How to Do the Single-Leg RDL

How to Do the Single-Leg RDL: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Discover an exercise that enhances your gym performance and daily tasks.

Imagine improved balance, strength, and muscle mass in your glutes and hamstrings, along with mental benefits.

Meet the single-leg Romanian deadlift – a vertical hip-hinge exercise that boosts strength, balance, mobility, and coordination.

Whether you're new or struggled with it before, this guide will boost your confidence.

What Is a Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift?

The single-leg Romanian deadlift (single-leg RDL) is a vertical hip-hinge exercise where you balance on one leg, hinge at the hips, lower your torso almost parallel to the floor, and return to the start.

Benefits of Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts

Single-leg RDLs improve balance, proprioception (awareness of your body in space), and reveal deficits between legs that bilateral exercises mask. They enhance:

The Single-Leg RDL: How to Perform It

Learn the step-by-step process to performing a perfect single leg RDL as well as fixes for the common faults you see when performing.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

How to Do a Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift Modifications

How to Include Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts in Your Training

If you're new to single-leg RDLs, I’d like to encourage you to work them into your training at least twice per week, preferably at the beginning of your workout. Single-leg RDLs are challenging and require a lot of muscle recruitment, and practicing them early in your workout will ensure you’re fresh and will get more out of your practice.

Start with bodyweight only, and aim for 2–3 sets of 6–8 reps per side to start. Once you’re able to perform those with excellent form, you can move on to perform this exercise with dumbbells, kettlebells, a barbell, or a resistance band or cable. Always begin using lighter loads to make sure your technique remains on point.

Bonus: To make it even easier for you to try out single-leg RDLs, here are two complete workouts (no equipment needed!) you can try next time you’re ready to train.

15 Minute Full-Body Workout

Here’s your circuit:

• Bodyweight Single-Leg RDL
• Bear Crawl
• Lateral Lunge
• Side Plank
• Glute Bridge

And here’s exactly how you do it:

• Set a timer for 15 minutes
• Perform 8–10 reps of each exercise, resting as needed between exercises
• Complete the circuit as many times as you can in 15 minutes

That’s it!

20 Minute Lower-Body Workout

This workout is formatted a little differently. Instead of going through a single circuit, you’ll be working with supersets.

Superset 1

• Bodyweight Squat x 8–10 reps each side
• Bodyweight Single-Leg RDL x 8–10 reps each side

Superset 2

• Lunge x 10–12 reps each side
• Glute Bridge x 10–12 reps

Superset 3

• Front Plank x 3-5 reps, holding each rep for 5-10 seconds per rep,
• Side Plank x 3–5 reps, holding each rep for 5–10 seconds per side

Here’s how to do it:

• Perform 3–5 rounds of Superset 1.
• Rest 60 seconds.
• Perform 3–5 rounds of Superset 2.
• Rest 60 seconds.
• Perform 3–5 rounds of Superset 3.

Celebrate and drink some water! You’re done!