Stand upright, shift your weight onto your supporting leg (right) and hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand (left). Keep the knee of your supporting leg slightly bent, your upper body upright, your core firmly engaged and your pelvis aligned exactly parallel to the floor. Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back (hip hinge) and leaning your upright upper body forwards in a controlled manner, whilst the free leg moves backwards and upwards in a straight line, like a pendulum. Lower the dumbbell vertically. Only bend forwards as far as your back remains straight and your pelvis does not rotate to the side. The toes of your back leg should point towards the floor. Using pressure from the heel, as well as the back of the thigh and the glutes of the supporting leg, powerfully extend the hips forwards and stand up in a controlled manner. Ideally, move the free leg directly into the next repetition without touching the floor, and switch sides once the specified time or number of repetitions has elapsed.
Attention:
The back rounds, particularly in the lumbar and thoracic spine
The pelvis tilts upwards or tilts downwards on the side of the raised leg, instead of remaining parallel to the floor
The supporting leg is either fully extended or bends far too deeply, as in a squat
The barbell moves far away from the body towards the front; the knee of the supporting leg buckles inwards
The movement is performed hastily or with momentum from the upper body
The head is hyperextended towards the nape of the neck
Lighten:
The toes of the rear foot remain set back by about half a step, lightly touching the floor like a ‘training wheel’
Perform the exercise without additional weight, extend your arms out to the sides for balance
Gently support yourself with your free hand against a wall or pole
Reduce the angle of forward lean
Harden:
Increase the dumbbell weight or hold a dumbbell in each hand
Place your supporting leg on a balance pad (Airex) to maximise the challenge to your ankle and foot stability
Slow the downward movement to 3–4 seconds
Pause in the horizontal position for 2 seconds before returning to an upright position
