Single-leg dumbbell Romanian deadlift
- Stand on one leg while holding a dumbbell in each hand, with your standing knee slightly bent.
- Push your hips back and hinge forward while extending your other leg behind you, keeping your back neutral.
- Lower the dumbbells toward the floor until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings while keeping your hips controlled and level.
- Drive through your standing foot and extend your hip to return to the starting position, then repeat.
Tips
- Keep your hips level and square to the floor throughout the hinge, resisting the tendency of the free hip to rotate open as you lower.
- Think of your rear leg and your torso moving as one unit, so that as your chest lowers, your leg rises at the same rate to help you stay balanced.
- On the way up, drive through the full sole of your standing foot and extend the hip to return to vertical, rather than pulling with your lower back.
Common mistakes
- Allowing the free hip to rotate upward and open to the side as you hinge forward, so the pelvis is no longer square to the floor.
- Letting the standing knee drift inward during the descent or the return, so the knee is no longer tracking over the foot.
- Rounding the lower back as the dumbbells descend, so the spine loses its neutral position during the hinge.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
