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8 BRAND NEW SINGLE-LEG EXERCISES

Never Skip (Single) Leg Day
by Charley Gould, Luka Hocevar | Yesterday

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 Training
 Bigger Stronger Leaner

Some people think single-leg work is only for prehab or rehab. Those people are
wrong. It can also be used to build some serious size and strength.
Unilateral work can, in fact, be just as effective as bilateral work (if not more) for
building muscle, increasing athleticism, and supporting health and longevity... while
also boosting those squat numbers.

The Exercises

Let's cleanse your mind of the run-of-the-mill unilateral lifts everyone thinks of and
take a look at some new variations. Here are eight rarely seen (yet brutally effective)
exercises you've got to try:

1. Zercher Front-Foot Elevated Split Squat

Compared to regular split squats, the elevation of the front foot allows for deeper hip
flexion and a greater range of motion, which – on top of providing a huge stretch
under load – amplifies the gains.

This variation encourages a predominantly vertical motion, which promotes an

"elevator" (up and down) rather than an "escalator" (diagonal) motion. It hammers
the quads and glutes while bringing the adductors, internal rotators, and hamstrings
into the equation, all of which are extremely relevant to athletic performance.

Using a Zercher hold takes this to a whole new level. The load placement
encourages a more "stacked" position from head to toe, which means maximal
mechanical tension, minimal joint stress, and virtually zero axial loading. Plus, it
hammers the core, taxes the upper back, and improves the ability to brace and
breathe efficiently under load, all of which can boost squat strength.

2. Front-Racked Reverse Lunge

Forward and reverse lunges are different from most single-leg exercises. They're
dynamic, so they involve actual movement through space. That makes them more
"athletic" as they challenge reflexive stability in all three planes.

What reverse lunges have over their forward counterpart, however, is two-fold. First,
they've been shown to recruit more muscle in the glute max, rectus femoris, vastus
lateralis, and vastus medialis (VMO).

Second, they're typically more knee-friendly since they allow for more control, less
extreme shin angles, lower momentary shearing forces, and minimal
deceleration/eccentric stress.

Using a front-racked load makes reverse lunges even more effective. It ups the
stability demands (due to the higher center of mass), it smokes the anterior core and
obliques, and it challenges coordination and motor control.

The upper body challenge is no joke either. The upper back and scapular stabilizers
have to maintain thoracic extension while keeping the scapulae upwardly rotated.

What's more, front-racked reverse lunges place virtually zero stress on the spine,
which – paired with their knee-friendliness – makes them a potent, joint-friendly
option.

Tip: If the clean grip bothers your wrists or elbows, try using a cross-grip.

3. SSB-Supported Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat

As I (Luka) wrote about in The New Essential Leg Exercise, this is a brutally
effective exercise for building strength and muscle while sparing the joints and de-
loading the spine.
Because of the extra stability from the support, it eliminates some of the limiting
factors for maximally loading single-leg exercises, like the grip giving out, mobility
and coordination issues, and a lack of balance – which can downregulate force
production.

By eliminating these limitations, this exercise allows you to use heavier loads,
produce more force, handle more volume, and create maximal mechanical tension,
ultimately leading to greater gains.

This one's great for all lifters: elite athletes, beginners, people with back pain,
shoulder restrictions, knee pain... you name it. It'll reduce axial loading, keep the
spine in a good position, cause zero shoulder issues, and make it easier to maintain
full-body tension and control.

4. Single-Leg Squat

It completely takes the non-working leg out of the equation, which gives it a host of
"functional" benefits, such as enhanced pelvic and joint stability, inter- and intra-
muscular coordination, and increased strength in some of the nook-and-cranny
muscles like the adductors, glute medius, and internal/external rotators of the hip.

To every meathead's delight, however, one study made a compelling case that the
single-leg squat can be a powerful strength and muscle-builder, too (4).

The researchers challenged the assumption that the load taken on by the working
leg during single-leg squats is half that of bilateral squats. To do so, they integrated
a model based on segmental weight distributions (the load acting above or rotating
about the hip joint) with force data to determine how much true load the legs take on
in both unilateral and bilateral movements.

They discovered two things:

 1. The combined bodyweight that acts above the hips during unilateral
movements is 16% greater than during bilateral movements (84% vs. 68%).

2. Unilateral movements equate to 1.62x the intensity (per leg) of bilateral

movements (in sum).

So, the single-leg squat places significantly more load on the working leg than
standard squats do between both legs, which means they can be done with
significantly lighter loads while achieving just as much of a loading effect – and then
some – as standard squats.

To quantify the relative load comparisons, they came up with the following:

 One-leg squat with no external load > 1.0x BW back squat

 One-leg squat + 10% BW in external load = 1.5x BW back squat
 One-leg squat + 50% BW in external load = 2x BW back squat
 One-leg squat + 100% BW in external load = 3x BW back squat

As an example, I used 110-pounds of external load in weight vests and chains for 8
reps – about 50% of my bodyweight – which, according to the study, would equate
to a 420-pound back squat for reps.

Then add the fact that single-leg squats involve constant tension and high intra-
muscular activation, and you'll see that they can be a great option for building bigger
legs and a stronger squat.

5. Heavy Sled Push

This is one of the most stupid-proof (yet effective) single-leg exercises in existence.
It can be used for everything from strength work to speed training, metabolic
conditioning, and just about everything else.
You can load it up with huge amounts of weight for a joint-friendly strength-builder,
or it can be done for longer sets of 45-60 seconds to pack on muscle in the glutes,
hamstrings, and calves via muscle fiber fatigue, lactate accumulation, and the
release of local growth factors.

It can also be used to improve athleticism since it teaches knee drive and hip
separation, provides mechanical exposures to acute angles that mimic acceleration,
and targets dynamic single-leg strength by requiring maximal force to be exerted
into the ground.

Plus, sled pushes are awfully demanding from a cardiovascular perspective, which
makes them great for conditioning.

They're also joint-friendly since there's zero spinal loading and hardly any stress
placed on the knees or hips. And they're virtually eccentric-less, which makes them
useful for deload weeks, high frequency training, or recovery work.

6. Split-Stance Trap Bar Deadlift

Think of it as a "hybrid" exercise since it combines the movement pattern of a trap

bar deadlift with the unilateral bias of a single-leg deadlift (SLDLs). The only thing
separating it from the latter is that the non-working leg is on the ground.

As small of a difference as it may seem, however, the support of the non-working leg
is a game changer since it eliminates any stability/balance issues that often manifest
during regular SLDLs.

As a result, this variation allows for far heavier loads to be used – between 70-80%
of that used for regular trap bar deadlifts – while placing enormous amounts of
tension onto the working leg. For a lifter with a 1-RM trap bar deadlift of 500-pounds,
that would equate to 350-400 pounds per leg, which would be impossible to replicate
with any other unilateral exercise.

Moreover, this variation has some advantages over regular trap bar deadlifts
because it promotes a "spiraling" motion (from external-to-internal rotation) to get
more loading into the back hip. And it requires a lower torso position during the initial
pull, both of which promote a bit more glute activity and a slightly greater range of
motion.

7. Kang Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat

This is a rarely-performed squat variation that combines a hinge (like an RDL or

good morning) with a squat. You begin with a top-down hinge, then pull yourself into
a squat at the bottom, and finish by reversing the process on the concentric.

The idea is that you're getting the benefits of both squatting and hinging – thus
hitting the quads, glutes, and hamstrings equally all in one move.

This exercise involves the same sequence as the Kang squat, with the only real
difference being that it's a unilateral movement. So it can be a potent exercise for
hitting the quads and posterior chain equally hard, with all of the added benefits of
single-leg work.

Try 4 sets of 10-12 reps and alternate the movement on each set. Start in an upright
position, do a negative, and then hinge on the way up.

8. Walking Step-Through Lunge

This one combines three lunge variations – reverse, forward, and walking – into one
seamless motion. It starts with a reverse lunge using the lead leg, transitions into a
 walking lunge using the other leg, and then finishes with a forward lunge using the
lead leg all over again.

The kicker is that the "finish" isn't much of a finish at all. Instead, both legs have to
continue to work in alternating fashion with hardly any rest. The result is a monster
lunge variation that creates nasty amounts of metabolic stress and crushes both
legs simultaneously.

Moreover, the brief period of perceived instability that takes place when the leg
travels all the way forward to all the way back (and vice versa) targets hip flexor
strength, trains deceleration and acceleration, and challenges joint stability
throughout the lower half.

Try plugging in 2-3 sets as a finisher to cap off a lower-body day, doing it either for
distance (20-25 yards) or for a high number of reps.

The Advantages of Single-Leg Training

 It has a direct carryover to life and sport.

 It builds more strength and muscle.

 It enhances lower body health and function.

 It addresses asymmetries/imbalances.

 It's joint-friendly.

The beauty of single-leg training? It's versatile from a programming standpoint. You
can do it in any number of ways: as a main strength exercise for 4-6 reps per side,
 as an accessory for 6-10 reps per side, or as a metabolic stress/pump finisher
upwards of 15-plus reps per side.

A good rule of thumb: Do single-leg work across multiple set-and-rep schemes,

focusing on pushing big weights at times while ramping up the reps and chasing a
pump other times.

Just make sure you don't skip single-leg day!

Related: The New Essential Leg Exercise

Related: Only Wimps Avoid Single-Leg Work

References

1. Botton, Cíntia Ehlers, et al. "Bilateral deficit: origins, mechanisms, and

implications for strength training." Brazilian Journal of Kinanthropometry and Human
Performance 14.6 (2012): 749-761.

2. Pinto, Ronei Silveira, et al. "Evaluation of bilateral déficit in isometric

contractions of the knee extensors." Brazilian Journal of Kinanthropometry and
Human Performance 14.2 (2012): 202-211.

3. Knapik, Joseph J., et al. "Preseason strength and flexibility imbalances

associated with athletic injuries in female collegiate athletes." The American journal
of sports medicine 19.1 (1991): 76-81.

4. Natera, Alex et al. "Load Comparison Ratio in Single and Double Leg
Movements." English Institute of Sport, UK (2015).
Charley Gould

Charley Gould, CSCS, is a former professional baseball player and strength-and-conditioning

coach. He specializes in helping individuals look, feel, and perform like elite athletes. Charley is
the head of sports performance at Universal Athletic Club in Lancaster, PA.

Follow Charley Gould on Instagram

Luka Hocevar

Luka Hocevar is a strength and performance coach for athletes in the NBA, NFL, UFC, and
MLB. He is also the founder and co-owner of two gyms, and creator of the Vigor Ground Fitness
and Business Summit.

Follow on Instagram
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