Hamstrings exercise
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift (Dumbbell)How to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Hamstrings, Glutes
- Also works
- Abductors, Lower back
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift?
- Stand on one leg with a dumbbell in the opposite hand.
- Soften your standing knee and brace your stomach.
- Hinge forward as your free leg lifts straight back behind you.
- Lower the dumbbell to just below your knee, back flat.
- Drive your hip forward to stand tall, then switch sides.
Cues
- Body and back leg move like one plank.
- Keep both hips pointing at the floor.
- Push the floor away with your standing foot.
Common mistakes
- Twisting the hips open as the leg lifts.
- Rounding your back to reach the floor.
- Locking the standing knee straight.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Stand on the left leg, foot straight ahead, knee soft (10–15° flexion). One dumbbell in the right hand (the hand opposite the standing leg), arm straight, palm facing the body, dumbbell in front of the left thigh. The right foot hovers 2–5 cm off the floor beside the left ankle. Hips level, chest up, shoulders down and back. The free hand can hang or rest on the hip. The app tells users to switch sides.
The movement
Hinge forward from the left hip. The trunk and the right leg move as one straight lever: as the trunk tips forward, the right leg straightens and rises behind, staying in line with the trunk. The right foot is dorsiflexed with the toes pointing at the floor. The standing knee keeps its small bend and the shin stays close to vertical. The dumbbell hangs straight down from the shoulder and lowers in front of the standing leg, within a few centimetres of the shin. The pelvis stays square to the floor: the right hip must not turn up towards the ceiling. To return, push the left foot into the floor, drive the left hip forward and lower the right leg back under the body. Pause balanced at the top.
End position
The trunk is close to parallel with the floor, the back is flat and the dumbbell is just below the standing knee. Standing hip flexion equals the trunk angle plus the thigh's backward tilt (about 15°).
Tempo
2.5 s down, 0.5 s pause at the bottom, 1.5 s up, 1 s balanced at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing knee flexion, held through the rep | 15° | 10–25° | [1][2] |
| Trunk angle from vertical at the bottom | 80° | 65–90° | [2] |
| Dumbbell height at the bottom | just below the knee | knee height to mid-shin | [3] |
| Free leg in line with the trunk at the bottom | 0° bend at the hip line | ±10° | [1][4] |
| Free knee flexion at the bottom | 5° | 0–15° | [1] |
| Pelvis rotation (free hip opening up) | 0° | under 10° | [3][4] |
| Free foot height at the top | 3 cm off the floor | 1–8 cm | [1] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
