Deadlift vs RDL - Analysis

[Torsten Bauer]

Hi Mark,

happy New Year. If you don't mind I have a question about the bar position relative to the mid foot in the regular Deadlift (DL) compared to the Romanian Deadlift (RDL).

Just reread your chapters about the DL and the section about the RDL. In the DL chapter you discuss the problem that the bar travels away from the shins. If I understood correctly this usually happens due to a form error when your hips rise even though the bar hasn't yet moved which brings you in a mechanically disadvantageous position to conduct the pull.

Considering the RDL, on the other hand, you aim for vertical shins which also leads to the problem that the bar travels away from the shins so you have to strongly deploy your lats to pull the bar back to the shins. My question is whether you force the bar intentionally away from mid foot by pulling it towards the shins and if not why does it have the tendency to leave the mid foot position in the first place?

I hope my question makes sense...

[Mark Rippetoe]

If it's heavy enough, it wants to stay over the mid-foot to keep the whole system in balance. Warmups can do anything they want. But vertical shins in a heavy RDL will place the bar forward of contact with the shins, because the bar over mid-foot is forward of vertical shins. If I understand your question.

[Torsten Bauer]

Thanks for your answer Mark.

Let me clarify my question. In the RDL, is the bar over mid-foot when it touches the (vertical) shins? If it were, why do the arms travel forward of the shins (which is out of mid-foot) in the first place when this position pushes the (lifter-bar) system out of balance?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Arms travel forward of the shins because the shoulders are forward of the bar.

[Torsten Bauer]

Arms travel forward of the shins because the shoulders are forward of the bar.

... and gravity acts straight down. Now I got it, thanks for clarifying.