stiff legged vs romanian deadlift - safety and wide waist

I am a girl and merely looking to get fit and less skinny/more toned by building a bit of muscle through lifting heavy weights.

A trainer today in the gym told me that I should be doing stiff legged deadlifts instead of Romanian deadlifts so that I don't widen my waist. (I definitely don't want to widen my waist, but want to preserve my currently rather feminine form of wider hips and small waist). But I've just seen so many people warning against stiff legged deadlifts on the internet, saying how it's heading you for injury and other ghastly future problems, I don't know what to believe anymore.

Any thoughts?

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Reply 1

The Troll Toll

If we told you which one to do, would you actually know the difference?

Reply 2

Mark85

In 99% of cases, telling someone that doing some form of exercise is contraindicated because they will get too thick a waist is like telling someone that they shouldn't work too hard in case they become a millionaire.

Reply 3

AMG44

I don't think either are dangerous if done with correct form although stiff leg are more taxing on the lower back.

Reply 4

other one

Original post by Mark85

but noone would NOT want to become a millionaire, but I really do NOT want to have a wide waist.

Reply 5

other one

Original post by The Troll Toll

If we told you which one to do, would you actually know the difference?

yes...

Reply 6

Smack

Volunteer Team

Well they are almost identical exercises so the suggestion that one will give you a thick waist but the other won't is really stupid.

Reply 7

tooosh

SLDLs can be dangerous if you aren't flexible enough to reach the bar without your back rounding. The vast majority of aren't. In RDLs you bend at your hips as much as you can and bend at the knees as needed to close the hip further so you can reach the bar (ideally ending at a floor-perpendicular back?) but with SLDLs you bend your back instead of your knees.

Reply 8

other one

Original post by tooosh

so you suggest I do RDL and you don't think it'll widen my waist.

Reply 9

3 Phase Duck

OP just shut up and lift goddammit!

Reply 10

tooosh

Original post by other one

so you suggest I do RDL and you don't think it'll widen my waist.

I suggest you do RDL or normal DLs and ignore this crap about widening your waist.

Reply 11

Arturo Bandini

I also suggest you do RDL or normal DLs and ignore this crap about widening your waist.

Reply 12

Harrifer

Has anyone actually got a wide waist from deadlifts? How hench would your lower back have to be to make you go up a waist size?

I think fork curls were the ones widening the waist.

The crap PTs come out with...

Reply 13

silent ninja

You'd have to lift some serious weights and regularly, and probably at medium reps, and eat **** loads and...BE A MAN to start adding thickness to your waist. Which again isn';t very much. You, a girl? not lifting very much? Would struggle to put on muscle if you tried your best anyway?

Seriously.

I'd do RDLs because they feel a lot better to me and hit the posterior chain more than the lower back imo, but either will do.

Reply 14

other one

Original post by silent ninja

You think girls are not capable of putting on muscle?!

and yes i do lift heavy. i aim for being able to do 5 reps per set.

Reply 15

silent ninja

Original post by other one

You think girls are not capable of putting on muscle?!

and yes i do lift heavy. i aim for being able to do 5 reps per set.

Capable yes but very difficult compared to a guy with even low testosterone. Females are just built differently. It's just genetics. You seriously don't need to worry about adding mass to your waist.

Reply 16

other one

Original post by silent ninja

Capable yes but very difficult compared to a guy with even low testosterone. Females are just built differently. It's just genetics. You seriously don't need to worry about adding mass to your waist.

oh you meant waist? not in general. i m v skinny and even after a month of lifting v heavy weights - e.g. shoulder dumbbell press - my arms are not as skinny as they were. my thighs also have some muscle and bum also progressing.

i dont want to gain massive amounts of muscle btw and i want to retain hourglass figure, feel v lucky to have been blessed with one.

Reply 17

Harrifer

Original post by other one

You think girls are not capable of putting on muscle?!

and yes i do lift heavy. i aim for being able to do 5 reps per set.

Perspective: I can deadlift 160kg, and still fit in the same jeans from when I started lifting.

Admittedly, the straight leg looks like a slim fit now, but that's about glutes and quads.

Reply 18

In One Ear

Original post by Harrifer

Perspective: I can deadlift 160kg, and still fit in the same jeans from when I started lifting.

Admittedly, the straight leg looks like a slim fit now, but that's about glutes and quads.

Same experience here, though my jeans are perhaps getting a little tight now (though as pointed out this is due to my quads/hammies getting noticeably larger, NOT my waist). <--directed at OP