For American football
For American football, single-leg RDL rates well ahead on our research criteria: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in.
Barbell hip thrust carries over more directly to American football.
Both are good choices that build different things for American football, so a plan can use both.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Single-Leg RDL. Hamstring and hip strength one leg at a time, a common part of strain-prevention work.
For running, single-leg RDL rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to running, more injury protection.
For golf, single-leg RDL rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to golf, more injury protection.
For American football, single-leg RDL rates well ahead on our research criteria: more injury protection, easier to learn and fit in. Barbell hip thrust carries over more directly to American football. Both are good choices that build different things for American football, so a plan can use both.
Barbell hip thrust is easier: it’s easy to learn, while single-leg RDL takes some practice.
Barbell hip thrust needs a barbell and a bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Single-leg RDL needs dumbbells, so a home gym covers it.
Single-leg RDL: it rates Strong for injury protection in our research rubric, against Fair for barbell hip thrust.