Hi ,
The single leg Romanian deadlift has been a staple in my warm-ups twice a week ever since I started training with my coach, Dr. John Rusin, four years ago.
Some mornings, I feel like a well-oiled machine — steady, strong, everything firing in sync.
Other days? My balance is wobbly, like my body’s still stuck in the garage from yesterday’s workout — engine sputtering, systems lagging, alignment off.
What I’ve learned over the years:
How I recover today shows up in how I move tomorrow.
But here’s the bigger truth…
This doesn’t just apply to your workouts — it’s the same with aging.
One-leg balance is one of the first things to decline as we get older.
It’s also one of the strongest predictors of how well we’re aging.
In fact, research shows it outperforms even gait speed and strength as a marker of neuromuscular aging — and it doesn’t discriminate by gender.
📖 Check out the research here (link to the PLOS One study)
What I’m seeing too often in the 40+ crowd is a push toward strength training and zone 2 cardio — both great — but balance gets left out of the conversation.
It’s not sexy.
But it is essential.
The good news? It doesn’t take much to improve your balance — and it doesn’t mean you have to do Romanian deadlifts either.
➡️ Start with 30 seconds standing on one leg a day.
That’s it.
(And yes — putting on your socks while balancing counts. Just ask my 88-year-old dad.)
Try tree pose. Try flamingo stance. Just make it part of your day.
📽️ Click the orange button below to see how my coach John Rusin does the single leg Romanian Dead Lift (RDL) — quick and easy demo.
Here’s to aging with better balance — one foot at a time.
To your strength & steadiness,
Dr. J
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