Legs
Single Leg Deadlift to Lunge
A single leg deadlift, then the same free leg steps back into a reverse lunge. You hinge and lunge on one leg, so it builds your glutes, hamstrings and quads and challenges your balance.
- Works
- Glutes, hamstrings, quads, core
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Load
- Bodyweight
How to do it
- 1Stand on one leg with a soft bend in the knee, the other foot just off the floor.
- 2Hinge forward from your hip, reaching your hands toward the floor as your free leg extends straight back. Stop at the stretch in the back of your standing leg, then come back up to standing.
- 3Step that same free leg straight back into a reverse lunge and lower until your back knee is just above the floor.
- 4Push through your front foot to stand. That's 1 rep. Finish your reps, then switch sides.
Cues
- Flat back in the hinge, tall chest in the lunge.
- Your standing leg does the work in both moves.
- Lower your back knee straight down, not forward.
Common mistakes
- Reaching for the floor. Hinge only as far as your back stays flat. The stretch in your hamstring is the target, not the floor.
- Short lunge step. Step back far enough that your front heel stays down at the bottom.
- Front knee caving in. Keep it in line with your middle toes in both the hinge and the lunge.
Easier
Tap your free toes down for balance between the deadlift and the lunge, or hold a wall or chair.
Harder
Take 3 seconds to lower into the hinge and the lunge, or pause for 1 second at the bottom of each.
Try it: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side, or 30 seconds on and 30 off per side.
Is a single leg deadlift a hamstring or glute exercise?
Both. Your hamstrings stretch and pull you back up, and your glute works hard to keep your hip steady on one leg. Adding the lunge, like this move does, brings your quads in too.
