Perform a single-leg hip hinge while holding a barbell to load the hamstrings.
How to do the Barbell Single Leg Romanian Deadlift#
- Stand holding the barbell at hip level and shift your weight onto the working leg, keeping a slight bend in that knee.
- Keep a neutral spine and hinge at the hips, pushing them back as you lower the barbell toward the front of the standing leg.
- Simultaneously extend the non-working leg straight behind you to counterbalance, keeping it in line with your torso.
- Lower until you feel a hamstring stretch or your torso is near parallel to the floor, then drive your hips forward to return to standing.
- Control the descent and reset your balance before repeating for the next rep.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Hamstrings (Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus & Semimembranosus), Glutes (Gluteus Maximus)
- Secondary: Lower back (Erector Spinae), Abs (Rectus Abdominis), Obliques (External & Internal Obliques), Adductors (Adductor Magnus, Longus & Brevis (Hip Adductors))
Common mistakes#
- Rounding the lower back during the hinge.
- Bending the standing knee too much and turning the movement into a squat.
- Using momentum to swing the torso instead of hinging at the hips.
- Allowing the hips to rotate or open toward the lifted leg.
