10 Best One-arm Side Deadlift Alternatives for Limited Equipment

Original Exercise: One-arm Side Deadlift

Primary Muscle

Quads

Equipment

Barbell

Difficulty

Advanced

Type

Compound

Secondary Muscles: Abdominals, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Traps

How to Perform One-arm Side Deadlift

1. Stand to the side of a barbell next to its center. Bend your knees and lower your body until you are able to reach the barbell.
2. Grasp the bar as if you were grabbing a briefcase (palms facing you since the bar is sideways). You may need a wrist wrap if you are using a significant amount of weight. This is your starting position.
3. Use your legs to help lift the barbell up while exhaling. Your arms should extend fully as bring the barbell up until you are in a standing position.
4. Slowly bring the barbell back down while inhaling. Tip: Make sure to bend your knees while lowering the weight to avoid any injury from occurring.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
6. Switch arms and repeat the movement.

Pro Tips

• Category: Strength
• Force: Pull
• Movement type: Compound

Best One-arm Side Deadlift Alternatives

Best Match

1. Clean Pull

81.9% Match

Quads Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. With a barbell on the floor close to the shins, take an overhand or hook grip just outside the legs. Lower your hips with the weight focused on the heels, back straight, head facing forward, chest up, with your shoulders just in front of the bar. This will be your starting position.
2. Begin the first pull by driving through the heels, extending your knees. Your back angle should stay the same, and your arms should remain straight and elbows out. Move the weight with control as you continue to above the knees.
3. Next comes the second pull, the main source of acceleration for the clean. As the bar approaches the mid-thigh position, begin extending through the hips. In a jumping motion, accelerate by extending the hips, knees, and ankles, using speed to move the bar upward. There should be no need to actively pull through the arms to accelerate the weight; at the end of the second pull, the body should be fully extended, leaning slightly back, with the arms still extended. Full extension should be violent and abrupt, and ensure that you do not prolong the extension for longer than necessary.

2. Barbell One Arm Side Deadlift

79.4% Match

Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell in one hand with an overhand grip.
2. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
3. Bend at the hips and lower the barbell towards the outside of your leg, keeping your arm straight and your chest up.
4. Lower the barbell as far as you can while maintaining good form.
5. Pause for a moment, then slowly return to the starting position.

3. Car Deadlift

76.4% Match

Quadriceps Other Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. This event apparatus typically has neutral grip handles, however some have a straight bar that you can approach like a normal deadlift. The apparatus can be loaded with a vehicle or other heavy objects such as tractor tires or kegs.
2. Center yourself between the handles if you are a strong squatter, or back a couple inches if you are a strong deadlifter. You feet should be about hip width apart. Bend at the hip to grip the handles. With your feet and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and flex the knees.
3. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. As the weight comes up, pull your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward.
4. Lower the weight by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

4. Clean Deadlift

75.7% Match

Hamstrings Barbell Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Begin standing with a barbell close to your shins. Your feet should be directly under your hips with your feet turned out slightly. Grip the bar with a double overhand grip or hook grip, about shoulder width apart. Squat down to the bar. Your spine should be in full extension, with a back angle that places your shoulders in front of the bar and your back as vertical as possible.
2. Begin by driving through the floor through the front of your heels. As the bar travels upward, maintain a constant back angle. Flare your knees out to the side to help keep them out of the bar's path.
3. After the bar crosses the knees, complete the lift by driving the hips into the bar until your hips and knees are extended.

5. Axle Deadlift

72.4% Match

Lower-back Other Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Approach the bar so that it is centered over your feet. You feet should be about hip width apart. Bend at the hip to grip the bar at shoulder width, allowing your shoulder blades to protract. Typically, you would use an over/under grip.
2. With your feet and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and flex the knees until your shins contact the bar. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward.
3. After the bar passes the knees, aggressively pull the bar back, pulling your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward into the bar.
4. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

6. Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift With Stepbox Support

72.4% Match

Glutes Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
2. Place your left foot on a stepbox or elevated surface behind you.
3. Keeping your back straight and core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, lowering the dumbbell towards the ground.
4. As you lower the dumbbell, simultaneously lift your left leg behind you, maintaining a straight line from head to heel.
5. Lower the dumbbell until you feel a stretch in your right hamstring, then return to the starting position.

7. Deadlift With Bands

71.9% Match

Erector-spinae Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. To deadlift with short bands, simply loop them over the bar before you start, and step into them to set up. For long bands, they will need to be anchored to a secure base, such as heavy dumbbells or a rack.
2. With your feet, and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and bend the knees until your shins contact the bar. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. After the bar passes the knees, aggressively pull the bar back, pulling your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward into the bar.
3. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

8. Deficit Deadlift

71.9% Match

Erector-spinae Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Begin by having a platform or weight plates that you can stand on, usually 1-3 inches in height. Approach the bar so that it is centered over your feet. You feet should be about hip width apart. Bend at the hip to grip the bar at shoulder width, allowing your shoulder blades to protract. Typically, you would use an overhand grip or an over/under grip on heavier sets.
2. With your feet, and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and bend the knees until your shins contact the bar. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. After the bar passes the knees, aggressively pull the bar back, pulling your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward into the bar.
3. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

9. Deadlift With Chains

71.9% Match

Erector-spinae Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. You can attach the chains to the sleeves of the bar, or just drape the middle over the bar so there is a greater weight increase as you lift.
2. Approach the bar so that it is centered over your feet. You feet should be about hip width apart. Bend at the hip to grip the bar at shoulder width, allowing your shoulder blades to protract. Typically, you would use an overhand grip or an over/under grip on heavier sets. With your feet, and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and bend the knees until your shins contact the bar.
3. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. After the bar passes the knees, aggressively pull the bar back, pulling your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward into the bar.
4. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

10. Barbell Single Leg Deadlift

70.4% Match

Glutes Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip.
2. Shift your weight onto your left foot and lift your right foot slightly off the ground.
3. Hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your right leg extended behind you for balance.
4. Lower the barbell towards the ground, keeping it close to your body and your left leg slightly bent.
5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then engage your glutes and hamstrings to lift your torso back up to the starting position.

Why You Might Need a One-arm Side Deadlift Alternative

You may substitute the One-arm Side Deadlift for several reasons: pain around the lower back or shoulder, no access to a barbell set-up for the sideways loading pattern, or a desire to load the quads more directly. Substitutes let you target the quadriceps through a more vertical shin angle and greater knee extension moment. For example, a barbell front squat shifts the center of mass forward, increasing knee joint torque and quad activation; cue a tall chest and knees tracking over toes. If balance or grip limits you, use a trap-bar deadlift and focus on driving through the mid-foot to reduce spinal shear and preserve quad work.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Choose a substitute based on your primary goal, equipment, and movement tolerance. For maximal quad overload and hypertrophy pick barbell front squats or heavy step-ups; cue a slightly forward knee travel and full knee extension. If you need a unilateral stability challenge, use Bulgarian split squats and keep the front foot mid-foot loaded to emphasize the quads and gluteus medius. For lower-back sensitivity, select trap-bar deadlifts with a higher handle and a more vertical torso to shift load to the quads while minimizing lumbar flexion. Progress by increasing load, reps, or range of motion and always prioritize knee tracking and a braced core for safe force transfer.

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