Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
The single-leg Romanian deadlift is a one-leg hip hinge where you tip your torso forward while your free leg reaches back. It trains your hamstrings and glutes, with your abs working to keep your hips square. Pick it to build hamstring strength and balance without weights. Hold onto a wall to make it easier.
Muscles worked
The single-leg romanian deadlift trains the hamstrings and glutes, with abs helping.
Primary
Helpers
Weekly sets for hamstrings
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for hamstrings, counting every exercise that trains it. Start a cycle near the growth line and climb toward the recovery limit before a deload.
How to do the single-leg romanian deadlift
- 01Stand on one leg with a soft bend in the knee and your arms hanging in front of you.
- 02Push your hips back and tip your torso forward while your free leg reaches straight back behind you.
- 03Keep your back flat and your hips square to the floor, as if headlights on your hips point down.
- 04Lower until you feel a strong hamstring stretch or your torso is close to parallel to the floor.
- 05Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glute to return to standing tall on one leg.
Coaching cues
- Hips back, not chest down
- Body and back leg move as one
- Keep both hips pointing at the floor
Common mistakes
- Opening your hip so your free leg rotates outward takes tension off the glute; keep your back toes pointing at the floor.
- Rounding your back to reach lower moves the work away from your hamstrings; stop at the depth where your back stays flat.
- Locking your standing knee straight puts the stretch behind the knee; keep a slight bend throughout the rep.
How Swole.fit programs it
Log it once and the app plans the next session for you.
- Most sets land between 8 and 15 reps, the range the plan steers compound lifts toward for size.
- Week one starts around 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Each week you train a little closer to failure, ending around 0 to 1 in reserve before a deload week.
- Once the top of the range is easy, Swole.fit suggests a harder variation or added load.
- Sets for this exercise count toward your weekly volume for every muscle it trains: a full set for the primary muscles, half a set for the helpers.
The full method, with the maths, is in how mesocycles work.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
- Kettlebell SwingKettlebell, band and specialty bar, glutes, hamstrings
- Barbell DeadliftBarbell, back, glutes, hamstrings
- Barbell Romanian DeadliftBarbell, hamstrings, glutes
- Cable Pull-ThroughCable, glutes, hamstrings
- Cable Romanian DeadliftCable, hamstrings, glutes
- Dumbbell Romanian DeadliftDumbbell, hamstrings, glutes
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your single-leg romanian deadlift free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.