 slow, controlled reps. The goal is to learn that the movement is initiated by the hips moving backward, not by the chest moving downward.

Step 2: The "Shave Your Legs" Cue (Empty Barbell)

Now, grab an empty 45-pound barbell. Stand up straight and hold it with an overhand grip. The bar should be touching your thighs. From here, initiate the movement by pushing your hips back, just like in the wall drill. As you hinge, your *only* focus should be on keeping the barbell in physical contact with your body. Drag it down your thighs. Once it passes your knees, ensure it stays no more than 1-2 inches away from your shins. The bar path should be almost vertical. Perform 8 reps focusing exclusively on this cue. Don't worry about how low you're going. Just feel the bar "shaving" your legs.

Step 3: Find Your True End Range of Motion

Your flexibility determines your range of motion, not your ego. Using the empty barbell again, hinge down slowly while maintaining a flat back and keeping the bar close. The second you feel your lower back begin to round or lose tightness, that is your end point. For most people, this is when the bar is somewhere between the bottom of their kneecap and mid-shin. It is NOT the floor. Going lower by rounding your back just transfers all the tension from your hamstrings to your spinal erectors and ligaments. Film yourself from the side if you have to. Find your true, safe end range, and own it. Over the next 4-6 weeks, this range will improve naturally.

Step 4: Add Weight and "Pull" With Your Hamstrings

Load the bar with a light, manageable weight. For men, this could be 65-95 pounds total. For women, the 45-pound bar itself is often enough to start. Perform the RDL using all the cues above: tripod foot, hips back, and shave your legs. On the way up, change your mental cue from "lifting the weight" to "pulling with your hamstrings." As you drive your hips forward, imagine your hamstrings are ropes pulling your torso back to the upright position. Squeeze your glutes powerfully at the top to finish the rep. Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps. The weight should be light enough that you can feel every inch of the movement in your hamstrings.

What Correct RDLs Feel Like (And When to Stop)

You'll know you're doing it right when the sensation changes from a sharp strain in your lower back to a deep, stretching tension along the entire length of your hamstrings on the way down. It should feel like a thick rubber band being pulled taut from your glutes to the back of your knees. Your lower back should feel braced and stable, like a solid pillar, but not pained or stressed. On the way up, you should feel a powerful contraction as that "rubber band" snaps back into place.

The day after your workout is the ultimate test. If your lower back is sore, your form is still off. If your hamstrings have that deep, satisfying muscle soreness, you've nailed it. Your progress over the first month isn't measured by adding 50 pounds to the bar. It's measured by improving your mind-muscle connection and increasing your pain-free range of motion. In week 1, you might only go to your knees. By week 4, you might be at mid-shin, feeling a much deeper stretch with the same weight. That is phenomenal progress. The red flag to stop immediately is any sharp, shooting, or pinching pain in your lower back. That's your body telling you that you've lost form and are loading your spine, not your muscles. Listen to it, drop the weight, and reset.

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Frequently Asked Questions

RDL vs. Stiff-Leg Deadlift Distinction

The main difference is the knee bend. In an RDL, you maintain a slight, soft bend in the knees (about 15-20 degrees) throughout the lift. In a Stiff-Leg Deadlift, the legs are kept almost perfectly straight, which places significantly more strain on the lower back and hamstring insertions.

The Right Knee Bend for RDLs

Unlock your knees at the start of the movement and hold that same angle all the way down and up. Think of your knees as being locked in a soft position. If you bend your knees more as you descend, the exercise becomes a squat. If you straighten them, it becomes a stiff-leg deadlift.

Using Dumbbells Instead of a Barbell

Dumbbells are a great option. The form is identical, but instead of shaving your shins, you keep the dumbbells at your sides, tracking just in front of your feet. This can feel more natural for some people and is an excellent way to learn the hip hinge pattern with less complexity.

How Low to Go on an RDL

Go as low as you can while maintaining a perfectly flat back. For most people, this is when the weight is just below the knees or at mid-shin. The goal is maximum hamstring stretch, not touching the floor. Once your back starts to round, the hamstrings are no longer the primary mover.

Choosing the Right Starting Weight

Start with just the 45-pound barbell. The goal is to master the form and feel the muscle working. You should be able to perform 10-12 perfect reps where you feel every single one in your hamstrings. Only add weight when the form is flawless and you can no longer feel the target muscles working with the current load.