I have just started 5/3/1 the past month after recovering from a leg fracture while playing soccer one year ago. My right leg is noticeably weaker and smaller than my left one. I am a soccer player and my question is: Should I incorporate split squats and unilateral leg work as my assistance exercise in order to balance out my strength and size again? And also which 5/3/1 program should I choose if I am planning to add overall mass and get back to playing? I am good at sticking with a program for a long time, but I just started 5/3/1 and there are so many different options that I do not know what would be appropriate for me.
What sucks about health insurance these days is that often cuts you off and causes this huge gap - you don’t get any more physical therapy, but you’re not 100%. I’m assuming that’s where you’re at. If I’m wrong and you still have PT visits left, then go back to your PT until he or she signs off on you.
Here’s just my opinion, having done corrective exercise in a physical therapy office for three years, and having used the FMS with a lot of people:
You’d be crazy not to do single leg work until you start getting close to even. Think 80-90% of your strong leg in terms of strength, stability, and range of motion. I’d have you do only single leg work until you get back to normal. RFE Split Squats, Pistols, Airborne Lunges, Single Leg Deadlifts, Single Leg Hip Bridge, Side-Lying Hip Abduction, Band Walking, ect. Hit all of that three times per week and get yourself normal again ASAP.
And then when you’re back to normal do 5/3/1 exactly the way it’s written.
It has been a long way until now. I can feel my leg is 80-90% as strong as the other one, however it is not quite there yet. I feel like something is missing. It is not as explosive as it was before (I understand it takes time). But I felt like perhaps 5/3/1 could help me regaining what is missing, maybe it is not the right program though. And also I lost around 20lbs of overall mass in the past year which I was hoping to bring it back. I was wondering if I could incorporate these unilateral exercises on my deadlift and squat day, just to try to get that gap between the two legs diminished.
I have just started 5/3/1 the past month after recovering from a leg fracture while playing soccer one year ago. My right leg is noticeably weaker and smaller than my left one. I am a soccer player and my question is: Should I incorporate split squats and unilateral leg work as my assistance exercise in order to balance out my strength and size again? And also which 5/3/1 program should I choose if I am planning to add overall mass and get back to playing? I am good at sticking with a program for a long time, but I just started 5/3/1 and there are so many different options that I do not know what would be appropriate for me.
Thank you [/quote]
Single leg work is fine but it’s not the holy grail of making things “even”. At least not with the people I’ve worked with.
Your body needs to learn to work as a WHOLE. The “single leg” idea is rooted in the BB culture that has invaded sport and therapy training. Your body must learn to work together - shutting a part of your body down so one gets stronger is kinda silly to me.
One leg stuff is good to do but not for these reasons. You can do some lighter step -ups/one leg squats and get the ROM down and probably some isometric work in (that’s what we usually do as warm-up) but EMBRACE total body.
I used to work with rehab patients 1 leg stuff is simply for proprioception or strengthening the connective tissue to rehab or prevent injury in special cases. I have a left ankle weakness so i do one leg balance work… you may find this useful in strengthening your knee. STand on one leg and toss a med ball lightly back and forth with someone. You can increase the distance a bit to make it harder. 3x15 reps each leg. That is a standard exercise for balance, knee rehab. We rarely had patients do one leg strength work unless it was also with a balance component. For example single leg pick ups. If for some reason you wanna compete in kettlebell challenges or enjoy them you can work up to doing pistols. But why? Just let the weak leg catch up naturally IMO.