Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
Reviewed by Dylan Maurick, Physiotherapist
The Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift is a unilateral strength exercise that builds balance, control, and lower-body strength one leg at a time.
Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
Muscles Worked: Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
The dumbbell single leg deadlift mainly works your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Your glutes and hamstrings do most of the work as you hinge at the hips and stand back up, while your lower back helps keep your torso steady. Your quads and upper back chip in to keep the knee soft, the dumbbell close, and your body from tipping side to side. The standing leg takes on substantial muscle activation and balance demands, so good hip control and stability are key to doing the movement well (Jeong & Park, 2025).
Technique and form
How to perform the Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand with a firm grip by your side, maintaining a neutral spine.
- Shift your weight onto your left foot, slightly bending the knee while keeping your torso tall and shoulders pulled back.
- Begin hinging at the hips while simultaneously lifting your right leg straight behind you, keeping your hips square to the floor.
- Lower the dumbbell toward the floor by extending your right arm down, allowing it to hang vertically as you inhale during the descent.
- Continue the movement until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor and you feel a stretch in your standing leg's hamstring, maintaining a flat back throughout.
- Pause briefly at the bottom position, ensuring your supporting knee remains slightly bent and your hips stay level.
- Exhale as you drive through your left heel to return to the starting position, engaging your glutes and hamstrings to pull your torso upright.
- Control the movement as your right leg returns to the floor, then repeat for the prescribed repetitions before switching to the other side.
Important information
- Keep your back flat throughout the entire movement – avoid rounding your spine even when fatigued.
- Start with a lighter dumbbell until you master the balance requirements of this exercise.
- If balance is challenging, position yourself near a wall or sturdy object for support if needed.
- Focus on hip hinging rather than bending from your lower back – imagine your hips moving backward like closing a door with your butt.
Is the Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift good for muscle growth?
Yes. The dumbbell single leg deadlift is good for muscle growth, especially for the glutes and hamstrings, because it loads one leg at a time through a long hip hinge and makes the working side do almost all the effort. Research on single-leg deadlift variations shows the movement creates high demand on the stance leg and challenges balance and muscle recruitment at the same time (Jeong & Park, 2025).
- Big stretch under load — This exercise puts the hamstrings and glutes under tension while they are lengthened, which is a strong setup for muscle growth. Hamstring research shows hinge-based work can create high hamstring muscle forces at longer muscle lengths, which is a key feature of a deadlift pattern (Van Hooren et al., 2022)
- One side can't hide — Because you train one leg at a time, the stronger side cannot take over like it can in a regular dumbbell-deadlift. That makes it useful for bringing up weaker glutes or hamstrings and cleaning up left-to-right strength gaps
- Less load, more local work — You usually need less total weight than on a bilateral deadlift, but the standing leg still works very hard. That can help you train the hips hard without the same full-body fatigue you might get from a heavier dumbbell-romanian-deadlift
- Strength carries over through better control — Getting stronger is not just about adding muscle; better coordination matters too. Resistance training studies show strength gains come from both muscle growth and improved nervous system output, and this lift gives you plenty of practice producing force while staying stable
Programming for muscle growth
Do 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps per leg with 90-120 seconds rest. Train it 1-2 times per week, ideally after your main squat or deadlift pattern. Use a weight you can control without losing balance, lower the dumbbell slowly for 2-3 seconds, and aim to add reps before adding load so the target muscles stay doing the work.
Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift Variations
Alternative Exercises
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FAQ - Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
The dumbbell single leg deadlift primarily targets your posterior chain, with major emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings of the working leg. It also engages your core muscles extensively as stabilizers and recruits the lower back, calves, and even the standing leg's quadriceps for balance.
For an easier version, perform the movement while touching your non-working toe to the ground for balance or use a lighter weight. To increase difficulty, use a heavier dumbbell, slow down the eccentric (lowering) phase, extend your range of motion, or add a row at the bottom position.
A standard lying leg raise focuses on lifting the legs using the hip flexors and stabilizing with the core. Adding the hip lift shifts more tension to the abs by actively curling the pelvis off the floor, increasing abdominal contraction and reducing reliance on momentum.
While the single leg deadlift can actually help strengthen the back when performed correctly, those with existing back issues should consult a healthcare provider first. Start with bodyweight only to master form, keep your spine neutral throughout the movement, and focus on engaging your core to protect your lower back.
Include single leg deadlifts 1-2 times weekly with at least 48 hours between sessions to allow for adequate recovery. They work well as part of a lower body or posterior chain focused workout, and 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per leg is typically sufficient for most fitness goals.
Scientific References
Jeong J, Park I · Sports (Basel, Switzerland) (2025)
Muscle forces and fascicle behavior during three hamstring exercises.
Van Hooren B, Vanwanseele B, van Rossom S et al. · Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports (2022)
Sources are peer-reviewed academic publications from PubMed.
Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift
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