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Single-Leg Cable Romanian Deadlift

Holding a low handle, you hinge over one leg while the free leg lifts behind you, keeping the cable's horizontal pull constant through the whole range. It trains the hamstrings and glutes hard while demanding hip stability from the standing leg, exposing and fixing left-to-right imbalances. Reserve it for lifters with solid hinge mechanics, since the balance element raises the skill ceiling.

Equipment
Cables
Body part
Glutes, Hamstring
Type
Balance, Functional, Strength
Browse by movement
Hinge
Muscles worked
Target
Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Gluteus Maximus
Secondary
Erector Spinae, Gluteus Medius
Tertiary
Adductor Magnus

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set a low pulley and hold the handle in the hand opposite your standing leg, facing the stack.

  2. 2

    Balance on one leg with a soft knee and brace your trunk.

  3. 3

    Hinge at the hip, reaching the handle toward the floor as the free leg rises behind you.

  4. 4

    Keep your hips level and back flat as you lower into a deep hamstring stretch.

  5. 5

    Drive the hip forward and squeeze the glute to return to standing tall.

  6. 6

    Finish all reps on one side, then switch.

Tips

  • Keep your hips square to the floor; do not let the free-leg side open up.
  • Move slowly and own the balance rather than chasing heavy weight.
  • Hinge from the hip with a flat back instead of rounding to reach lower.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The cable draws you toward the stack and the standing foot rolls inward as the arch gives way, which is the ankle rescuing a rep the hip should have controlled.
  • The free leg swings back hard to counterweight the reach, so momentum rather than the hamstring brings you back to standing.
  • Standing too far from the stack leaves the cable pulling almost horizontally at the bottom, and it drags you off balance before the hamstring is finished.
  • The handle gets held in the hand on the same side as the standing leg, which loads the trunk into rotation instead of the cross-body setup the steps describe.
  • The hinge stops early at the point where you would have to reach further, so the free leg never rises to horizontal and the hamstring stays well short of a stretch.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the single-leg cable Romanian deadlift should you do when you are new to the exercise?
This is not a first hinge; get comfortable with the dumbbell single-leg version before you set foot near a stack. When you are ready, three sets of 8 to 10 per leg on a light setting is enough, and balance rather than the plates should be what ends the set. Progress with a two-second pause at the bottom, then one plate at a time. Two sessions a week fits well, since the loads stay modest and the skill rewards repetition.
What can I use instead of a cable for the single-leg Romanian deadlift?
A dumbbell or kettlebell in the opposite hand is the usual version and needs no machine; a band under the standing foot gives tension that peaks at the top instead. What the cable specifically offers is constant tension plus a horizontal pull that helps you feel the hips, so to get that at home, anchor a band at floor level in front of you rather than standing on it.
What is the single-leg cable Romanian deadlift good for, and when is it a poor choice?
It trains the hamstrings and glutes on one side with tension that never lets up while the standing hip works to stop the pelvis rotating, which is why athletes and anyone fixing a side-to-side difference use it. It is a poor choice as a strength lift: whatever you can stay balanced against is a fraction of what a two-legged hinge handles. It is also a poor choice for beginners, because the cable adds a sideways pull to a movement that is already a balance test, so learn the pattern with a dumbbell on solid ground first.

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