Bodyweight Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Also known as: Bodyweight Single-Leg RDL, Bodyweight Single-Leg Deadlift, Single-Leg Hip Hinge
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Description
A single-leg hip hinge with no added weight. Standing on one leg, you tip your torso forward until it is about parallel to the floor while the free leg rises straight behind you, then return to standing. It works the hamstrings and glutes of the standing leg and builds the balance you need before adding a dumbbell.
How to Perform
- Stand tall with your feet close together and your arms hanging by your sides. Shift your weight onto one foot and keep a slight bend in that knee.
- Brace your core and start the movement by pushing your hips back while the free leg slides straight back behind you.
- Lower your torso and lift the back leg at the same time. Let your arms hang straight down toward the floor.
- Keep both hips level and facing the floor, with the toes of the raised foot pointing down.
- Go down until your torso and raised leg are about parallel to the floor, or until you feel a strong stretch in the back of the standing thigh. Keep your back flat.
- Press the standing foot into the floor and drive your hips forward to stand up, bringing the free foot back down beside the standing one.
- Finish all reps on one leg, then switch sides.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Secondary Muscles:
Tips
- Think of a seesaw: your torso and back leg move together and stay in one straight line from head to heel.
- Fix your eyes on a spot on the floor about 1.5 m in front of you. It steadies your balance and keeps your neck in line with your spine.
- Take about 3 seconds on the way down. Rushing throws you off balance.
- While learning, rest your fingertips on a wall or rack, then remove the support as your balance improves.
- Stand fully upright at the top and squeeze the glute of the standing leg before the next rep.
- When 12 slow reps per leg feel easy, hold a dumbbell or kettlebell and move to the loaded version.
Common Mistakes
- Rounding the back to reach lower toward the floor
- Letting the hip of the raised leg open up and the torso twist to the side
- Bending the standing knee so much that the hinge turns into a single-leg squat
- Locking the standing knee completely straight
- Letting the standing knee cave inward
- Rocking onto the toes or heel of the standing foot and losing balance
- Coming up by arching the lower back instead of driving the hips forward
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