Keystone Exercise to Lower Body Strength

Hi, I’m Tyler from Warrior Lower Body! Before I dig in, I want to give you a little background on why I am qualified to teach you this keystone deadlift exercise.

After a bike versus car accident (a painful knee story) left me needing surgery, I had to rebuild my strength from scratch.

I came up with some fundamental exercises that people need to know how to do before they can do any lower-body training.

Along the way, I discovered two life-changing exercises: the Keystone Deadlift and the Unweighted One-Legged Deadlift. These foundational moves aren’t just for strength—they’re your ticket to better stability, performance, and injury prevention.

This custom video is for everybody over at ExercisesforInjuries.com.

Now, I want to highlight the number 1 exercise that you should be able to perform before doing any lower-body strength training ^[3].

Keystone Exercise to Lower Body Strength

First, I want to show you the exercise yourself and review some features. The training I am talking about is the Unweighted One-Legged Deadlift.

Unweighted One-Legged Deadlift

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet wider than hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips.
• Shift your weight on one leg and engage your core. Hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward as you extend your opposite leg behind you until you feel a stretch in the hamstring of your standing leg, keeping your back straight.
• Relax and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement on the opposite leg.

Struggling with balance? This exercise strengthens your stabilizer muscles and core, improving your one-leg strength—a crucial foundation for activities like running, cycling, and yoga.

Tip: Before trying this, stretch your hamstrings daily and practice standing on one leg for balance. This will make it easier and safer.

So make sure you can do a perfect one-legged deadlift before initiating any lower-body training. This will help you in the long run, guaranteed.

Why Should You Be Able to Do This Under Control?

Well, if you do this movement with control, it shows your hamstrings are flexible because you can go lower than 90 degrees while keeping your back straight.

It also shows you can use your hip and glute muscles to stay balanced on one leg. This is important because sports like running, sprinting, and jumping often use one leg at a time.

Ensuring the right muscles are working helps your hips move properly and prevents injuries from using the wrong muscles.

What Makes the Keystone Deadlift Unique?

Think of the Keystone Deadlift as your gateway to strong hips and legs.

1. Keystone Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use a bar, barbell, or dumbbell.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and feet.
• Hold the weights with both hands, arms fully extended downward in front of your body. Engage your core.
• Hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward, keeping your back straight.
• Return to the starting position. Relax and repeat the movement.

Important: No weights if you are a beginner.

Dealing with tight hamstrings? This move improves flexibility while strengthening your glutes and lower back, making it easier to perform daily activities or progress in strength training.

Tip: Start with a stick or empty bar to practice the movement. Focus on bending at your hips, not your back. Add weight slowly as you get better.

C.J. Murphy is a strength coach and founder of Total Performance Sports. He recommends the Keystone Deadlift as a great exercise to strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. It helps improve your squat and keystone deadlift while being gentle on your back.

This exercise focuses on building strong muscles for better lifting and overall strength. It was introduced to him by Dr. Fred Hatfield, who used it to develop strong back muscles for heavy squats.

Why Strong Lower Body Basics Matters?

Strong legs aren’t just for looking good. They help you run faster, jump higher, and move with better balance and power.

Lower body training focuses on the hamstrings, glutes, and quads, builds strength, prevents injuries, and improves how your whole body moves. These two exercises are a great place to start if you want to improve your performance.

Best Keystone Exercise To Strengthen Your Legs 

The best keystone exercise for lower body strength is the sumo squat to rotational lunge. This combination of activities targets every major muscle in your lower body while also challenging your core.

The sumo squat to rotational lunge is a strenuous exercise to perform, but it’s worth it. By completing this exercise, you’ll strengthen your lower body and improve your coordination, proprioception, and core strength.

From there, your glute muscles will be firing correctly, and you will be well prepared to move on to things like keystone deadlift and maybe Olympic lifts down the road, one-legged squats, two-legged squats, and so on so forth.

Here’s how to do it:

Sumo Squat to Rotational Lunge

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed outward, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Engage your core.
• Hinge through your hips to lower your seat into a sumo squat position, bringing your hands close to the ground in front of you.

• Raise back up to a semi-squat position and quickly pivot on one foot to rotate your body, then gently lower the knee of the supporting leg to the floor, transitioning into a lunge position.
• Raise back up to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top position.
• Repeat the movement on the opposite side for 8-15 repetitions on each side, alternating directions.

Feel stiff in your hips? This dynamic exercise boosts hip mobility and rotational strength, perfect for improving your athletic movements in sports like tennis and martial arts.

Tip: Practice simple squats and lunges first. Once you feel steady, combine them into this exercise. Take it slow until you’re comfortable.

Deadlift Variations – Progressing to Advanced Moves

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can take things up a notch:

1. Weighted Single-Leg Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use a dumbbell.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell with both hands.
• Maintain a good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Shift your weight onto one leg and engage your core.
• Hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward as you extend the opposite leg behind you.
• Keep your back straight and lower the weights until you feel a stretch in the hamstring of your standing leg.
• Push from your standing leg to return to the starting position. Repeat the movement on the opposite leg.

Tired of uneven strength between your legs? This weighted move targets imbalances while enhancing stability and core control ^[1], key for sports like skiing and soccer.

Tip: First, practice the movement without weights to keep your balance. Then, use a small weight and go slow to make sure your form is good.

Pavel Tsatsouline, the founder of StrongFirst, highlights the Single-Leg Deadlift (SLDL) for its benefits in balance, flexibility, and stability. He recommends the SLDL as a valuable addition to training regimens for enhancing unilateral strength and coordination.

2. Barbell Keystone Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use heavier weights for strength.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and feet.
• Hold a barbell with both hands, arms fully extended downward in front of your thighs. Engage your core.
• Hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward, keeping the barbell close to your legs and your back straight.
• Lower the barbell until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings, then push through your heels to return to the starting position. Relax and repeat the movement.

Struggling to build hamstring strength? This lift isolates the posterior chain, helping you build muscle and improve flexibility for activities like sprinting and hiking.

Tip: Practice the movement with no weight or very light weights to learn the right technique. Keep the bar close to your legs to avoid hurting your back.

3. Deficit Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use a bar or barbell.

• Start in an upright standing position on a raised platform with 2-4 inches thickness with a barbell on the ground in front of you.
• Place your feet hip-width apart and grip the bar with both hands. Engage your core.
• Hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward, keeping your back straight as you lift the bar by extending your hips and knees.
• Stand upright with the bar close to your body, then lower it back to the ground with control. Repeat the movement.

Can’t get power off the floor? This variation expands your range of motion, building strength in the bottom phase of the lift ^[2] for explosive moves in weightlifting or CrossFit. 

Tip: Start with regular deadlifts until your form is perfect. Then, use a low platform to get used to the extra stretch.

4. Snatch Grip Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use a barbell.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet wider than hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and feet with a barbell close to your shins.
• Hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward, keeping your back straight.
• Grip the barbell with both hands in a wide, overhand position, with your hands placed outside your shoulders. Tighten your abdominal muscles and take a deep breath.
• Push from your heels to lift the barbell at hip level, squeezing your glutes and pulling your shoulders back. Lower the barbell to return to the starting position. Relax and repeat the movement.

Want to strengthen your back and grip? This wide-grip deadlift hits your traps, lats, and upper back while improving flexibility in your hips and shoulders for better posture and lifting form.

Tip: Work on your grip strength by holding onto a bar or weights for longer periods. When ready, start with a lighter weight for this wide-grip exercise.

5. Stiff-Legged Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use any weights, such as barbells and dumbbells.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and feet with a barbell close to your shins.
• Hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward, keeping your back straight.
• Hold the barbell with both hands, arms fully extended downward with your knees slightly bend.
• Engage your core and take a deep breath, then lift the barbell, allowing the weights close to your thighs.
• Lower the barbell to return to the starting position. Relax and repeat the movement.

Struggling with hamstring tightness? This move strengthens and lengthens your hamstrings while building a strong, injury-resistant posterior chain, ideal for runners and lifters.

Tip: Stretch your hamstrings before you try this exercise. Use light weights to focus on keeping your back straight while bending at the hips.

Want to get the most out of these moves? Try adding them to your workouts with these other lower-body exercises:

Lower Body Strength Circuit

Here’s a simple routine to get you started:

1. Barbell Squat

For this exercise, you can use a barbell.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and feet.
• Position the barbell securely on your upper back, just below your neck, gripping it firmly with both hands. Engage your core.
• Hinge through your hips to lower your seat until your thighs parallel the ground, keeping your back straight and chest lifted.
• Push from your heels to return to the starting position. Relax and repeat the movement.

Tip: Practice squats without weights until your form is good. Once you feel strong, use a light barbell and keep your chest up and back straight.

2. Bulgarian Split Squat

Have trouble with stability? This unilateral exercise builds leg strength and balance, helping you dominate activities that require single-leg power, like climbing or trail running.

Tip: Start by balancing on one leg with a chair behind you. Once steady, do this movement slowly without weights. Add small weights when you’re ready.

3. Romanian Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use a kettlebell.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet wider than hip-width apart. Hold a kettlebell with both hands in an overhand grip close to your body.
• Engage your core. Inhale, hinge through your hips to move your upper body forward, allowing the kettlebell to lower toward the floor until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, keeping your back straight.
• Exhale as you press through your heels to return to an upright standing position, fully extending your hips without leaning back. Repeat the movement.

Feel limited by weak or tight hamstrings? This exercise isolates the posterior chain, improving flexibility and strength for better posture and athletic performance.

Tip: Practice bending at your hips with a stick or light weight before trying heavier lifts. Keep your back straight and move slowly.

When it comes to building lower-body strength, few exercises rival the Romanian Deadlift (RDL). Unlike traditional deadlifts, the RDL focuses on a controlled hip hinge, making it a favorite among athletes and strength coaches. Mark Rippetoe, one of the leading voices in strength training, often highlights the RDL as a keystone movement for mastering hip mechanics. 

4. Sumo Deadlift

For this exercise, you can use a barbell.

• Begin in an upright standing position with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart in front of a barbell.
• Grip the barbell firmly with both hands. Push your knees outward, keeping them above your toes.
• Hinge through your hips to lower your seat to a squat position, keeping your back straight. Take a deep breath and engage your core.
• Push from your heels to lift the barbell and drive your hips forward until you stand upright, holding the bar close to your body.
• Slowly lower the bar to the floor to return to the starting position. Repeat the movement.

Does your lower back hurt during deadlifts? This variation shifts focus to your glutes and hamstrings, reducing strain while still building full-body strength, great for lifting and explosive sports.

Tip: Try doing sumo squats first to get used to the wide stance. Then slowly add weights for deadlifts while keeping your knees and back in good position.

What Should Move First? The Hip or the Knee

Here’s what we are going to do. We should look at mistakes others make when focusing on the legged deadlifts.

But one thing I see more common than anything else is they move the knee first rather than the hip.

Somebody starting their one-leg deadlift, bending through the knee, going forward, and then coming down with their body.

There’s nothing wrong with having some degree of knee flexion on the one-legged deadlift. However, the movement should be initiated through the hip.

When you start with your one-leg deadlift, make sure that you start with your weight back through your heel, and you are moving through your hip almost like your shin is buried in sand and come into that bottom position. Then, you squeeze that glute muscle to facilitate hip extension.

Common Mistakes People Make

Another common mistakes I constantly see in people are these:

• Struggling to activate glute muscles. Some people take months to build a connection with them.
• Start with simple glute activation drills while lying on your stomach, focusing on firing the glutes during hip extension. Progress to holding the top and bottom positions of a one-leg deadlift.
• Once these positions feel stable, practice moving smoothly between them, ensuring control and proper glute engagement. This builds strength and coordination for unweighted one-leg deadlifts.

Squat and Deadlift Techniques

Squat Technique

1. Setup:
   • Place the barbell on your upper back, not your neck.
   • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward.
   • Hold the bar firmly with both hands.
2. Unrack:
   • Stand tall to lift the bar off the rack.
   • Take 1–3 small steps backward and set your feet.
3. Lowering Down:
   • Take a deep breath and tighten your stomach muscles.
   • Push your hips back like you’re sitting on a chair.
   • Bend your knees and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Standing Up:
   • Press through your heels to stand back up.
   • Keep your chest lifted and your back straight.
   • Exhale as you reach the top.
5. Things to Avoid:
   • Don’t let your knees collapse inward.
   • Don’t lift your heels off the ground.
   • Keep your back straight, not rounded.

Deadlift Technique

1. Setup:
   • Stand with your feet hip-width apart and the barbell close to your shins.
   • Bend your knees slightly and grip the bar with both hands just outside your legs.
2. Positioning:
   • Keep your back straight and your chest up.
   • Tighten your stomach muscles and pull your shoulders back.
3. Lifting the Bar:
   • Push through your heels to lift the bar off the ground.
   • Keep the bar close to your body as you stand up tall.
   • Lock your hips and knees at the top without leaning backward.
4. Lowering the Bar:
   • Push your hips back first, then bend your knees as you lower the bar.
   • Keep the bar close to your legs as you set it back down.
5. Things to Avoid:
   • Don’t round your back.
   • Don’t let the bar move away from your legs.
   • Don’t yank the bar; lift it smoothly.

Why the Keystone Deadlift is Perfect for Athletes?

1. The Keystone Deadlift mimics the demands, building the balance, mobility, and strength necessary for peak performance.
2. When combined with other lower body exercises, it creates a comprehensive training plan that improves both performance and injury resilience.

Conclusion

Strength always starts with the basics. The Keystone Deadlift and Unweighted One-Legged Deadlift helped me rebuild my body after my accident, and they can help you too—whether you’re an athlete, gym-goer, or beginner. Focus on form, stay consistent, and you’ll see results.

If you’re ready to dive deeper, check out my Warrior Lower Body System for step-by-step guidance. Thanks for reading, and go crush your goals!

Now, if you want to know more about foundational mobility and stability exercises and the complete movement progression system for body weight and lower body exercises, check out the brand new Warrior Lower Body system by clicking the link below.

Thank you so much for watching, and keep on working on your one-legged deadlift.

Here’s your chance to get the most effective lower body training system ever created; you can check it out here:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a Keystone Deadlift?

The Keystone Deadlift primarily targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, ideal for building foundational strength.

2. Is a 225 Deadlift Good for Beginners?

Yes, a 225-pound deadlift is a great goal for beginners and intermediate lifters. It shows you’re making good progress and is especially impressive if you’re lighter. For more experienced lifters, it’s not as special but still a good lift.

3. What’s the Hardest Deadlift to Do?

The hardest type of deadlift depends on your body and strength, but these are often tough:

Deficit Deadlift: You stand on a platform, so you lift the bar farther.

Snatch Grip Deadlift: You hold the bar wider, which makes it harder on your back and grip.

Stiff-Legged Deadlift: You don’t bend your knees much, so your hamstrings and lower back work more.

4. Is a 405 Deadlift Rare?

A 405-pound deadlift (4 plates) is a big achievement:

• Beginners and Intermediate Lifters: It’s a rare and impressive goal.
• Experienced Lifters: It’s more common but still shows a lot of strength.