Legs
Single Leg Deadlift
A deadlift on one leg with one dumbbell. You hinge forward as your free leg reaches back, which builds your hamstrings and glutes one side at a time and trains your balance and hip control.
- Works
- Hamstrings, glutes, core
- Equipment
- One dumbbell
- Load
- Medium to heavy
How to do it
- 1Stand on one leg with a soft bend in the knee, one dumbbell in one hand, arm long.
- 2Hinge forward from your hip and let your free leg reach straight back, so your body and back leg tip together like a seesaw.
- 3Lower the dumbbell toward the floor until you feel a stretch in the back of your standing leg, back flat and hips square to the floor.
- 4Drive your standing heel into the floor and squeeze your glute to come back up. Finish your reps, then switch sides.
Cues
- Reach your back heel toward the wall behind you.
- Grip the floor with your whole standing foot.
- Slow is steady. Rushing makes you wobble.
Common mistakes
- Bending the standing knee too much. That turns it into a squat. Keep a soft bend and push your hips back.
- Rushing to stay balanced. Slow down. If you need to, tap your back toes to the floor between reps.
- Reaching for the floor. Stop at the stretch with a flat back, not wherever the dumbbells happen to reach.
Easier
Keep the toes of your back foot lightly on the floor like a kickstand, or go lighter.
Harder
Take 3 seconds on the way down, or pause for 1 second at the bottom without letting your back foot touch.
Try it: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.
Which hand should hold the dumbbell in a single leg deadlift?
Either works. Holding it in the hand opposite your standing leg is the most common, and it makes your hips work harder to stay square. Holding it on the same side feels a little more stable. Try both and switch it up.
