Exercise Library: One-Legged Dead Lift

I LOVE the dead lift.  I personally find it to be the best exercise to lift and tone that booty. As with any other exercise, there are variations for doing the basic dead lift, as is seen here.

To begin:

Always be sure to warm up for 5-10 minutes by jogging or performing some calisthenics such as jumping rope or jumping jacks. This can be done alone or added to your normal leg routine for something different.

As I am doing, you can opt without weights or use weights for an added challenge.  (When you are using weights, keep them at your side and allow them to move down towards your leg, as with a regular dead lift-not shown).

Begin with one foot square on the ball behind you with the opposite foot 1-2 feet in front of you.  For my move here, I kept my arms in line with my body the whole time. This also acts as added weight since your arms are not just dragging beside you.  It will also force your back and abdominal wall to engage so as to stay aligned as well as keep those arms up.

Move into the dead lift by bending at the waist while the ball rolls backward as your leg straightens and your back is parallel to the ground. Keep your back flat and your eyes gazing slightly forward; this will help in keeping your back flat.

Squeeze your glutes as you begin to roll back to the starting position, keeping the core engaged. Repeat for 12-15 repetitions and be sure to breathe through the movement by inhaling on the downward motion and out on the way back up.

Please take care of those knees and if you have any underlying conditions, this exercise, as well as others on this site, should be ok’d by a physician before performing.

Want more legs? Check this one out!