How to Perform a Proper Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in the hand opposite your stance leg.
2. Shift your weight onto one leg, keeping a soft bend in the knee. The non-working leg stays extended behind you.
3. Hinge at the hips, pushing them straight back while maintaining a neutral spine. Think about reaching the tailbone toward the wall behind you.
4. Lower the weight along the shin as your torso and back leg move together like a seesaw. Keep your hips square to the floor — don't let them open.
5. Descend until you feel a stretch in the hamstring of the stance leg, or until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor.
6. Drive through the heel of the stance leg, squeeze the glute, and return to the starting position with control.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Rounding the lower back — Keep your spine neutral from head to tailbone. If you can't go lower without rounding, reduce the range of motion.
• Opening the hips — The back hip often wants to rotate outward. Keep both hip bones pointing toward the floor throughout the movement.
• Bending the stance knee too much — This turns the RDL into a single-leg squat. Maintain only a soft bend and hinge from the hips.
• Letting the weight drift away from the body — Keep the dumbbell or kettlebell close to the shin. Drifting forward adds unnecessary stress to the lower back.
• Rushing the movement — The single-leg RDL rewards slow, controlled reps. Speed hides instability.

Progressions & Variations

Once you own the bodyweight version, add load gradually. A contralateral load (weight in the opposite hand) challenges anti-rotation. An ipsilateral load (weight in the same-side hand) shifts the demand. For advanced lifters, try a two-dumbbell variation or perform the movement on an unstable surface.