How To Do A Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift To Lift & Strengthen Your Glutes

One word you probably hear plenty of when it comes to building strength is stability, and targeting your glutes through exercise is one of the best ways to naturally support your body.

Squats may be one of the most well-known lower-body exercises, but single-leg movements are equally useful for evening out muscle imbalances and individually working both your glutes and legs. Our personal favorite? The single-leg RDL.

Demonstrated by BB Arrington.

This movement is particularly useful for working on your balance, so bracing the core and keeping your hips pointed to the floor as you drive your hips backward is essential for making sure that you don't topple over. "If you're looking to target your glutes, you're going to want to think about keeping more bend in the primary leg. If you're looking to target more hamstring, you're going to want to keep that leg straighter," explains Arrington. "The more the leg bends, the more you advantage the glute and disadvantage the hamstring."

In a recent Instagram post, Arrington shares that there are several modifications for the single-leg RDL that can make the movement more accessible to all fitness levels. If you want to stick to one leg but need more help with balance, it can be useful to hold on to a chair in front of you, using only one weight.

If you need to scale it back even further, Arrington shows that you can stagger your legs but keep them both on the ground so you're still focusing the weight on the front leg without adding balance into the mix. 

Demonstrated by BB Arrington.

Demonstrated by Janeil Mason.

Demonstrated by Krista Stryker.

If you're just beginning your weight training journey and are looking for an at-home workout that won't leave you limping around the next day, this 20-minute session from Arrington is the perfect fit to get used to the building blocks of strength training. Plus, it's easily adjustable for when you do get stronger.