What equipment do you need for the single-leg romanian deadlift?

The single-leg romanian deadlift is a bodyweight exercise and needs no equipment.

What is a good single-leg romanian deadlift?

For men, a good single-leg romanian deadlift is about a 175 lb estimated one-rep max, the Gold (intermediate) standard in Kovo. Beginners start near 40 lb and elite lifters pass 372.5 lb. For women, the standards run from about 22.5 lb to 125 lb. The tier table above lists every rank from Bronze to Champion.

Legs · Dumbbell

Single-leg Romanian Deadlift

How to do the single-leg romanian deadlift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.

Equipment: Dumbbell
Difficulty: Intermediate
Logged as: Weighted reps
Movement: Hinge
Mechanic: Compound

Find more:Glutes exercises Dumbbell exercises

How to do it

Stand on one leg, holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand. Hinge at the hips, lowering the weight towards the ground while raising your back leg behind you. Return to starting position.

1Stand on one leg and hinge at your hip, extending your other leg back as you lower the weight; you should feel your hamstrings and glutes on the standing leg
2Keep your hips level and your back flat, engaging your core for balance
3Drive through your heel to return to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top

Common mistakes

Don't round your spine or let your shoulders slump forward
Avoid letting your hips twist or your raised leg drop, keep them aligned
Don't use a weight that compromises your balance or form

Muscles worked

The single-leg romanian deadlift mainly works the glutes, lower back, and hamstrings, with the forearms, quads, upper traps, upper abs, and calves assisting.

GlutesPrimary
Lower BackPrimary
HamstringsPrimary
ForearmsSupport
QuadsSupport
Upper TrapsSupport
Upper AbsSupport
CalvesSupport

Single-leg Romanian Deadlift strength standards

See how your single-leg romanian deadlift ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.

Bronzee1RM40 lb
Silvere1RM95 lb
Golde1RM175 lb
Platinume1RM267.5 lb
Diamonde1RM322.5 lb
Champione1RM372.5 lb

Find your rank

Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.

Weight (lb)Reps

Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.

Kovo programs the single-leg romanian deadlift for you and tracks it every session.

We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.

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More glutes exercises

See all glutes exercises →

Last reviewed April 2026.