2.2. Subjects
Following approval by the relevant ethics committees, 36 asymptomatic male subjects ðx SDÞ (age ¼ 24.9 6.5 years), were recruited by advertisement within a University environment
(specifically requesting participants who did not suffer from any lower back pain).
All subjects provided written informed consent prior to participation,
were required to have had greater than 2 years resistance training experience,
including a deadlift variation (non-specific)
and were currently involved in a resistance training
program that did not include specific lumbar exercises or the Romanian deadlift.
All subjects were asked to refrain from other deadlifts (any variation),
squats or other exercises that might place a direct stress or training effect on the lower back or gluteal
and hamstring chain of muscles throughout the duration of their participation,
other than those required by the study itself.