What is the difference between a Deadlift and a Romanian Deadlift?

Question

I understand they are meant to work out different muscles and RDL is meant to hit glutes more.

• What is a normal strength standard for them? If my Deadlift is 130kg 1RM what should I start at when incorporating RDL?
• What cues should I be thinking of for RDL? I.e. deadlift: neutral spine, looking forward, braced core, vertical shins, push ground away, screw feet into earth, etc.
• Is RDL a touch-and-go or is it a "from stop" exercise like deadlifts?

Answer 1

• I think the strength standard for RDL should be near the DL. As you can already lift 130kg in DL : after warming up, start with 60kg in total to see how you feel (or take 60% of your DL 5RM). Depending on your program, you should not necessarily do both exercises on the same day.
• First of all, you start standing up (take the bar from a rack). Feet should be a bit narrower than on the DL, same grip. Unlock your knees, push your hips back, lower the bar while preventing your knees from bending too much (during the whole movement actually, they should not go forward). Of course your core is braced, and your back flat. Once your back is parallel to the floor (the bar should be just under the knee, depending on the length of your limbs), reverse the movement, and don't forget to push your heels against the ground.
• Touch and go : the important part to keep in mind is not to stop when the bar is at the bottom, so you should "rebound" a bit, because hanging a heavyweight in the air for a few seconds in that position is not a good idea for your back. However you can pause at the top to breathe for example.