10-Second Trick That Will Help You Lift More Weight

The single-leg deadlift is one of the best exercises you can add to your workout, but it's advanced. "In a proper single-leg deadlift, your pelvis stays parallel to the floor as you bend at your hips and extend the other foot behind you," says Nick Murtha, a coach with Men’s Health Thrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "It's extremely tough for guys to keep their hips from rotating and their back to arching during the move, though."

When your hips turn,  you lose some of the core training benefits of the exercise. Plus, it's harder to balance, so you can't lift as much weight, says Murtha. And if your back flexes or extends throughout the movement, you're putting yourself at risk of injury when you load it.

Fortunately, Murtha has a quick trick to help you nail the form. Stand facing a wall, slightly more than an arm’s length away. Balance on your left foot. Bend forward at your hips as you raise your right foot straight out behind you. Now reach your right arm out across your body and touch the wall. You can watch the video above to see how to perform the trick with perfect form.

Reaching across your body nails your right leg in place and forces your pelvis to stay square. The wall helps you balance so that you can lock in the correct form. Murtha recommends practicing about 10 reps of the drill immediately before your first set of single-leg deadlifts.