Romanian Deadlifts are great for making hamstring gains, but a popular hack shared online is pushing gym goers further than ever. The move, demonstrated by bodybuilder and coach, Abel Albonetti, has been hailed as “genius” by followers on Instagram. Here’s how to try it for yourself.
While Albonetti doesn’t claim to have invested the move himself, the Men’s physique and Classic physique competitor has shared this hack repeatedly for his 450,000-plus IG followers.
In the main, the move is a modified dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, where you hold the dumbbell down your sides and lower the top half of your body so that the weight descends, stopping when the back is parallel with the floor. From there, the RDL requires you to stand back up straight, using your legs to lift the weight rather than the back, to avoid strain. RDLs are brilliant for building the hamstrings, but by making this hack, you’ll add an entirely new dimension to this move.
How To Do the Smith Machine Supported Dumbbell RDL
“Place your quads up against the smith machine so that you’re locked in place,” advised Albonetti, demonstrating his descent while bent over the smith machine’s barbell. “Stretch as far as you’re comfortable with,” he explained. “You should feel a crazy stretch in your hamstrings!”
In this hack, much of the mechanics are the same as the traditional dumbbell Romanian deadlift, but the smith machine provides support, allowing for a greater stretch of the hamstring without loss of balance and toppling forward. “The benefits of this over just plain dumbbell stiff leg deadlift is that you don’t have to go as heavy, and believe me, you get way more of a stretch doing it this way,” commented the coach.
The stiff legged deadlift is essentially an RDL, but the weight begins on the floor rather than in your hands in this variation, meaning that there is an even greater stretch there too, so choose which move works best for you. In terms of his followers, those that have tried the hack shared by Albonetti have been seriously feeling the burn. “Hamstrings have never been more sore after these!!” wrote one impressed fan. “Those are my favorite for hamstrings,” wrote another user. “This is genius!!” added yet another. Give them a try on your next leg day, just allow plenty of recovery time!
To follow Abel Albonetti on Instagram, click here.
