Assisted Single-Leg RDL: The Best Hamstring Exercise for Strength, Balance, and Injury Prevention

Unilateral exercises like the single-leg Romanian deadlift—also known as RDL—reduce muscle imbalances, strengthen stabiliser muscles, and enhance muscle growth. But these types of moves have some drawbacks – the biggest one is probably the inevitable wobble. Once you get heavy, sometimes struggling to stay upright becomes an even bigger challenge than building muscle.

However, the solution is simple: by holding a secure anchor, you will remove the awkwardness of the exercise. Increasing stability will stimulate the muscles more intensely.

This is the thinking behind the assisted single-leg RDL. By holding onto the rack or wall for light support, you remove balance as a limiting factor—it’s not even considered cheating—and shift the focus back to where it belongs: your glutes and hamstrings. It transforms a one-time circus move into a strength movement that accentuates asymmetries and enhances posterior chain stability from the base up.

If you want stronger hamstrings, clean deadlifts, and less, “Why does that side feel weird?” Momentarily, this move deserves a spot in your workout rotation.

What is the assisted single-leg RD L?

The assisted single-leg RDL is a unilateral hip hinge with light external support for stability. It is performed with a dumbbell or kettlebell in the hand opposite the working leg (an opposite load), which increases hip stability and core engagement. Unlike the traditional variation, which often requires balancing, the assisted version eliminates wobble, allowing you to concentrate on loading your hips and hamstrings.

By holding onto a rack, wall, or dowel with your free hand, you achieve enough stability to maintain excellent posture and consistent tension in the working hamstrings. This means more quality reps, better muscle recruitment, and less energy wasted trying to bend.

How to Perform the Assisted Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift Correctly

To install:

1. Stand against a squat rack or wall.
2. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in the hand opposite your working leg.
3. Lightly place your free hand on a rack or wall.
4. Softly bend the working knee and brace your core.

execution:

1. Transfer your weight to the working leg and rest it on the floor.
2. Bend over, pushing the hips straight back, feeling your hamstrings lengthen.
3. Let your non-working leg extend behind you as a counterbalance.
4. Keep your hips square and your spine neutral.
5. Lower down until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings.
6. Drive through your foot and squeeze your glute to return to the starting position.

Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Common Single-Leg RDL Mistakes (and Fixes)

Just because you’re holding on to something doesn’t mean all form issues will go away. Before this becomes an issue, here’s what to keep in mind.

hips are moving freely

As you bend, the non-working hip rotates open toward the ceiling, reducing hamstring tension and transferring weight to the hip joint rather than the muscles.

Solution: Keep your hips square. Imagine that your hip bones are headlights pointing straight toward the floor. If a “headlight” points upward, reset and slow down. If this problem still occurs after this prompt, reduce the range of motion to prevent the issue from happening.

rounding the lower back

Losing the neutral spine transfers stress from the hamstrings and glutes to the lumbar spine.

Solution: Maintain a long spine. Think “chest proud, ribs down.” Bend from the hips and feel your hamstrings lengthen.

excessive knee bending

Changing the hinge to a squat reduces the strain on the hamstrings and transfers the emphasis to the quads. It’s acceptable, but that’s not the point of this exercise.

Solution: Keep the knee slightly bent, then freeze it. Push the hips back, not down.

using too much upper-body support

Holding and swinging the rack makes the movement easier and reduces stress on the working leg.

Solution: Use only light fingertip contact. The hand is for balance, not support. If you can’t do it without stretching, reduce the load.

Benefits of Single-Leg RDL Benefits

Unilateral training is often overlooked due to its light loads and associated ego strokes. But this practice fixes this and much more.

exposes and reduces power imbalances

Bilateral RDLs mask asymmetries. A hip shakes, a hamstring gets overworked, and you don’t realise until something hurts. The assisted single-leg RDL necessitates that both sides bear their own weight. Better symmetry, cleaner mechanics, and a stronger lower-body lift are the results.

Train the True Hip Hinge

Because balance is not the main challenge, you can focus on hip adduction while keeping the spine neutral. This reinforces proper hinge mechanics that lead to the deadlift and kettlebell swing.

builds hamstring strength

The assisted single-leg RDL loads the hamstrings in a stretched position, which is an important factor in building strength and post-injury resilience. Strong hamstrings at long lengths strengthen your brakes, which is important for injury prevention, especially during running and change-of-direction work.

developing hip stability

Single-leg hinge challenges your ability to maintain pelvic level. They loosen the gluteus medius and improve lateral hip stability, which is essential for knee health and better lower body performance.

programming tips

This exercise is best as a support exercise after your larger bilateral movements, as you want to save your energy for heavier loads. The following are general recommendations depending on your goals.

For strength:

• 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps per leg
• Use medium to heavy dumbbells or kettlebells
• Pay attention to control freaks
• Rest 90 seconds between legs

For muscles:

• 3 sets of 12 reps per leg
• Use 3-second eccentrics to increase tension time
• Add a short pause at the bottom to break up the pace
• Rest for 2 minutes between sets.

Deadlift Accessory:

• 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps per leg
• Perform with moderate to heavy loads, followed by bilateral RDL, trap bar deadlift, or traditional bridge.
• Prefer eccentricity, pause and powerful lockout
• Rest 30 seconds between legs and 2 minutes after each set.