How to Do the Single-Leg Deadlift Without Losing Your Balance
TO BALANCE OUT your lower body training, it helps to shift to one side. That might sound counterproductive, but it's the truth. Unilateral exercises—moves that require you to work on one side of the body rather—can be extremely useful to help correct any muscular imbalances or weak points on one side or the other. The single-leg deadlift is an underrated example of this.
Unlike the standard bilateral (balanced, two-foot) version of the exercise, the single-leg deadlift challenges you to balance. This stability challenge can be useful in helping exercisers to hone their athleticism and single-leg strength—but it can also wind up making the move too difficult to pull off with a challenging load that can build strength. You'll need to have fine-tuned form to pull it off properly, and lots of trainers teach a version of the single-leg deadlift that puts you at a disadvantage.
Let Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and senior editor Brett Williams, NASM guide you through the proper form so you can add the single-leg deadlift to your workouts without putting your gains—and your balance—at risk.
How to Do the Single-Leg Deadlift
Start holding a pair of dumbbells, standing with your feet hip-width apart and squeezing your shoulder blades, abs, and glutes to create tension.
Lift up one foot, holding it slightly off the floor in a balanced position.
Push your butt back, then hinge at the waist to lower your torso down toward the floor. Maintain tension to keep your shoulders and hips square to the floor.
Lower until you feel your back round or tightness in your hamstring.
Pause at the bottom, staying balanced. Keep your foot elevated off the floor, but don't kick back behind yourself.
Drive back up to the start, squeezing your glute into hip extension.
Continue performing reps to finish the set, working to keep your off-foot off the floor.
Take note of these additional cues from Samuel to shore up your single-leg deadlift form:
Shoulder Blades Tight
Eb says: The single-leg deadlift will make you focus on the working side hamstring and glute more, but remember this is a full posterior chain move. That means you want your entire back engaged as you lower the dumbbells.
This will give you a little back burn—and it will also help safeguard your shoulders as you start to move heavier weights, protecting your biceps tendons. This will help you keep yourself from rounding your back, too.
Don't Overextend
Eb says: The standard single-leg deadlift is typically taught with you extending your non-working leg as far back as you can, aiming to keep it in line with your torso. That's fine, but it can also create a major balance challenge, and oftentimes, that balance challenge overtakes your ability to utilize overload and time-under-tension principles with this deadlift.
That's why I prefer to teach the move without that pendulum effect on the back leg. Instead, just lift your back foot off the ground and keep it off the ground. You'll be able to add more weight to this deadlift, and you'll still face a balance challenge, but your mind won't be over-occupied trying to make sure your back leg is fully in line with your torso the whole time.
Stay Balanced
Eb says: We're still going to keep a balance component in this single-leg deadlift: Try to complete your reps without letting your non-working side foot touch the ground. (If it has to touch, let it do so every few reps, but fight for balance).
This will insure that you don't miss the final moment of the deadlift motion, when you'll need to squeeze your glutes to stay in balance, driving your hips into extension. That's a key mechanism in any standard bilateral deadlift, and we want it to be a key mechanism in this move too.
Don't Go Low
Eb says: Focus on keeping a flat, straight back the entire time. That will very likely mean you need to stop lowering your torso earlier than you think. Your goal is to stop lowering your torso and pause once it's parallel to the ground, or once you start to feel your back round, whichever comes first. This will be different for different people.
If you have tighter hamstrings or back issues, you won't lower all the way down. If you have great flexibility, you'll be able to lower until your torso is nearly parallel. Work in your own mobility. And know that this move is deceptive: Most people think they can lower their torsos until they're parallel to the ground, but they go way too far. Don't be afraid to stop early, feel your hamstring tighten, then push back to standing. And don't be afraid to take video of yourself; this is one move where it's invaluable to see your body positioning.
What Muscles the Single-Leg Deadlift Works
Like other deadlifts, the single-leg deadlift is a compound exercise that trains your posterior chain muscles. Given the unilateral nature of the movement, however, you're able to focus even more on isolating the hamstrings and glutes on the working leg, so slow, controlled movements are more important that just ripping through the exercise here. Your core muscles will also be tasked to keep you stable and upright as you work on a single side at a time.
Benefits of the Single-Leg Deadlift
You'll be able to isolate your hamstrings and glutes in ways that you can't with other deadlift variations when you work on a single side, which is useful for strength and size gains. You'll also hone your balance and athleticism when you work unilaterally. Finally, when you address the muscle imbalances on one side or the other, you'll only be stronger when you shift to the standard bilateral compound movements like deadlifts and squats.
Common Single-Leg Deadlift Mistakes to Avoid
Lots of trainers will tell you to kick back with your non-working leg to help you stay balanced. That's not really helpful, and might wind up throwing you off balance even more. If you struggle to stay on one foot, you might also be putting your gains at risk. If you can't stand on your own, work with lighter weight or put your rear leg back on the floor as a kickstand.
How to Add the Single-Leg Deadlift to Your Workouts
The single-leg deadlift will be a solid accessory movement on your lower body workouts to pair with heavyweight squats or deadlifts. Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps when you add them to your workouts, aiming to increase the weight as you master your balance.
Want to master even more moves? Check out our entire Form Check series.
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