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.
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
PS: What else contributes to your longevity? Relationships and a strong sense of purpose. My mentor Selena Soo’s book, Rich Relationships is coming out mid-May. If you’re tossing around a business idea in your head or you want a Million-Dollar Network that helps you a
