Single Arm Kettlebell Deadlift
The Single Arm Kettlebell Deadlift is a unilateral strength exercise that builds posterior chain power while challenging core stability. By lifting a weight on just one side, it targets the hamstrings and glutes while forcing the obliques to resist rotation.
This unilateral movement often reveals significant strength imbalances between the left and right sides of the body; our AI tracks performance data separately for each side to identify and correct these asymmetries. Additionally, because deadlifts tax the central nervous system, the app cross-references your daily HRV and sleep metrics to suggest the optimal intensity, preventing lower back strain on days when your recovery is suboptimal.
Form Cues
- Stand with feet hip-width apart and the kettlebell positioned outside one foot.
- Hinge at your hips to grasp the handle, keeping your chest proud and spine neutral.
- Engage your core and lats to square your shoulders and resist twisting.
- Drive your feet through the floor to stand tall, fully extending your hips.
- Reverse the motion by pushing your hips back to lower the weight with control.
- Don't allow your lower back to round or hunch forward at any point.
- Don't twist your torso or dip your shoulder toward the weighted side.
- Don't squat the weight up; keep your shins relatively vertical to maintain a hinge pattern.
- Don't hyperextend your lower back or lean back excessively at the top.
Common Mistakes
- Turning the hip hinge into a squat
- Rounding the lumbar spine
- Rotating the torso due to offset weight
- Looking up and straining the neck
- Bouncing the weight off the floor
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the posterior chain, including the glutes and hamstrings, for powerful hip extension. The unilateral nature of the lift heavily recruits the obliques and quadratus lumborum to maintain a neutral spine against the offset load, while the upper back and forearms work to stabilize the shoulder and grip the weight.
Primary
Secondary
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