Single-Leg RDL

Stand on one leg holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in the opposite hand. Hinge at the hip, extending your free leg behind you as a counterbalance while lowering the weight toward the floor. Keep a slight bend in the standing knee and a flat back. Return to standing by driving your hips forward and squeezing your glute.

Pro Tips

• Hold the weight in the hand opposite to the standing leg for natural counterbalance
• Focus on hinging at the hip, not rounding your back
• Start without weight to build single-leg balance before adding load

Muscles worked

Primary: Hamstrings and gluteus maximus of the standing leg — loaded through a hip hinge performed on a single leg, which increases the neuromuscular demand significantly compared to the bilateral RDL while delivering the same posterior chain stimulus to the working side.

Supporting: Gluteus medius and hip abductors (lateral hip stability — resisting the hip from dropping on the standing side throughout the single-leg stance), adductors (inner thigh stabilisation of the standing leg), erector spinae (maintaining neutral lumbar extension during the hinge), core (anti-rotation stability throughout).

Common mistakes

Hip opening to the side: Allowing the hip of the raised leg to rotate outward (opening the hip) is one of the most common errors. The hips should remain square to the floor throughout — both iliac crests level, pelvis neutral. Opening the hip reduces hamstring loading and makes the exercise mechanically easier than intended.

Excessive knee bend in the standing leg: The single-leg RDL should maintain a soft, fixed knee bend — approximately the same amount as a bilateral RDL. Bending the knee excessively reduces the hamstring stretch and turns the movement into a partial single-leg squat.

Looking up: Extending the neck to look forward creates cervical compression. The head follows the neutral spine — looking slightly at the floor ahead is correct.

Rushing balance: Using a fast tempo to cycle through reps avoids the balance challenge that makes the single-leg RDL valuable. Slow, controlled reps with full hip extension at the top extract the full neuromuscular benefit.

Programming notes

The single-leg RDL is most commonly used in athletic training, injury prevention programming, and functional strength work where unilateral hip stability is a goal alongside hamstring loading. It is less common as a primary strength exercise (loading is inherently limited by balance capacity) and more common as an accessory or activation drill.

Typical programming: 3–4 sets of 8–12 repetitions per leg. For lifters whose primary goal is hamstring hypertrophy, the bilateral RDL is typically more effective due to heavier loading capacity. The single-leg version is most valuable for exposing and addressing bilateral strength and stability imbalances.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use the same-side or opposite-side hand when holding the weight?

Use the opposite hand to the standing leg — this is the contralateral grip. It creates a natural cross-body counterbalance that reduces rotational stress on the spine and keeps your hips square. The ipsilateral (same-side) grip is sometimes used by advanced lifters to increase the demand on hip abductor stability, but it is harder to control and not recommended when learning the movement.

Why do I lose balance and wobble so much during the single-leg RDL?

Balance breaks down for a few reasons: moving too fast, not fixing your gaze on a static point on the floor, and failing to engage your glute before you hinge. Slow the tempo down deliberately, pick a spot on the floor two metres ahead to fix your eyes on, and squeeze the glute of your standing leg before initiating the hinge. If balance is severely limiting your reps, perform the movement beside a wall so you can touch it lightly for proprioceptive feedback without relying on it for support.

Is the single-leg RDL better than the regular RDL for hamstring growth?

For pure hamstring hypertrophy, the bilateral RDL is generally more effective because balance capacity does not cap your loading — you can move significantly more weight. The single-leg RDL earns its place by exposing side-to-side strength and stability differences that bilateral work masks. Programme both: use the bilateral RDL as your primary hamstring hinge for overload, and the single-leg version as an accessory to address imbalances and build hip stability.