Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
ಹ್ಯಾಮ್ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್ಗಳು
What moves the load, and what it costs
6.0MET
ಹ್ಯಾಮ್ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್ is the prime mover, with the glutes, lower back, abs assisting. A hamstring exercise and a balance exercise at the same time. The hips will try to open — keeping them level is the actual skill.
Cue: Stand on one leg and let the other travel straight back as a counterweight, keeping the hips square to the floor.
ಮೂಲ.2024 ವಯಸ್ಕರ ದೈಹಿಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ.FILED UNDER WEIGHTS, VIGOROUS.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
SHARED AXIS · SEVEN VALUES FROM ONE TABLE · HIGHLIGHTED ROW IS THIS MOVEMENT
The compendium files single-leg romanian deadlift under a category, not a lift. Read the ladder as position, not precision: this is heavier work than sitting quietly by a factor of 6.0, and at the top end of what a gym floor produces.
Turning that MET value into a real energy cost
- Map the movement to a published category. The compendium measures categories of conditioning work, never individual lifts, so single-leg romanian deadlift is filed under Resistance training (weight lifting, free weight or machine), power lifting or body building, vigorous effort.
- Take the category's MET value — 6.0. One MET is the cost of sitting quietly, so this is 6.0 times resting metabolism.
- Multiply by 3.5 to get millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute, the unit the MET is actually defined in.
- Multiply by your bodyweight in kilograms and divide by 200. The result is kilocalories per minute of work.
- Count working minutes only. Under load, not under the roof — a set of eight is about 25 seconds of the hour you were there.
kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × body mass (kg) ÷ 200 Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift: 6.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 7.35 kcal/min
ಮೂಲ.ACSM metabolic equation + 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.REFERENCE BODY MASS 70 KG.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
What is actually doing the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| ಹ್ಯಾಮ್ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್Biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus | Prime mover | Bends the knee and extends the hip. Because they cross both joints, they need both a hinge (hip) and a curl (knee) to be trained fully. |
| GlutesGluteus maximus, medius and minimus | ಸಹಾಯಕ / ಸ್ಥಿರಕಾರಿ | Extends the hip (maximus), and abducts and stabilises it (medius and minimus). The strongest single muscle group in the body. |
| Lower backErector spinae and quadratus lumborum | ಸಹಾಯಕ / ಸ್ಥಿರಕಾರಿ | Extends the spine and, in most lifting, holds it still against a bending force. It is a stabiliser far more often than a prime mover. |
| AbsRectus abdominis | ಸಹಾಯಕ / ಸ್ಥಿರಕಾರಿ | Bends the trunk forward and, more usefully, resists it being extended backwards. Both a crunch and a plank load it — differently. |
The prime mover produces the movement against the resistance; synergists assist and stabilisers hold a joint still without moving it. An exercise trains the whole muscle it loads — there is no way to work only part of a muscle, and no exercise removes fat from the area around it.
Set up, then earn the rep
Dumbbells, Kettlebell. Every rep should look like the first one. The moment it stops looking like the first one, the set is finished.
PATTERN · HINGE
- Stand tall holding the dumbbells at arm's length in front of your thighs, feet hip width.
- Soften the knees a few degrees and then keep that angle — the knees do not bend further during the movement.
- Stand on one leg and let the other travel straight back as a counterweight, keeping the hips square to the floor.
- Push the hips straight back and let the load slide down the front of the legs, keeping it in contact or very close.
- Stop when you feel a strong stretch in the hamstrings and before the back starts to round — for most people that is somewhere between the knee and mid-shin.
- Drive the hips forward to stand, squeezing the glutes at the top without leaning back.
Where this one breaks down
Not theory. These are the faults you correct on a gym floor, and the correction that actually works.
Squatting it instead of hinging.
If the knees keep bending, the hips never travel back and the hamstrings never lengthen. Push the hips towards the wall behind you.
Chasing the floor.
Range is decided by your hamstrings, not by the plates. The moment the lower back rounds, you have gone past the useful range.
Letting the bar drift away from the legs.
Every centimetre forward is extra load on the lower back. Keep it grazing the thighs.
Regress it, or progress it
Regress — earn it first
Prescription: load, reps, rest
Read off the goal, then hold the technique constant as the load climbs. Derived from the movement's mechanics, not invented for this page: a compound lift loads several joints, so it tolerates heavy loads and needs long rests.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತಿ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 | 3–6 | 3–5 min | Heavy loads need long rests. Cutting rest to two minutes turns a strength set into a conditioning set. |
| Muscle size | 3–4 | 6–12 | 90–180 sec | Take most sets to within one to three reps of failure. Total weekly hard sets per muscle matters more than the exact rep number. |
| Endurance / fat loss | 2–4 | 12–20 | 45–75 sec | Lighter loads and shorter rests. Fat loss is decided by the diet; this preserves muscle while it happens. |
| First month | 2–3 | 8–10 | 2 ನಿಮಿ | Well short of failure, same weight every set, until the movement looks the same on the last rep as the first. |
Time under load, in kilocalories
Read these as minutes of work, not minutes in the building. A set of eight takes about twenty-five seconds; the rest of the hour is rest, chalk and queueing.
Mapped category: Resistance training (weight lifting, free weight or machine), power lifting or body building, vigorous effort — 6.0 MET. That is the published category this movement is filed under, not a measurement of this specific lift.
Worked at 6.0 MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 = 7.35 kcal per working minute for a 70 kg adult. Scale it by your own bodyweight; the equation is linear. The full activity dataset lives at BurnLab.
ಮೂಲ.2024 ವಯಸ್ಕರ ದೈಹಿಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ.CATEGORY VALUE, NOT A PER-EXERCISE MEASUREMENT.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
If the rack is taken
Substitutes train the same prime mover through the same pattern with different kit. Computed from the muscle and pattern data on this card, not hand-picked to fill a grid.
Nothing at all to hand: Nordic Hamstring Curl is the closest match — same prime mover, same pattern, no kit.
Where it sits in a week
One movement is not a programme. The twelve templates put these in order, including 6 that need no gym at all.
The questions that come up on the floor
What muscles does the single-leg romanian deadlift work?
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift is a compound movement in which the hamstrings is the prime mover, assisted by the glutes, lower back, abs. Bends the knee and extends the hip. Because they cross both joints, they need both a hinge (hip) and a curl (knee) to be trained fully.
Is the single-leg romanian deadlift good for beginners?
Not on day one, but it is reachable within a few weeks. It rates 3 out of 5 for technical demand. Work up through the easier versions listed on this page first, starting with the dumbbell romanian deadlift.
What can I do instead of the single-leg romanian deadlift at home?
The closest no-equipment substitute is the nordic hamstring curl, which trains the same prime mover through the same movement pattern. It will not load you as heavily, so use higher reps and slower tempo to make up the difference.
How many sets and reps of the single-leg romanian deadlift should I do?
For muscle size, 3–4 sets of 6–12 with 90–180 sec rest. For strength, 3–5 sets of 3–6 with 3–5 min rest. In your first month, 2–3 sets of 8–10, stopping well short of failure. Total weekly hard sets per muscle group matters more than the exact rep number in any of these ranges.
Does the single-leg romanian deadlift burn fat from the hamstrings?
No. No exercise removes fat from the area it trains — spot reduction has been tested repeatedly and does not happen. Training the hamstrings builds the muscle underneath; where body fat is lost from is decided by an overall calorie deficit and by your genetics, not by which exercise you chose.
Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the ಮೂಲಗಳು page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.
ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026
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