Dumbbell · intermediate · upper legs
Dumbbell single arm leg deadlift to upright row
Also called Ipsilateral single-leg deadlift to upright row, Same-side single-leg RDL to upright row, Single-arm single-leg deadlift to upright row, Same-side single-leg deadlift to upright row.
This is a single-leg deadlift with the dumbbell in the hand on the same side as the leg you are standing on, followed by an upright row once you are back up. The glute of the standing leg drives you upright with the hamstring working alongside it, the gluteus medius on that side keeps your pelvis level, and your shoulder and traps only come in for the row at the end. Same-side loading is the quieter of the two single-arm versions, because the weight hangs over the foot you are balanced on rather than off the side with nothing under it.
How to do it
- Step oneStand on one leg holding a dumbbell in the hand on the same side.
- Step twoHinge at the hips and lower the dumbbell toward the floor, extending the free leg behind you.
- Step threeReturn to upright, then pull the dumbbell up along your body to chin height.
- Step fourLower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
- Step fiveComplete all repetitions on one side before switching legs.
What usually goes wrong
Each starts with what you would notice.
The sole of your lifted foot ends up facing sideways or up at the ceiling by the bottom of each rep.
WhyYour pelvis has rolled open toward the free side. The leg going back has taken the hip with it, so part of the range is coming from turning rather than folding.
FixPoint the sole of the lifted foot at the wall behind you and keep it pointing there. If it will not stay, go down less far. The depth you can reach square is the depth you have.
The dumbbell ends up hanging outside your standing foot instead of in front of it.
WhyWith the weight in the hand on the same side as your base, nothing is keeping it on line, so it drifts wide as you fold. Out there it pulls you toward that side for the whole descent.
FixTrack the dumbbell down the front of your standing shin and let it finish over your laces. If it swings wide on the way down, take a size off and rebuild the line before you add the weight back.
Your free foot hits the floor halfway down and the rep finishes on two legs.
WhyThe hinge has gone further than the standing hip could hold, so the other leg has come down to catch you and taken over the second half.
FixStop the descent where you can still hold one leg, then put the free foot down deliberately at the top before you row. Coming down on purpose is fine. Being caught is what changes the exercise.
You lean away from the dumbbell to get the last few inches of the row.
WhyOne dumbbell on one side makes the pull uneven, and tipping the trunk the other way buys height without the shoulder doing any more.
FixStand square and finish the pull with the elbow still below shoulder height. If the elbow will not get there without the lean, the dumbbell is heavier than the row can take even though the hinge could carry it.
What it is for
The single arm leg dumbbell deadlift to upright row is a unilateral compound exercise that combines a single-leg deadlift with an upright row. It targets the hamstrings and glutes through the hinge and the traps and shoulders through the row, all while demanding significant balance and core stability.
Questions people ask
- What muscles does the single arm and leg deadlift to upright row work?
- The glute of the standing leg is the muscle doing the work as you come back up, with the hamstring alongside it and the gluteus medius on that side keeping your pelvis level. Your lower back is holding your ribs over your hips and producing none of the movement. The traps and the middle of your shoulder work only at the end, on the row.
- Which hand holds the dumbbell?
- The hand on the same side as the leg you are standing on. That is what separates this from the movement filed as the single leg and arm deadlift to upright row, where the dumbbell goes in the opposite hand. The two names are almost identical and the two exercises are not.
- Do you stay on one leg for the row?
- The demonstration puts the free foot down behind before rowing, and that is the sensible order. Rowing while balanced on one leg caps the dumbbell at a weight the row barely notices. Get back to standing, let the free toes touch down, then pull.
- Is the same-side version easier than the opposite-hand one?
- It asks less of the standing hip. Holding the dumbbell across from the standing leg was measured to raise glute activity against holding it on the same side, in a small study of 12 trained men. A moderate effect in a small group, worth knowing rather than worth rebuilding a week around.
- Is this a hamstring exercise?
- Partly. The hamstring lengthens and shortens through the hinge, but where this pattern has been measured with a dumbbell, the gluteus maximus read higher than the hamstring in every condition tested. Treat it as glute-led hip work with a hamstring stretch in it, and a shoulder exercise bolted on the end.