How to Do One Leg Dead Lift Exercises

Video Transcript

"ALICE MONSAERT: Moving on, we're going to be doing a one-legged deadlift, which is a little bit more advanced exercise than a two-legged deadlift, but it starts the same. Stepping up to the center of the bench, I'm going to take one foot back and I like to start by "Velcroing" the foot to the back of the bench, if you will. Soften the knee of the supporting leg, shoulders back, spine straight, and you're tipping forward from the hip, and you can take your focus out in front of you so you feel more balanced. If you keep looking up or look too far down, you're going to lose your balance. So there's our one-legged deadlift. I can show you from side. Take your foot to the edge of the bench, soften the knee, and tilt forward. If you feel comfortable there, you can now add where that leg is going to lift to the back. So I'm using one leg to perform a deadlift, which is hinging over from the spine, and I can add that external resistance again. Center of the bench, shoulders back, keep your focus, soften your knee, tilt forward, either keeping the foot attached to the bench or trying to get yourself so you're parallel to the floor. Keep the weights close to the body because if you extend them out, you have a tendency to round the upper back and/or the lower back, and put too much pressure on that spine. So again, the weights need to stay close to the body when you're performing a deadlift."