Lower until your torso is close to parallel with the floor or until your hamstrings stop you, whichever comes first. If your back starts to round or your hips open, you have gone too far.

Do the straps make this easier than a free-standing single-leg deadlift?

Yes, because the hands give you a point of support for balance. The straps do not lift you, so the hips and hamstrings still do the work.

How do I progress from here?

Slow the lowering and pause at the bottom, then move to the Bodyweight Single-Leg Deadlift without the straps. After that, add a dumbbell or kettlebell with the Dumbbell Single-Leg Deadlift or Kettlebell Single-Leg Deadlift.

What should I feel while doing it?

A stretch in the back of the standing leg as you lower and a squeeze in the glute as you stand. A pull in the lower back or the front of the thigh usually means the hinge is turning into a squat or the spine is rounding.

How is this different from the TRX Back Extension?

Here you hinge on one leg with the torso lowering toward parallel, while the TRX Back Extension trains the back extensors and glutes with a different body position. Choose this one when the goal is single-leg hamstring and glute control.

TRX Single-Leg Deadlift

What Is the TRX Single-Leg Deadlift?

TRX Single-Leg Deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes and also engages the muscles that keep the pelvis level and the spine neutral. It is a beginner-level movement, and it is a one-legged hip hinge in which the body lowers toward the floor while the free leg reaches straight back.

The suspension straps are held in both hands and support balance rather than load the movement. That makes it a practical way to learn the single-leg hinge before trying it free-standing, and a useful option when a Dumbbell Single-Leg Deadlift or Kettlebell Single-Leg Deadlift feels too unstable. The resistance is mostly body weight, so the work stays moderate even when the hinge is done well.

The hamstrings and gluteus maximus drive the hip back to standing, the gluteus medius keeps the hips from tipping, and the lower back muscles hold the spine flat. Because the hamstrings work while lengthening under control on the way down, the exercise suits athletes who sprint or change direction. In one study of 77 high school track athletes, adding a free-standing single-leg Romanian deadlift (3 sets of 3 reps per leg, with a hand on a wall or rail for balance) to the warm-up was followed by fewer mild to moderate hamstring strains than the previous season, but not fewer severe ones.

It suits beginners, people returning to training, and anyone who wants to build single-leg balance and hip control. If the movement is too hard, practice the two-legged pattern first with the TRX Hip Hinge or the Bodyweight Single-Leg Deadlift with a light touch of the free foot. To make it harder, slow the lowering, add a pause at the bottom or move on to the Dumbbell Single-Leg Deadlift.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Biceps Femoris: Primary
Gluteus Maximus: Primary
Semimembranosus: Primary
Semitendinosus: Primary
Adductor Magnus: Medium
Erector Spinae: Medium
Gluteus Medius: Medium
External Oblique: Low
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Soleus: Low

Instructions

Adjust the straps to a medium length and face the anchor point, with the straps angling up and forward from your hands to it.
Hold one handle in each hand with your arms straight in front of you and stand tall, with light tension on the straps.
Shift your weight onto one foot and keep a soft bend in that knee. Keep the other foot just off the floor.
Brace your core and hinge at the hips, pushing them back as the torso tips forward and the free leg reaches straight back.
Keep your back flat, your hips level and your arms straight as the straps move toward vertical and your hands reach forward.
Lower until the torso and free leg are close to parallel with the floor, or until you feel a stretch in the standing hamstring.
Drive through the standing foot and squeeze the glute to bring the hips forward and the torso upright, lowering the free leg as you rise.
Finish standing tall without leaning back, then repeat for all reps and switch legs.

Common Mistakes

Rounding the back
Letting the spine curve as you lower puts the work on the lower back instead of the hips, so stop the hinge where the back can stay flat.
Opening the hips
Turning the free-leg hip up toward the ceiling twists the pelvis and shifts the work away from the standing hip, so keep both hip points facing the floor.
Pulling with the arms
Hauling on the handles to get back up turns the straps into the main driver, so keep the arms straight and use them for balance only.
Locking the standing knee
A fully straight standing leg strains the knee and takes tension off the hamstring, so keep a soft bend throughout.
Letting the free leg drop
A free leg that sags below the torso makes the hips tilt, so reach it straight back in line with the body.
Leaning back at the top
Finishing by leaning back on the straps skips the glute squeeze, so end tall with the hips fully extended.

Injuries

TRX Single-Leg Deadlift is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The body is the only load and the straps steady the balance, so falls and heavy spinal loading are unlikely.

The usual strain points are the lower back and the back of the thigh. The lower back is stressed if the spine rounds as the torso lowers, and the hamstring can be pulled if the hinge goes deeper than its flexibility allows. Lower only as far as the back stays flat and the hips stay level, and keep a soft bend in the standing knee instead of locking it. Keep light tension on the straps so they steady you without taking over the rep.

If balance or hamstring tightness limits the range, shorten the movement, touch the free foot down lightly between reps, or practice the TRX Hip Hinge on two legs first. Once it feels easy, progress to the Bodyweight Single-Leg Deadlift without the straps. Stop if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, the back of the thigh or the knee, and see a clinician about pain that lingers.

Overview

Primary Focus: Hamstrings and glutes
Equipment: Suspension trainer and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How low should I go?: Lower until your torso is close to parallel with the floor or until your hamstrings stop you, whichever comes first. If your back starts to round or your hips open, you have gone too far.
Q: Do the straps make this easier than a free-standing single-leg deadlift?: Yes, because the hands give you a point of support for balance. The straps do not lift you, so the hips and hamstrings still do the work.
Q: How do I progress from here?: Slow the lowering and pause at the bottom, then move to the Bodyweight Single-Leg Deadlift without the straps. After that, add a dumbbell or kettlebell with the Dumbbell Single-Leg Deadlift or Kettlebell Single-Leg Deadlift.
Q: What should I feel while doing it?: A stretch in the back of the standing leg as you lower and a squeeze in the glute as you stand. A pull in the lower back or the front of the thigh usually means the hinge is turning into a squat or the spine is rounding.
Q: How is this different from the TRX Back Extension?: Here you hinge on one leg with the torso lowering toward parallel, while the TRX Back Extension trains the back extensors and glutes with a different body position. Choose this one when the goal is single-leg hamstring and glute control.