Kickstand Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
A Romanian deadlift in a kickstand stance, with the rear toe down for balance and the front leg taking the load.
How to do it
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Step one foot back so its toes sit level with the other heel.
- Lift the rear heel and shift your weight onto the front foot.
- Soften the front knee and push the hips straight back.
- Lower until you feel the front hamstring stretch, keeping the spine long.
- Drive the hips forward to stand, then finish the set and switch sides.
Key technique cue
Nearly all weight on the front leg, back toe just a kickstand — don't turn it into a lunge.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Loading the rear foot, which turns it back into a two-legged Romanian deadlift.
- ✕ Placing the rear foot too far back, so the stance becomes a lunge rather than a hinge.
- ✕ Rounding the lower back to reach further, which moves the load onto the spine.
- ✕ Bending the front knee as you descend, which takes tension off the hamstring.
Benefits
- ✓ Loads one hamstring at a time without the balance cost of a single-leg hinge.
- ✓ Exposes side to side differences that a bilateral Romanian deadlift hides.
- ✓ Fills the missing step between bilateral and single-leg hinge training.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Kickstand Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
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Step 3 -
Step 4
About the exercise
The kickstand Romanian deadlift sets one foot slightly behind the other with the rear heel lifted and only the toes touching down. The rear leg supplies balance, not force, so almost all of the hinge is taken by the front hamstring and glute. From there it is a standard RDL: soft front knee, long spine, hips pushed back until the hamstring stops the descent, then hips driven forward to stand. It sits between the two-legged RDL and the true single-leg version: the unilateral load is unchanged, but the rear toe supplies enough support that the set is not limited by balance.
Updated
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