It’s no secret that double leg exercises like squats and deadlifts are great exercises that help every guy improve his physique and performance. With that said, adding in single leg squats is a great way to make your lower body workouts more comprehensive and effective.
Let’s face it; we all have a weak side. And single leg training is just what the muscle doctored ordered to bring up your weak side and improve your muscle symmetry, which not only can help sports performance and help you look better, but also reduce your risk of injury.
Plus, single leg training is a great way to add a new challenge to your workouts and add training variety.
Pistol Squats?
When I talk about single leg squats you may be thinking that I’m going to recommend Pistol Squats. Although the Pistol Squat is a trendy, cool looking and old-time exercise, it’s not an exercise we use.
Here’s why:
Enter the Single Leg Knee Tap Squat
I recommend using an exercise we call the Single Leg Knee Tap (instead of the Pistol Squat) because it 1) resembles the body positions (i.e. joint angles) and force generation patterns of common sporting positions we see in field, court and combat sports. And, 2) it allows you to improve your muscular (strength) symmetry while performing a single exercise, which (unlike the Pistol Squat) more closely resembles optimal double-leg squat form.
In other words, the knee tap single leg squat puts you in a more athletic (i.e. functional) position, and allows you to keep better spinal alignment than the Pistol Squat.
Here’s how to Perform Knee Tap Squats
Additional Coaching Tips:
– If you don’t have a pad like the one used in the video, you can use an Aerobic Step or even use a few plates on the ground.
– Once you can perform 10 reps with your bodyweight, you can add load by wearing a weighted vest or holding dumbbells as shown below.
Bio:
Nick Tumminello is the known as the “Trainer of Trainers.” He’s the owner of Performance University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and the author of the Secrets of Single Leg Training 2-DVD set. He writes a very popular Hybrid Fitness Training blog at PerformanceU.net as well as his own personal website NickTumminello.com