The single leg cone pick up is a balance and strength exercise. Standing on one leg, you tip your trunk forward from the hip, let the other leg reach out behind you and pick up a cone from the floor, then come back up to standing. The standing leg holds your balance through the whole reach, while the buttock and the back of that thigh lower you and lift you back up. It is a step on from standing still on one leg. You tend to meet it late in ankle or knee rehab, or in a balance program.

How to do the single leg cone pick up

Put a cone or another small, light object on the floor a short step in front of you. Set up beside a kitchen counter or sturdy rail you can reach with your free hand, on a clear floor that does not slip. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet.
Shift your weight onto one leg and let the other foot come just off the floor. Keep a soft bend in the standing knee.
Keeping your back straight, hinge forward at the hip. Let the lifted leg travel back behind you as your chest lowers, so your trunk and back leg tip together as one piece.
Reach down with one hand and pick up the cone. Go only as low as you can while your back stays flat.
Push through your standing heel and tighten your buttock to rise back to standing, cone in hand. In the video he sets the lifted foot down as he straightens.
Put the cone back on the floor, then repeat. Finish your set and switch legs.

What you should feel

Work in the buttock and the back of the thigh of your standing leg, and constant small corrections in that foot and ankle as you reach.

Common mistakes

Rounding your back to get down to the cone.
The standing knee drifting in toward the other leg.
Letting the pelvis twist open on the side of the back leg.
Rushing the way back up and wobbling at the top.

How often

Many programs start with 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 pick ups on each leg, with your free hand close to a support. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
You tip over and need the counter to catch you. Put your other foot down and steady yourself. Rest before you carry on.
Sharp pain in the standing ankle, knee or hip, or pain, tingling or numbness spreading from your lower back into a leg.
A sudden sharp pain, pop or snap at the back of your thigh. Stop straight away. If you then get large bruising spreading down the back of the thigh, a gap or dip you can feel, a stiff-legged walk, or clear weakness when you bend the knee, get assessed the same day at urgent care or an emergency department, as the tendon may have pulled away from the bone near the buttock.

From the clinic

He has nothing to hold in the video. At home, stand close enough to a counter or rail to grab it the moment you wobble, and keep your free hand hovering over it. Putting the cone on a low step or box shortens the reach while you learn the movement. If you have had a fall in the past year, often wobble when you walk, or use tablets that make you drowsy or lightheaded, practice only with another adult at home and ask your physio whether this is right for you yet.

A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache.

Standing steadily in single leg stance comes first. The single leg deadlift trains the same hinge without an object to reach for, and the single leg clock reach is another way to add movement to balance on one leg.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try the single leg cone pick up. Bending forward over the standing leg folds that hip to about 90 degrees or further, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations. If you have osteoporosis or have had a fracture in your spine, check with your physio first, and keep your back straight rather than rounding down to the floor. If you are pregnant, check with your midwife or physio before you start. With high blood pressure, or if bending down tends to make you dizzy, come back up slowly while you keep breathing.

After an ankle fracture or ankle surgery, follow your surgeon's or physio's weight-bearing plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. After a knee fracture or knee surgery, including a knee replacement, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Single leg cone pick up