Dumbbell · intermediate · upper legs
Dumbbell single leg deadlift to upright row
Also called Single-leg RDL to upright row, One-leg Romanian deadlift to upright row, Two-dumbbell single-leg deadlift to upright row.
A dumbbell in each hand, standing on one leg: hinge down with the free leg extending behind you, come back to standing, then row both dumbbells up the front of your body. Because the load is even on both sides, nothing drags you sideways, which makes this the version of the three you can genuinely put weight on. The glutes and hamstrings of the standing leg produce the hinge, your lower back stays out of it and holds rather than bends, and the row is shoulder and trap work carrying roughly twice the load of the single-arm versions.
How to do it
- Step oneStand on one leg holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
- Step twoHinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells toward the floor, extending the free leg behind you.
- Step threeReturn to upright, then pull the dumbbells up along your body toward your chin in an upright row.
- Step fourLower the dumbbells 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.
Your elbows come up level with your shoulders at the top of the row and the joint feels tight there.
WhyThe pull has carried past the point where the shoulder has room. Two dumbbells make that easy to reach, since you have twice the load and the stand-up has already got them moving.
FixEnd every pull with the elbows clearly under shoulder level. The dumbbell upright row entry sets out why that limit exists, and it applies here unchanged. Standing on one leg does not relax it.
The dumbbells end up either side of your standing foot and you feel pulled apart at the bottom.
WhyOne narrow base with weight hanging on both sides of it. Any gap between the dumbbells widens as you fold, and the wider it gets the harder the standing hip works to keep you centered.
FixKeep the dumbbells close together and brushing the standing shin, so they pass either side of one foot rather than either side of a stance you do not have.
You are already rowing before you are properly stood up.
WhyThe hinge and the pull have been welded into one motion, so the dumbbells start rising while the hip is still finishing and your balance is still arriving.
FixStand fully, let the free toes settle behind you, take a breath, then row. The pause costs a second and it is what makes the row a row.
The dumbbells fly up out of the hinge and drop back down on their own.
WhyStanding up quickly gives them enough speed to keep going, so the legs are finishing the pull the shoulders were supposed to start.
FixCome to a full stop at the top and let the dumbbells hang before you pull. What you can row from still is the weight for this exercise, even if your leg could have hinged with more.
What it is for
The dumbbell single leg deadlift to upright row combines a single-leg Romanian deadlift with an upright row. It targets the hamstrings and glutes through the hinge while adding trap and shoulder engagement through the row, also requiring significant core and balance stability.
Questions people ask
- What muscles does the single leg deadlift to upright row work?
- The glutes and hamstrings of the standing leg produce the hinge, with the glute reading higher than the hamstring wherever this pattern has been measured. The gluteus medius on that side keeps the pelvis level and the lower back holds your ribs and hips in line. The middle of the shoulder and the traps do the row.
- How high should the dumbbells go?
- To around chest height, with the elbows stopping just below your shoulders. That limit belongs to the upright row itself and it is not loosened because your feet are in an unusual position.
- Is holding two dumbbells harder than one?
- Heavier, not more precarious. Two even loads cancel each other out sideways, so the balance problem is smaller than in either single-arm version while the total weight is roughly doubled. That runs against the assumption that more weight means more wobble, and you can test it in a minute.
- Should the free foot stay off the floor for the whole set?
- Only through the hinge. The demonstration brings the free toes down behind before the row starts, which is what lets the row use a real weight. Keeping the foot up throughout turns the whole thing into a balance exercise with something light in each hand.
- Would you be better off doing the two exercises separately?
- Often, yes. The hinge and the row want different weights, so pairing them leaves one of the two underloaded. The reason to keep them together is time, and that is a fair reason. Just do not expect the row half to match the row you would do on its own.