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Master This And Enjoy New Levels of Strength - The Single Leg Squat |
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The Single Leg Squat: Master It and Enjoy Newfound Levels of Strength Have you always thought that barbell squats were the ONLY way to attain massively muscular legs? While they are a major staple of just about any lower body workout, barbell squats aren’t your only alternative if you’re looking for powerful: - Quads It’s a move that, for the most part, has been largely overlooked in traditional strength and conditioning programs, but offers three nice benefits over and above strength gains: - Enhanced speed It’s known as the single leg squat (or the “pistol” and it’s nowhere near as simple as it sounds. As functional training continues to cover new grounds, strength training is following suit. Double leg exercises are being supplemented with a single leg focus because MOST sporting skills running, jumping, throwing, etc.) are performed on one leg at the time. Athletes that begin single leg squat training will soon see a marked improvement in strength and stability. Not only do pistols hone your balance more than any other leg exercise out there, by introducing an unstable “environment” into the exercise, more muscles will be recruited to perform the task successfully. However, it’s only fair to warn you ahead of time: it’s very unlikely that you’ll master the single leg squat in a WEEK, much less overnight. ——————– A fellow Champ I know shared this story with me, and I’m sure you’ll appreciate it. Once he mastered the mechanics of the single leg squat, he incorporated it into his gym workout. Never one to waste an opportunity to show off a bit, he attracted the attention of a seasoned strength trainer who’d just finished six reps with just shy of 500 pounds loaded for his barbell squat. Apparently, he’d heard about pistols, but he’d never had the chance to learn to properly execute one. Once he’d gotten the hang of the exercise (they did the weighted bench-assisted single leg squat) he wanted to give it a go with dumbbells in tow. My buddy had a hard time convincing him to only use 50 pounds of weight, but it was a good thing he did - the poor guy’s ego would probably have been bruised otherwise. To make a long story short, the same guy who could do 6 five hundred pound reps with the barbell squat could barely sweat out 8 reps with fifty pounds on his right leg and gave out after only six with his left! Even once you’ve gotten the hang of the mechanics, the exercise is STILL tough. But for some of you, the best bet is to stick to a course of steady, incremental progression. While a few of you may be able to fly right through to perfect form and execution, here’s a plan for everyone else… Step 1: The Split Squat Set yourself up as though you were going to perform a long lunge, with your hands on your head for balance. Your goal now is to execute the lunge so that your back knee touches the floor and your front knee is aligned above the ankle. You should practice this on each leg until you have attained natural balance and skill. Step 2: The Lunge The lunge begins with you standing upright, with both feel together (and again, your hands on your head.) Now, take a long step with one leg, touching the back knee to the floor with your front knee over the ankle. Now, push off with your lead leg, return to your starting stance and repeat the exercise with the opposite leg leading for as long as it takes to truly get the hang of it. Step 3: Single Leg Bench Squat Once you’ve managed to Master the lunge without falling down, you’re ready for the single leg bench squat. You’ll start out much like you did for the split squat (with yourself already in position to lunge, not with feet together), except this time, you’ll rest your back foot on a weight bench behind you. From this position, shift your body forward so that your front thigh is parallel to the floor. There should be no other movement, and with time, you’ll increase the flexibility of your hip flexors and increase your full range of motion. Step 4: The Single Leg Squat The perfect “pistol” is accomplished when you’re able to stand on one leg, with your other leg held out straight in front of you, and your hands out at your sides for balance. Now, act as though you’re sitting back and down, like you were trying to “sit” in a very low chair. At the bottom of the exercise, your supporting foot will be flat on the floor and your glutes and hamstrings will be resting on your calf. However, to successfully complete a full rep, you have to be able to “stand up” (one leg only) into your original position. You should also be able to perform the exercise on EITHER leg! It may take weeks, perhaps even months, to truly master the single leg squat. However, once you master the mechanics, you’ll be able to add in weights and really take your lower body workouts to the next level! Whatever you do, DON’T GIVE UP! Pulling this exercise off successfully is a surefire way to help elevate you to full-fledged Champ status. It probably won’t hurt that all of the hotties won’t be able to keep their eyes off your legs, either...
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