Lifting Heavy Stuff: Single Leg Style
Filed under: General Health, Training
There has been a lot of debate recently over whether or not people should squat anymore. Mike Boyle in particular is firmly in the camp that you can derive all the benefits of squatting with heavy single-leg work, while I am of the mind that a combination of squatting with heavy single-leg work will give you the best bang for your buck.
The real problem is at most gyms single-leg work consists of 1-leg knee extensions and 1-leg hamstring curls, that is most definitely not the kind of single-leg work we are talking about. We mean doing work where you are not only lifting weight with one leg, but where you are stabilizing with that leg as well. This creates a whole new dynamic, and greatly involves something call the lateral sub-system.
The lateral sub-system is made up of the quadratus lumborum, glute medius, tfl, and the adductor complex. Without going into too much boring detail, this group essentially provides side to side stability and is incredibly important for sporting or athletic activities as we spend the majority of our time on one leg (think walking, running, etc). As great as squats and deadlifts are, they do not train the lateral sub-system as effectively since there is little need for side to side stability in a two-legged stance.
Fortunately this is where proper single-leg training comes in. Unfortunately most people have had little exposure to proper single-leg exercises, execution, and placement within a training program. Luckily enough, Mike Robertson has taken the guess work out with his incredible Single Leg Solution (it’s on sale through this Friday at midnight at an introductory price of just $77!).
In this 60-minute DVD, along with the 96-page manual that accompanies it, Mike explains which exercises work best for certain people/populations, shows how to execute each exercise with flawless technique, explains how to progress each exercise appropriately, and how to place these exercises in your training.
As an example of kick-ass single-leg work, this is a video of yours truly doing a Barbell Reverse Lunge with a front squat grip with 245lbs for 6 reps. I will say that I was short-striding it a little bit, but thankfully I took a look at that video after and was able to correct it on my next set!
The point here is that single-leg training is not for weaklings, and in all actuality you can get very very strong doing single-leg work. If you are someone with creaky knees (like Tony Gentilcore), low-back pain or are just looking for some lower-body variety the Single Leg Solution is the answer you have been looking for.
Also if you are one of those people who eschews lower body work because you don’t want to squat or deadlift, this would be perfect for you. It will provide you with easy-to-execute, knee-friendly and powerfully effective lower-body training.
Act soon, at midnight on Friday the price goes up $20, so don’t miss out on a nice discount on an awesome product.
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Posted on May 6th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre
4 Comments
May 6th, 2010 at 8:02 am
I’ve started throwing some lunges and bulgarian split squats in between supersets on my non-leg day. At first I got some serious weird looks because apparently people at my gym never do single leg work. I noticed today that after I started doing it other guys began copying me, realized it was too hard, and quickly put back the weights
May 6th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Andrew,
It’s no joke man. Nobody likes doing bulgarian split squats, they are pure hell. But they work!
May 7th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Yeah, bulgarian split squats are pure evil. I’ve recently started putting my lead leg elevated on a 45lb weight plate covered with a small board for a better ROM (discovered via Joe Defranco’s WS4SB program). I’m better able to maintain balance, and upright this way. I thought the exact opposite would happen.
December 29th, 2010 at 8:07 am
[...] 4. The Single Leg Solution. Mike Robertson created an awesome product here. Let’s be honest, how many people actually train their legs, let alone one at a time? Well here Mike shows you proper single leg exercises, their execution, and their placement within a training program. It is well-researched and well-written, which is the norm for Mike. Here is my Review of The Single Leg Solution. [...]