A deadlift performed with the knee only slightly bent throughout the exercise movement (so-called straight leg) is commonly referred to as a Romanian Deadlift, or RDL. The RDL places relatively greater stress on the hamstring muscles. The photographs above show this exercise being performed on a single leg with weight carried in the contralateral hand.
Reproduced with permission from: Chandler TJ, Brown LE. Biomechanics of human movement. In: Conditioning for Strength and Human Performance, 2nd ed, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia 2013. Copyright © 2013 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
www.lww.com.
