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how to do single-leg deadlift

Balancing on one leg while you tip forward turns the back of your standing leg into both the engine and the stabilizer. The single-leg deadlift loads the hamstrings and glutes on a stretch, trains the small muscles around the ankle and hip, and exposes side-to-side differences that squats tend to hide. It fits you once basic squats and bridges feel comfortable and you want a hinge that is challenging without any weight. Expect wobbling at first; balance usually limits the movement long before strength does, so a light fingertip touch on a wall is fair game.

▶ watch single-leg deadlift on the dedicated video page

primary musclesglutes, hamstrings
also workslower back, quads
levelintermediate
equipmentnone — bodyweight
typerep-based

how it’s done, step by step

  1. Stand with your feet together and your hands by your sides or on your hips.
  2. Lift your right leg straight back and lean forward at the hips, keeping your back straight, until your torso is parallel to the floor.
  3. Return to the starting position by lowering your right leg and raising your torso back to upright.
  4. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the left leg

how much: Start with 3 sets of 5–7 reps per leg, and slow the lowering to 3 seconds before adding reps.

form tips from the wandelbar coaches

  • Push your hips back as if closing a car door with your seat, keeping the standing knee soft.
  • Keep your lifted heel, hips and head in one straight line, like a tilting plank.
  • Point the toes of the lifted foot toward the floor to stop your hip from rotating open.

common mistakes

  • Rounding the upper back to reach lower — stop where your back stays flat, even if your hands end at knee height.
  • Opening the lifted hip toward the ceiling — keep both hip bones facing the floor throughout the rep.
  • Locking the standing knee straight — keep a small bend so the hamstring, not the joint, holds you up.

make it easier or harder

easier
Keep the toes of the back foot lightly on the floor as a kickstand while you hinge forward.
harder
Pause for three seconds at the bottom of each rep, or reach both arms forward overhead to lengthen the lever.
single-leg deadlift mid-rep: torso and back leg level with the floor, standing knee soft
single-leg deadlift — correct starting position

similar bodyweight exercises

cossack squats at the bottom: one knee deeply bent, other leg straight, toes up cossack squats bridge pose: hips lifted, feet flat, straight line from knees to shoulders bridge pose squats at the bottom: thighs parallel to the floor, arms reaching forward for balance squats lunges bottom position: front thigh parallel, back knee hovering just above the floor lunges glute bridge top position: hips lifted, straight line from shoulders to knees glute bridge wall sit hold: back flat against the wall, thighs parallel, knees over ankles wall sit

never wonder what to train next

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