Barbell Single Leg Deadlift

HamstringsBarbellIntermediate
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip. Shift your weight onto one leg. Lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping your back straight and hinging at the hips. Keep your supporting leg slightly bent. Return to standing position by squeezing your glutes and pushing through your heel. Repeat on the other leg.

How to perform the Barbell Single Leg Deadlift

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Single Leg Deadlift using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your hamstrings.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your hamstrings rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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