STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING Romanian dead lift

The Romanian dead lift should be a component of any effective hamstring conditioning pro- gramme, as this exercise is particularly good at working the hamstrings into lengthened positions during the eccentric phase of the lift, thereby provid- ing a high load eccentric train- ing stimulus (2). Performed using a barbell, so high loads can be applied, athletes should begin standing upright, with the barbell held at arms length to the front. The feet are shoulder width apart with the legs straight, however the knees should not be locked. Whilst maintaining correct lumbar extension in the lower back, the athlete should begin the exercise by flexing forwards from the hips and running the bar down the front of the thighs. The knee joints should not be flexed, but should remain constant throughout the exercises, as movement should be originated at the hip. By maintaining extension in the back, and tilting the pelvis upwards at the back, the hamstrings will length- en, placing them under consider- able eccentric load. The athlete should continue to lower the bar, loading the stretched hamstrings, until a point at which lowering can no longer continue without the loss of back extension. This point will most likely be around the mid-shin area. At this time the athlete should stand back upright, maintaining good posture through the lower back, keeping the bar close to the thighs, and contracting the hamstring muscles concentrically until they return to neutral standing position.

Figure 1: Romanian dead lift – ‘start’, ‘mid’, and ‘bottom’ position

Single-leg straight leg dead lift The same movement as Romanian dead lift described earlier, this exercise is performed unilaterally, and therefore emphasises the eccentric lengthening of the hamstring muscle. Instead of using a barbell, here the athlete holds either one dumbbell with both hands, or one in each hand. The free weight is kept close to the standing leg, as again the athlete flexes forwards at the waist, maintaining extension in the lumbar spine. The weight is again lowered to the mid-shin position, placing the hamstring under an enhanced eccentric stretch. To aid with balance, the athlete may raise the free-standing leg backwards, which also serves to rotate the pelvis up towards the back.

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Walking lunge with high knee An exercise that can be performed either with dumbbells held at arms length in each hand, or with a bar- bell positioned on the shoulders, the walking lunge with high knee is effective at working the hamstrings though a full range of motion dynamically; also emphasising exaggerated hip extension with the upper body moving over the centre of mass, as during running. From an upright standing position, the athlete should raise one knee to their chest, as if adopting a stalk balance position. From here, the athlete should move the raised knee into a large stride forwards, planting and maintaining their foot flat on the floor. As the athlete’s centre of mass moves forwards, they should lower into a lunge position working to decelerate their body rapidly and under control. In the bottom lunge position, the athlete should have a large stride, weight distributed evenly between the front and back foot, the body in an upright position looking straight ahead, the front foot flat on the floor with 90º at the knee joint, and the back foot up onto the toes, also with the back knee flexed. When ready the athlete should begin the same movement with the opposite limb; drawing the back foot up to the chest, extending into a large stride, decelerating the body rapidly, and setting into a lunge position. This walking lunge action is continued for the desired number of repetitions.

Figure 2: Walking lunge with high knee – high knee lift, mid, and lunge positions

Figure 3: Single-leg straight leg dead lift – ‘start’, ‘mid’, and ‘bottom’ positions sportEX dynamics 2008;15(Jan):18-22