Single-leg Dumbbell RDL

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Use a clear, level floor and take a secure grip. Keep a stable support nearby for balance if the program allows it. Choose a load that permits a controlled hinge without reaching or rounding to find the floor.
2. 2Starting position. Stand tall with soft knees, ribcage over pelvis, and the load close to the thighs. Shift onto one foot and square the pelvis before the free leg moves behind you.
3. 3Eccentric phase. Push the hips back while maintaining a controlled trunk and nearly constant knee angle. Keep the load close and stop when hamstring range or balance ends, not when the weight reaches an arbitrary depth.
4. 4Bottom position. Pause at the longest controlled hinge with the spine, pelvis, and support foot stable; avoid rotating the pelvis or drifting the load away.
5. 5Concentric phase / lockout. Drive the hips forward and return to standing through hip extension, finishing tall without leaning back or using momentum.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Brace before hinging, breathe or reset at stable points, and avoid prolonged maximal breath-holding across the set.
7. 7Valid rep. A rep preserves the chosen knee angle, load path, spinal position, and side-to-side standard, with no floor bounce, pelvic opening, or shortened range.

Common mistakes

• Reaching for the floor

  Fix: Stop the hinge when hamstring range or trunk control ends; the implement does not need to touch the floor.

• Load drifting forward

  Fix: Keep the load close and balance over the middle of the support foot or feet.

• Squatting the hinge

  Fix: Keep the knee angle relatively stable and send the hips back.

• Leaning back at lockout

  Fix: Finish tall through hip extension without lumbar hyperextension.

Safety

• If spinal symptoms, radiating pain, numbness, or weakness are present, stop and seek appropriate assessment; do not use bracing cues to train through neurological symptoms.
• For adolescents, older beginners, or anyone new to this movement, progress by technical competence and use qualified supervision rather than age-based loading targets or forced maximal attempts.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionKickstand Romanian Deadlift— Reduce strength, balance, or coordination demand while rehearsing the key pattern before returning to Single-leg Dumbbell RDL.
• progressionHeavier Single-leg Dumbbell RDL— Increase load, range, instability, or skill demand after Single-leg Dumbbell RDL is repeatable through the planned volume with reserve and no technique drift.
• alternativeSeated Leg Curl— Train a similar primary pattern with a different stability, equipment, or joint-loading profile when Single-leg Dumbbell RDL is impractical or poorly tolerated.