Welcome back to Stowe Training Systems and thank you for being here.
Today I would like to take you through some stuff that you “probably” should be doing.
I say “probably” because I like to stay away from absolutes – The world is quite a large place and there just always seems to be an exception to the rule somewhere.
Today’s exercise that you should “probably” be doing is the Reverse Lunge into a Single Leg Romanian Deadlift (RDL) – and I know you probably wondering…..
Why Should I Do This?
A lot of people with knee and lower back pain suffer from a lack of stability in their hip, left vs. right imbalances in their hips, and under-active glute muscles.
This exercise will help clear up all 3 of those issues at once and is even MORE effective if performed after a dynamic warm-up consisting of foam rolling, mobilization exercises, and activation exercises.
So if you knees or lower back are rather troublesome then you should “probably” be doing this exercise.
*NOTE: If you experience pain during the lunge portion of this exercise then do a Step-Up to RDL instead!!
How To Do It
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3wURhwabUs[/youtube]
*Begin by moving into a reverse lunge.
*Try to achieve a 90 degree angle at the front knee, rear knee, and hip
*Keep your weight towards the outer 1/2 of your front foot and push through outer half of heel as you stand up from the lunge.
*Squeeze the glute to help you “get up” off the ground from the bottom position of the lunge.
*Maintain balance at the top position for 1 second.
*Transition into the Single Leg RDL by thinking “butt back” to load the glutes more.
*Try not to let the hip “rotate to high” – you want your hips to stay in a relatively neural position.
*Maintain a packed chin and neutral back position.
*Drive up through heel and finish with glute squeeze to return to a single leg balance position.
*Repeat for reps with a special focus on “loading” the stationary leg and really trying to make that hip work hard.
Biggest Mistakes
The biggest mistakes with this exercise are:
*Not maintaining a neutral back with a packed chin.
*Letting the free leg to swing and rotate out of position too much
*Not getting into a 90/90 position on the lunge portion of the exercise
*Not mentally “loading” the working leg
*Feeling your calves instead of your glutes (If this happens then simply foam roll your calves for a few minutes)
Well there ya go; that’s the Reverse Lunge into a Single Leg RDL.
Give it a shot and let me know what you think!-)
Move Better. Look Better. Feel Better
Nathan “Nate” Stowe BS, NASM-CPT, NCSF-CPT, CES, PES, FNS
Owner/Lead Trainer/Doctor of Awesome
Stowe Training Systems
About Nate
Nathan Stowe, BS, is the president and founder of Stowe Training Systems LLC, a personal training company in Austin, TX.
A highly sought after coach for healthy or injured adults alike, Nathan has helped folks at all-levels – from 14-80 years old to even professional athletes – achieve their highest level of performance for their chosen goals. Behind Nathan’s expertise, Stowe Training Systems has rapidly established itself as the go-to destination for those wanting to improve their movement capacity, function, and experience Nathan’s cutting-edge methods. Nathan is probably best known for his work with his “pre-hab” clientele.
Nathan while majoring in Finance at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX managed to take every Health and Fitness related elective available. At Trinity, Nathan participated in several Intramural Sports as well as receiving extensive education in nutrition and resistance training.
Prior to founding Stowe Training Systems Nathan worked as a General Manager, Fitness Manager, Assistant Fitness Manager, and Master Trainer for Total Athlete Sports Complex and 24 Hour Fitness respectively. Although prepared in several bodies of knowledge, Stowe specializes in applied kinesiology and biomechanics as they relate to program design and injury rehabilitation, maximum relative strength development, and increased athleticism – particularly as it relates to those over the age of 45.
Nathan publishes a free blog at StoweTrainingSystems.com.
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