Exercise Guide

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

A hip hinge on one leg with the other extending behind as a counterweight. Exposes side-to-side differences that a two-legged deadlift hides.

IntermediateStrengthPullCompound
Form
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift - Start position
Start
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift - Mid position
Mid
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Hamstrings

Equipment

Dumbbell

Difficulty

Intermediate

Category

Strength

Force

Pull

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

GlutesCore
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Hold a dumbbell in one hand and stand on the opposite leg with a soft knee.

  2. 2

    Hinge at the hip, letting the free leg travel straight back as your torso comes down.

  3. 3

    Lower until you feel a stretch in the standing hamstring, keeping your back flat and hips square.

  4. 4

    Drive the standing hip forward to return to standing.

Tips
  • ★Hips stay level - the free leg wants to rotate open, and that is the most common fault.
  • ★Fix your eyes on a spot on the floor a metre ahead to steady the balance.
Explore by Muscle
HamstringsGlutesCore