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Fundamentals

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Stand on one leg, send the hips back while the trunk tips forward and the other leg reaches straight behind, then stand up again. This page covers the version without weight.

The standing foot stays flat where it is while the hips go back and the trunk goes forward. A side view cannot show the rotation of the pelvis, and how far forward the drawing goes is a drawing choice, not a rule.
Difficulty
Intermediate
editorial estimate
Steps to it
3 steps
Beginner → Intermediate
Usually done on
Floor
Start with the first stepHow it is done

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 6 sources

The road at a glance

A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.

Helps to have first

A starting point: no other movement in the Atlas is needed first.

This skill

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Leads towards

No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.

01

What it is

The single-leg Romanian deadlift without weight is a one-legged hinge: the standing knee stays only slightly bent, the hips travel back, the trunk leans forward and the free leg reaches straight behind, then the hips come forward again to stand.145

The name lives in exercise libraries (the ACE library says 'single-leg Romanian deadlift'; the FMS library and the Liftosaur database say 'single leg deadlift' for the version without weight), not in a competition rulebook. It borrows from the loaded Romanian deadlift, which the Prehab article describes before it turns to the single-leg version; here it means the version without weight, as those libraries describe it. Nothing on this page is a rule of a federation.1356

As of this writing the Atlas has no other hip-hinge page, so this one starts from a hinge drill on two feet.

What separates it from the squat and lunge pages is the standing knee: four sources describe it as slightly bent (ACE gives it for the starting position), so the movement is described as happening at the hip rather than as a deep knee bend. The sources do not rate how hard it is the same way: ACE labels it advanced, while one clinic website offers the bodyweight version to beginners. The catalog's level is an editorial estimate between the two.1345

Move at the hip, not the back: the hips go back, the trunk and the free leg tip forward together, and the standing foot stays planted.

02

How it is done

  1. Stand on one leg

    Stand with the feet about hip-width apart and the back upright, then put the weight on one leg and let the other relax. Call them the standing leg and the free leg; the pictures show the free foot just off the floor.145

    CueKeep a slight bend in the knee.4

  2. Keep the standing knee soft

    The standing knee stays slightly bent the whole time and is not locked. FMS is the only source that gives a number, a bend of five to twenty degrees; that is one source's statement, not a rule. The picture shows a slight bend in all three positions.345

  3. Send the hips back

    Push the hips backwards and lean the trunk forward from the hip, not by bending the back. Keep the weight on the standing leg and keep pressing that foot into the floor.13456

    CueMove the hips backwards.1

  4. Reach the free leg back

    The free leg starts to rise as the hips go back, then reaches straight behind, in line with the body, for balance. FMS describes one line from ankle to ear at the end of the reach; the Prehab article points the foot down towards the standing leg and treats a foot turning outwards as a sign of lost pelvic control.13456

  5. Keep the hips level and the back flat

    The hips face the floor without twisting, the shoulders and hips stay level, and the back stays flat rather than rounded. This cannot be judged from the side view; the pictures show a straight line, not the pelvis.1345

    CueKeep the hips square to the floor.4

  6. Choose how far to go

    The sources describe depth in different words. ACE says to lean to a comfortable distance; Liftosaur says the trunk goes roughly parallel to the floor or as far as flexibility allows; the clinic website describes a T shape, but never past the point where the back rounds. FMS gives no depth. The depth drawn here is a drawing choice.145

  7. Stand back up

    Squeeze the glute of the standing leg and lower the free leg as the trunk comes upright; Liftosaur cues pushing through the heel. ACE and the clinic website both say to finish all repetitions on one side before switching.145

    CuePush through the heel.5

03

Progressions

The three steps follow drills that one physical therapist's article describes (it calls them microregressions); their order is an editorial choice. There is no test for moving on and no repetition target.

What to have first

  • Learn the hip hinge first

    The Prehab article says to master the hip hinge before this exercise. The Atlas has no hinge page, so the first step above is a hinge drill on two feet. This is a suggestion, never a requirement.6

  • Balance on one foot

    The same article names losing balance as probably the biggest problem when learning the exercise, especially as weight is added. The clinic website advises starting with light weights or no weights until you master the form and balance. The Atlas does not check standing on one foot as a prerequisite.46

  1. Step 1Beginner

    Hinge drill on two feet

    With both feet on the floor, send the hips back and tip the trunk forward, then stand up; the picture has the hands on the hips, which is a drawing choice, not something the article says. The Prehab article names a dowel, a wall touch and a band as aids for learning the hinge; these aids are not drawn.

    Technical note: Learn the hip going back before balancing on one leg.6

  2. Step 2Beginner

    Kickstand: back toes on the floor

    Stand with most of the weight on the front leg while the other foot stays behind and gives some stability (the Prehab article's kickstand); the picture draws the back toes touching the floor. The Prehab article calls touching down a bridge for balance, not a failure, and names losing balance as probably the biggest problem when learning the exercise, especially with added weight.

    Technical note: The weight stays on the front foot; the back foot is only a helper.6

  3. Step 3IntermediateGoal

    Free leg in the air

    Lift the free leg and send it straight back as the hips go back and the trunk goes forward, then return to standing.

    Technical note: In the picture of this step the free leg stays in the air.145

04

Community

1reached it
0working on it
0tips

Who is at which step

  1. 1. Hinge drill on two feet0 athletes
  2. 2. Kickstand: back toes on the floor0 athletes
  3. 3. Free leg in the air0 athletes

Only public profiles of adult athletes are counted. The numbers grow as people add skills to their profile.

Tips from the community

Tips are personal experience, not medical advice or a training plan.

There are no tips for this movement yet.

05

Common mistakes

  • Rounding the back

    The clinic website twice asks that the back is not rounded; Liftosaur lists rounding the back as a mistake and ACE asks for a straight back. Stop the lean before the back starts to round.145

  • Locking the standing knee

    Liftosaur lists a locked knee as a mistake, and the clinic website asks for a slight bend. Keep the soft bend all the way through.45

  • Turning the pelvis open

    Liftosaur lists the hips rotating as a mistake: it asks for the hips to stay square and not rotate. The Prehab article calls outward pelvic rotation a commonly seen fault and reads a foot turning outwards as lost pelvic control. The side view cannot show it.56

  • Head and neck out of line

    The clinic website lists the head and neck drifting out of line with the spine. Liftosaur suggests focusing on a fixed point in front of you for stability.45

  • Losing balance or feeling no glute

    The Prehab article names losing balance and not feeling the glute work as common problems, and describes the kickstand for balance and hinge drills for the hips.6

06

Variations and related skills

  • Loaded version

    Load

    The same hinge with a weight in the hand or hands. The Prehab article is mostly about this version and closes by saying to start without weight; this page does not teach it. That article says to learn the hinge first, and the clinic website says to start with light weights or no weights until you master the form and balance.46

  • Cable version

    Equipment

    A version with a cable machine exists: ACE lists one with a cable handle held in the hand, rated advanced. The Atlas only names it and does not describe it.2

  • Arm position

    ACE allows the hands in any position that helps balance, and the pictures show them hanging. Liftosaur adds a fixed point ahead to focus on.15

Related skillsPistol SquatLungeGlute BridgeNordic Curl

On Calisthenics Balkan

07

Sources

6 sources

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below

  1. Single-leg Romanian DeadliftAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library entry 329, no equipment; no author or date shown; one instruction paragraph; read 23 Oct 2026
  2. Single Leg Romanian Dead LiftAmerican Council on Exercise · exercise library entry 350, resistance bands/cables, difficulty Advanced; no author or date shown; read 23 Oct 2026
  3. Single Leg Deadlift Body WeightFunctional Movement Systems · exercise library entry 818; no author or date shown; the instruction text sits next to a video player; the knee-bend range and the ankle-to-ear line were each confirmed as quoted statements in the page text on 23 Oct 2026
  4. Single Leg RDLMike Walden · Sportsinjuryclinic.net, a clinic website; last updated 15 May 2024; the author is a sports injury therapist by his own page, and the text is advice, not a study; read 23 Oct 2026
  5. Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift - How To, Muscles Worked & Form GuideLiftosaur exercise database · no author or date; a database entry; statements that only this entry makes are attributed to it by name; read 23 Oct 2026
  6. Master the Single Leg Romanian DeadliftMichael Lau, PT, DPT, CSCS · Prehab (The Prehab Guys), published and updated 7 Sep 2022; an article about the loaded exercise, used here only for its unloaded drills, regressions and errors; read 23 Oct 2026

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