Romanian Deadlift to Shrug (Dumbbell)
A compound movement that combines a hamstring-dominant hip hinge with an upper trapezius shrug to target the entire posterior chain.
This complex exercise taxes both the lower back and grip heavily, making recovery data essential. By analyzing your HRV and sleep quality, the AI can determine if your central nervous system is ready for this spinal loading or if a supported variation is safer. Since grip often fails before hamstrings here, the app tracks RPE specifically to distinguish between muscular failure and grip fatigue, adjusting weights to ensure your target muscles get the intended stimulus.
Form Cues
- Keep the dumbbells close to your thighs and shins throughout the movement
- Push your hips backward as if closing a car door with your glutes
- Maintain a neutral spine with your core braced tightly
- Drive hips forward to stand, then shrug shoulders straight up toward your ears
- Pause briefly at the top of the shrug to maximize trap engagement
- Don't round your lower back during the descent
- Don't roll your shoulders forward or backward during the shrug
- Don't bend your knees excessively; keep them soft but stable
- Don't use momentum or bounce the weights at the bottom
Common Mistakes
- Allowing the weights to drift away from the legs
- Rounding the thoracic or lumbar spine
- Turning the movement into a squat by bending knees too much
- Rolling the shoulder joint instead of elevating it vertically
- Rushing the transition between the hinge and the shrug
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes through the hip hinge mechanism, while the upper trapezius works heavily to elevate the scapula at the top. The erector spinae work isometrically to protect the spine, and the forearms are engaged significantly to maintain grip on the dumbbells.
Primary
Secondary
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