How many reps of the walking single-leg deadlift should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps per leg, covering a short, controlled distance rather than rushing across the room. Add distance or reps only once the hips stay square and the balance feels steady on every rep, not just the first few.

How do I make the walking single-leg deadlift easier or harder?

To make it easier, keep a hand near a wall or countertop for light balance support, or shorten the travel distance between reps. To make it harder, hold a light dumbbell or a filled water bottle in each hand, close your eyes briefly at the top of each rep, or slow the hinge to a three-second count.

What is the walking single-leg deadlift good for, and when should I skip it?

It warms up the hamstrings and glutes while training single-leg balance and hip control, making it a strong lead-in to deadlifts, lunges, or running drills. Skip it, or shorten the range, if your balance is currently unreliable enough that you're catching yourself on most reps, since chasing distance before control reinforces the wobble instead of fixing it.

Intermediate

Walking Single-Leg Deadlift

This airplane-style hinge warms the hamstrings and glutes while challenging balance and hip stability on one leg at a time. Reaching the trailing leg long behind you lengthens the posterior chain dynamically, and stepping through keeps it flowing as a movement primer. It is an ideal lead-in to deadlifts, single-leg work, or running drills that demand stable hips.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Hamstring
Type: Balance, Stretching
Browse by muscle: Biceps Femoris, Gluteus Maximus

How to do it

1
Stand tall and shift your weight onto one leg with a soft knee.
2
Hinge at the hip, reaching the torso forward and the free leg straight back until the body forms a T.
3
Feel the stretch through the standing-leg hamstring and keep the hips level.
4
Return to standing and step the free leg forward to travel ahead.
5
Shift onto the new standing leg and repeat the hinge.
6
Continue alternating legs as you move forward under control.

Tips

Keep the hips square to the floor rather than opening to the side.
Reach long through the back leg to create a straight line from head to heel.
Keep a soft bend in the standing knee and hinge from the hip.
Fix your eyes on a spot ahead to steady your balance.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips open toward the sky as the free leg lifts, turning a square hinge into a twisted one that the eyes rarely catch without a mirror.
The standing knee locks out fully during the hinge, taking away the small bend that keeps the knee and hip working together.
Traveling too fast between reps turns each hinge into a rushed hop forward instead of a controlled reach-and-return.
The free leg stays low and never reaches the height of the torso, so the body never actually forms the T position the hinge is built around.
Staring down at the floor instead of fixing the eyes ahead removes the visual anchor that keeps the whole pattern steady.
The trailing foot lands wide off to one side when stepping forward, so the next rep starts with the hips out of line over the standing foot and balance is harder than it needs to be.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the walking single-leg deadlift should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps per leg, covering a short, controlled distance rather than rushing across the room. Add distance or reps only once the hips stay square and the balance feels steady on every rep, not just the first few.
How do I make the walking single-leg deadlift easier or harder?: To make it easier, keep a hand near a wall or countertop for light balance support, or shorten the travel distance between reps. To make it harder, hold a light dumbbell or a filled water bottle in each hand, close your eyes briefly at the top of each rep, or slow the hinge to a three-second count.
What is the walking single-leg deadlift good for, and when should I skip it?: It warms up the hamstrings and glutes while training single-leg balance and hip control, making it a strong lead-in to deadlifts, lunges, or running drills. Skip it, or shorten the range, if your balance is currently unreliable enough that you're catching yourself on most reps, since chasing distance before control reinforces the wobble instead of fixing it.

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