I’m going to start today’s post by dropping a serious bit of truth on you:
Single-leg RDL’s are an awesome exercise – but they aren’t an easy exercise, and they’re definitely not suitable for beginners.
Much like the the forward lunge, you clients and athletes should have to earn the right to do this exercise.
If the traditional single-leg RDL is a little bit too advanced for now, you need to check out the kickstand RDL instead!
The kickstand RDL is awesome because:
- It allows you to build strength in each leg independently of the other,
- It teaches you to load the hips effectively, and
- It doesn’t take a ton of weight to feel like you’re getting something out of the movement.
Here’s a quick demo of how to do it…
Now that you’ve watched the video, here are a few keys to getting the most out of this exercise:
- Make sure the hips are squared to the front throughout. Often even if your client/athlete sets up correctly, they’ll have a tendency to spin and rotate once they start. Don’t let this happen!
- Stay up on the back toes. Coming up on the back toes “pushes” you on the front leg, allowing you to load it better. Make sure they come up on the toes at the start, and stay on them throughout the course of the exercise.
- Push the hips BACK. Just like in a traditional or single-leg RDL, make sure they’re pushing and load the hips, versus simply bending the knees.
- Feel the whole foot and push. Again, just like a traditional RDL cue them to feel the whole foot while keeping the back flat, and when they run out of room, to simply PUSH to come back up to the starting position.
The kickstand RDL is an awesome way to build the single-leg RDL pattern, while giving you some extra stability and support.
If you’ve never tried this exercise before, give it a shot next time you’re in the gym. I think you’re going to love it!
All the best,
MR
3 DAY COACH'S CAMP:
Write better programs 
Learn how to motivate clients outside the gym 
My most popular resets for instantly improving movement quality