Being able to bend at the hips is extremely crucial if you want to avoid future back or knee pain.

Using the One Leg Dead Lift teaches your body to decelerate (lower) your trunk using the strong efficient gluteus muscles and hamstrings.  This is the natural pattern your body was designed to do. 

It may be hard to do at first but keep practicing.  Years of sitting can do some pretty bad damage to the proper motor patterns your body should follow.  The more you repeat this movement the more you’ll groove back those primitive neural pathways that allow you to do this without thinking.

Tips:

1.  If you can, do the exercise without shoes on.  Shoes tend to put you into a foot forward flexed position which is what you don’t want when trying to learn primitive motor patterns. Think caveman.

2.  Brace your abs but keep your breathing natural. (also takes practice)

3.  Shift your weight back and keep your heel down.

4.  Keep your low back flat and your hips level with each other.

5.  When you come back up try and squeeze your butt cheeks at the top.

Primary muscles worked.

• Glutes
• Hamstrings
• Spinal Erectors (stabilizing)