Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Dec;16(3):87-93.
doi: 10.1016/j.jesf.2018.08.001. Epub 2018 Aug 11.

An electromyographic and kinetic comparison of conventional and Romanian deadlifts

Sangwoo Lee  1 , Jacob Schultz  1 , Joseph Timgren  1 , Katelyn Staelgraeve  1 , Michael Miller  1 , Yuanlong Liu  1
Affiliations

An electromyographic and kinetic comparison of conventional and Romanian deadlifts

Sangwoo Lee et al. J Exerc Sci Fit. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Background/objective: Significant biomechanical differences were found among deadlift variations. However, little is known about the differences between the conventional and the Romanian deadlifts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which deadlift technique is a better training protocol between the conventional and the Romanian deadlifts as indicated by the greater demand in muscle activities and joint kinetics.

Methods: 21 males performed each deadlift with 70% of the Romanian deadlift one repetition maximum (1RM) determined using a 1RM testing. Myoelectric activities of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and gluteus maximus and lower extremity net joint torque (NJT) were compared. The variables were extracted through an electromyography system (EMG) and a three-dimensional motion analysis. The EMG values were normalized to the peak EMG activation from a submaximal non-isometric voluntary contraction. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted for statistical analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

Results: Significantly greater normalized EMG values were found from the rectus femoris and gluteus maximus (58.57 ± 13.73 and 51.52 ± 6.08 %peak) of the conventional deadlift than those of the Romanian deadlift (25.26 ± 14.21 and 46.88 ± 7.39 %peak). The conventional deadlift indicated significantly greater knee and ankle NJTs (0.21 ± 0.13 and -0.33 ± 0.08 Nm/kg cm) than those of the Romanian deadlift (-0.28 ± 0.1 and -0.29 ± 0.06 Nm/kg cm).

Conclusion: The conventional deadlift would be a better technique for training the rectus femoris and gluteus maximus than the Romanian deadlift as indicated by the greater EMG and NJT values.

Keywords: Biomechanics; Electromyography; Joint kinetics; Resistance training.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A one repetition maximum protocol..
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sagittal view of deadlift showing events and phases defined: S (Start of Deadlift), BC (Bottom of CD), BR (Bottom of RD), and F (Finish of Deadlift). The GRF vectors at the BC and BR and whole body center-of-mass (COM) were also presented in the figure.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
(a) hip net joint torque (NJT) as a function of the hip flexion angle, (b) knee NJT as a function of the knee flexion angle, and (c) ankle NJT as a function of plantarflexion angle. The solid and dotted lines represent the conventional deadlift (CD) and the Romanian deadlift (RD), respectively. BC and BR represents the bottoms of the CD and the RD, respectively. The arrow in the knee NJT indicated the event when the GRF vector was posteriorly located to the knee joint.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Berglund L., Aasa B., Hellqvist J. Which patients with low back pain benefit from deadlift training? J Strength Condit Res. 2015;29:1803–1811. - PubMed
    1. Bird S., Barrington-Higgs B. Exploring the deadlift. Strength Condit J. 2010;32:46–51.
    1. Thompson B.J., Stock M.S., Shields J.E. Barbell deadlift training increases the rate of torque development and vertical jump performance in novices. J Strength Condit Res. 2015;29:1–10. - PubMed
    1. Piper T.J., Waller M.A. Variations of the deadlift. Strength Condit J. 2001;23:66–73.
    1. Bezerra E.S., Simao R., Fleck S.J. Electromyographic activity of lower body muscles during the deadlift and still-legged deadlift. J Exerc Physiol. 2013;16:30–39.