Like I mentioned before, not everyone is suited to squat, whether that be traditional, front, or whatever, some bodies just should not be squatting. The good things about single leg movements is that they put less stress on the whole body, the surrounding joint, and don't require a lot of weight to see results.
Some of the single leg movements I love and use often include:
Bulgarian split squat (rear foot elevated lunge)
Reverse Lunge
Lateral Lunge
Single Leg Deadlift
Single leg hamstring tuck
The Bulgarian split squat is my favorite. It allows you to isolate one foot at a time. It requires a lot of core strength and balance. It works your entire lower extremity while improving flexibility in your hip flexors.
The reverse lunge is similar, but doesn't require as much balance as both feet are plated on the ground.
The lateral lunge focuses more on the glutes, and can be a bit more awkward for someone who has not done them before. You have to think of sitting back on your but, not going to the side.
Single leg deadlift is another great exercise focusing a lot on the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back).
Finally, the single leg hamstring ball tuck. I am sure you all know the traditional hamstring ball tuck where your laying down on your back, lifting your hips up, and bringing the ball into your butt. This is the same thing, just know you elevate one foot, so you isolate one leg at a time. Again, similar to all single leg activities, this requires a lot more balance and core strength.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people do the single leg hamstring ball tuck so I don't have any pictures of it. I am however beginning the process of taking pictures of each and every exercise I can think of, so I am not forced to use cheesy, no shirted, google images.
I challenge you to give these single leg movements a try. They are a lot more challenging then they look. You have to remember your goals, and how your body works and reacts to certain exercises. There are some people who can squat great, and see great results from it, others not so much. You also have to look at program goals. If your goal is to develop power for a sport. You may see benefit from doing a single leg movement for some functionality and strength, but your not going to develop power.
If you have any questions on program design, and what exercises are appropriate for your goals feel free to shoot me an e-mail. Also, I am always looking for feedback on my blog, and any advice or criticism you may have, so please let me know.
Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.
Best,
Doug Spurling, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Spurling Strength & Speed
dspurling@une.edu
Part 4 should include some entertaining body weight squats, such as sissy squats and pistol squats, just sayin'. One thing I find difficult about having a weightlifting routine and running is that I tend to "overdue" it and get over training symptoms. Would you agree that too rigorous a cardio routine (say HIIT x3 a week) while trying to improve your muscular endurance could hinder your results?
ReplyDeleteYes, it would for sure affect your results. It depends on what your goal is. If your main goal is muscular endurance, then you need to cut back on the HIIT training. If your goal is fat loss and cardio endurace, then you would decrease the volume of lower extremity weight lifting. Like mentioned in previous blogs, you need to focus on one goal. You can see results from having all kinds of goals, but to get optimal results, and no over training symptoms, you need to pick a goal, work on that goal, achieive it, and then move onto the next one.
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