I’m playing around with my routine. I was kindly pointed toward a 9 week program by Dave Tate on elitefts. It includes the exercise One legged squat. I have seen two different versions of this. The older, is holding your nonworking leg out in front of you. The newer, involves placing your nonworking leg behind you and resting the top of the foot on a bench.
Any idea which is better, safer and/or more effective?
Starkmann
They are both awesome btw. The latter being (a “Bulgarian Split Squat”) is more user friendly IMHO.
The second one you mentioned is more effective…for me anyway. One legged squats are awesome. IMO, they are the best single leg excercise to do. Far superior to the lunge.
Jay
[quote]starkmann wrote:
I’m playing around with my routine. I was kindly pointed toward a 9 week program by Dave Tate on elitefts. It includes the exercise One legged squat. I have seen two different versions of this. The older, is holding your nonworking leg out in front of you. The newer, involves placing your nonworking leg behind you and resting the top of the foot on a bench.
Any idea which is better, safer and/or more effective?
Starkmann[/quote]
I would try both variations. However, the first method you mentioned is a lot more diificult, in my opinion, due to flexibility and balance. The second variation can give you a liitle more support and can be supplemented with dumbells or a barbell on back for extra resistance, but safety is an issue especially with the barbell. Check out the Search Engine and type in Single Leg Supplements and it has all the info you need plus pictures.
I am not sure if it is newer, but the second one is a Bulgarian split squat.I think the former is harder for most people and really work the quads and the latter can be hard if weighted and works not only the quads but the glutes and even the hamstrings a bit. I do both myself as well as barbell step ups and barbell reverse lunges. I love all these exercises personally.
I know my trainer/bf had me doing them with the other leg behind but not resting on anything, I would just hold it up parallel to the ground. I was doing them with no weights though and lightly held onto a bar in front of me.
The first one is also called a pistol if you go AssToGrass. The latter is alot eaiser than the former, because you ahave the advantage of the bench for balance, I find is it very hard to add weight to a pistol. I do both and they are both great moves.
i like them both . i especially like the first ones -pistols. when you go rock bottom it takes alot of recruitment to get out of the hole. not to mention flexibility and good form and balance. i worked them up to 15 rep sets and that helped me tremendously to eliminate a middle sticking point on my atg squats. plus you don’t need alot of weight if any so you can do them practically anywhere and get some pretty good work in.
[quote]Kagemusha wrote:
The first one is also called a pistol if you go AssToGrass. The latter is alot eaiser than the former, because you ahave the advantage of the bench for balance, I find is it very hard to add weight to a pistol. I do both and they are both great moves.[/quote]
dude yes ! adding weight is frickn tough . the easiest way is with a vest 'cause then you can still put your arms forward. a little better i think is a backpack on backward so the weight’s still centered. or you can do them with dumbells at your sides off a block. that way you can cheat the angle of your front leg till you get more strength/flexibility. overhead squats really seemed to help me there. i wasn’t able to do weighted pistols with good form 'til i started doing overheads.
nice handle bro. kagemusha is a killer flick !
My problem with any type of single leg movement with the back leg being supported as in either the lunge or the Bulgarian split squat is that the non-working wants to “help out” with the movement. Not only does this take away from the working leg, but it puts stress on the knee of the non-working leg, especially in the split squat. At least this is what I’ve noticed when I do them; your mileage may vary. This is why I like the pistol for one-legged work.
Unfortunately, I can’t do a free-standing pistol. Solution: either do them onto a bench or a box (“box pistols”) or choke a band on a squat rack and hold on to the band on your way down.
Other good one-legged moves that I like are the walking lunge and step ups. Both of these moves, for the most part, eliminate the non-working leg from the movement.
I agree that the leg on a bench split squat is the single best leg builder.
If you use the back leg to help with the reps at the end, you work the quads at both the hip and knee joint, and its very easy to shift slightly and get more ham into it. You can also bend at the waist to various degrees.
As for adding weight, dumbells work well, and I’ve also tried a barbell in a front squat position, and overhead position, and used a single dumbell in the overhead position.