📖 Static demo — read-only snapshot

You’re browsing a static build of the Body IQ knowledge graph, so everything loads with no backend. A few things that need the live server are turned off here:

  • Global search (sidebar) is disabled — it queries the API.
  • The JSON API and the API “Try it” playgroundaren’t included.
  • The data is a snapshot — it refreshes only when the demo is rebuilt, not live from the database.

Everything else — the body map, progression ladders, coverage heatmap, exercise finder, and all anatomy/exercise/source pages — works fully. The full app (live search + API + database) runs from the source on GitHub.

Single Leg Hip Hinge with Bench

Draftstrength78%intermediate⬤ limited evidence
View FHIR resourceFHIR R4 ActivityDefinition — the interoperable form of this exercise

Positions & Range of Motion

Start
standing on one leg with the rear foot elevated on a bench behind, neutral spine, level pelvis, trunk upright
End
hips pushed back and trunk hinged forward over the standing knee until the trunk and rear leg form one straight beam near parallel to the floor, then driven back to standing by the glute and hamstring
Range of Motion
hip flexion via hinge from upright to ~near-horizontal trunk and return to full hip extension; standing knee stays softly bent

How to Perform

Bench-supported single-leg Romanian deadlift. Patient stands on one leg with the rear foot elevated on a bench behind them. Hinges at the hip to lower the trunk while maintaining a neutral spine. Provides stability support while training unilateral posterior chain strength and balance.

Watch on YouTube↗

Opens a YouTube search for “Single Leg Hip Hinge with Bench”

Equipment:bench
Starting position: standing

Coaching Cues

  1. 1

    Long spine, level pelvis — glute and hamstring drive the return

    (verbal)
  2. 2

    Push the hips back toward the wall behind

    (verbal)
  3. 3

    Slide the chest forward over the standing knee

    (verbal)
  4. 4

    Trunk and rear leg rise and fall as one straight beam

    (visual)

Evidence-Based Dosing & EMG Data

Recommended Dosing

3×8-10 reps per side, 2-3x/week

EMG Activation Data

Unilateral hip hinge increases ipsilateral glute max and hamstring activation compared to bilateral. Bench support stabilizes the pelvis, allowing higher loading of the working leg.

Muscles Involved (6)

Primary Movers

Gluteus Maximus— Unilateral hip extension — primary mover
Hamstrings (Group)— Eccentric control during lowering, concentric during return

Stabilizers

Erector Spinae Group— Anti-flexion spinal stability under unilateral load
Gluteus Medius— Frontal plane pelvic stability on single leg
Multifidus— Segmental lumbar control
Quadriceps Femoris— Knee stability on stance leg

Easier Variations ↓

1

Bilateral RDL

Perform the hip hinge on both legs. Removes the single-leg balance demand.

2

Kickstand RDL

Keep the rear foot on the ground as a kickstand instead of elevated. Partial unilateral loading.

3

Regress to hip-hinge-deadlift

AUDIT: Regress to a bilateral hinge if single-leg balance limits posterior-chain loading.

Harder Variations ↑

1

Dumbbell Single-Leg RDL

Hold dumbbells while performing the bench-supported single-leg hinge. Increases posterior chain load.

2

Unsupported Single-Leg RDL

Remove the bench support entirely. Full balance and posterior chain challenge.

Target Movements (3)

Hip ExtensionHip Joint (Coxofemoral)
Hip FlexionHip Joint (Coxofemoral)
Knee FlexionTibiofemoral Joint

Why This Exercise Matters

Everyday activities this exercise helps you do — essential means it directly trains the capacity the task needs:

WalkingStair ClimbingCarrying and Lifting Objects

Goals This Helps With

Rehab, performance, prevention, and mobility goals this exercise supports — essential means it's a cornerstone:

Improve Single-Leg StrengthperformanceImprove Posterior-Chain StrengthperformanceImprove Your Deadlift / HingeperformanceHamstring Injury Preventionprevention

Research Notes

Bench support reduces balance demand compared to unsupported single-leg RDL, allowing greater focus on posterior chain loading. Unilateral hip hinge addresses side-to-side asymmetries in glute and hamstring strength.

Evidence Sources (2)