Top 3 Single-Leg Exercises for Stronger Legs
This piece by Dr. Michelle Boland and Tim Richardt explains how to load single-leg movements and why more weight isn’t always the best way to challenge the muscles. It covers loading options, body positioning, front versus rear foot elevation, and how the center of mass should move to maximize single-leg gains. Let’s dive in.
1) Front Foot Elevated Zercher Split Squat
Why Zercher loading?
Holding the weight in the crook of your elbows lets the back side stay relaxed, enabling deeper hip motion and reducing grip strength as a limiter. A back-rack barbell can restrict hip range of motion due to compression of the torso muscles. Zercher loading helps keep the movement more vertical, increasing loading on the glutes and quads.
If you don’t have a barbell, you can use two dumbbells.
Vertical displacement with a stacked torso throughout the split squat improves tissue loading while minimizing joint strain.
Why front foot elevation?
Raising the front foot shifts your center of mass backward, letting the front leg sink deeper and increasing hip flexion. This places greater mechanical stress on the hip extensors.
Bonus: Heel up?
Lifting the front heel can allow more knee and hip loading while keeping the movement vertical. Keep the heel in contact and let the knee drift forward over the midfoot to permit more hip and knee flexion.
2) Staggered Stance Retro RDL
Why backward is better?
The staggered stance retro Romanian deadlift uses the front leg to push your center of mass backward toward the working leg. It targets the glutes and hamstrings and serves as a solid progression toward a single-leg deadlift.
The key difference from a conventional RDL is the direction of your center of mass. In the rear-foot single-leg deadlift, the center moves forward; in the staggered retro version, it moves backward. Front-foot support helps you sit back into the movement, accessing more hip range of motion and reducing the risk of losing balance.
Why single-arm loading?
Holding a single kettlebell in the opposite hand encourages your ribcage to rotate toward the rear leg. Rotation toward the loaded side helps load the hip more effectively, and the combination of opposite-hand reach and front-foot support loads the back leg’s hamstrings and glutes as much as possible.
Technique (Front Foot Supported Single-Leg Deadlift)
– Position the non-working leg in front of the working leg and use it to push the back leg backward, creating a hip shift toward the working leg.
– The arm opposite the working leg holds the weight and tracks over the front toe of the back foot to reinforce the shift.
– Sit your hips back, feeling the load in the heel, the base of the big toe, and the base of the little toe. Return to the starting position by driving through that tripod foot.
3) Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
Boost the front leg
The rear foot elevated split squat places more emphasis on the front leg and is a solid progression toward a strict single-leg movement. Elevating the rear foot shifts your center of mass forward, increasing the loading of the front leg.
Load placement
Use dumbbells in each hand to optimize loading. A back-rack barbell can compress the posterior chain and limit hip flexion and range of motion. Your stride length matters: a shorter stance biases the glutes, while a longer stride shifts more load to the quads.
Three extra loading variations for the rear-foot elevated split squat (RFE split squat) offer different planes of motion.
Bonus: Walking Toe-Touch Lunges
Muscle recruitment
Walking lunges with an opposite-arm reach encourage higher hamstring engagement by biasing a posterior pelvic tilt. This helps load the hip extensors and makes the exercise a strong finisher after the main moves.
Technique
– Keep your head stacked over your chest and hips; think of a steady elevator motion.
– Reach your opposite arm toward your front big toe while keeping your chest upright.
– A small hip hinge is enough to move forward; avoid excessive movement.
– Be gentle on the back knee; use a soft surface.
– Brace your abs on the same side as the front leg.
– Stand up by pushing the ground away with the front foot. Keep strides short and controlled.
Summary
Choose single-leg exercises that allow a full range of motion with heavy loads. Building leg size is about moving load through ROM. Smart load-position choices, such as dumbbells at the sides or Zercher loads, help maintain mobility. Foot placement and elevation are crucial for loading the target tissues through a wide range of motion. Train your legs to be strong and robust.
About the authors
Michelle Boland — Owner of Michelle Boland Training; PhD in Exercise Physiology; Instagram @dr.michelleboland.
Tim Richardt — Owner of Richardt Performance and Rehabilitation; Doctor of Physical Therapy; Instagram @tim_richardt_dpt.
