Exercises of the week! Single leg bench squat

One leg bench squat (AKA rear foot elevated split squat, AKA Bulgarian lunge)

Brian Van Hook MS CSCS
VH Sports Performance

We have all heard of the infamous back squat: "The squat is the King of all exercises." The honest truth is you do not need barbell squats in your program to build strong muscular legs. Now I am not saying you should not squat, what I am saying is the squat is not the end all of all exercises. I am a huge fan of Mike Boyle, and I have learned a lot from this man, I believe he is one of the best in the business, but he is not a fan of squatting, if you have had the change to read some of his information he is almost dropping all back squats from his training programs. Now I have to say I am not totally sold on his idea, but I am not far off. I personally never like squats when I was playing football, I am a tall guy (6’7) and the squat is a killer exercises for tall guys like myself. It’s a killer on the lower back and every time I did them I felt like my Lumbar spine was about to snap. I have also worked with several athletes with similar concerns and nagging back pain. At this point in my training career I will not have any clients with even a little back pain or a history of pain, perform to the normal back squat (front squat yes) but not back squat!! So what other options do you have? Well a favorite of mine is the Single leg bench squat (AKA rear foot elevated split squat, AKA Bulgarian lunge)

Single leg squats are an excellent alternative to barbell squats. Talk about an exercise that builds strength and size along with stability! Single leg squats incorporate the need for balance more than any other leg exercise. The more unstable the environment the more the muscles have to work at performing the task. Because you have the added factor of balance, the single leg bench squat is much more difficult to perform than the normal barbell squat, just as the barbell squat is much more difficult than the leg press. I do not want to go into the numbers and percentages, but like the great Mike Boyle once said, why not get the same exercises at half off! You can load you barbell with less weight (I have my guys hold dumbbells in each hand, just seems a little safer to me).

The single leg bench squat is considered somewhat of an advanced exercise. And should only be used after a proper progression is built up and the athlete has the correct amount of single leg strength. You should not be loading up the weight on the first go at this lift. Every athlete I have will start out with bodyweight lunges then weighted (dumbbell) lunges, even with the strongest of kids I will have them start with holding 10-15 pound dumbbells in each hand. At his point it’s not about the weight, it’s about them getting used to this exercises.

I wanted to quote something Mike Boyle said on one of his articles because he says its best:

“Single leg supported exercises is a great introduction to single leg training and should always precede the dynamic variations. In other words split squats should precede lunges, lateral squats should precede lateral lunges, and rotational squats should precede rotational or transverse lunges. Failure to do this will result in exceptional soreness, possible disruption of the training program, and often a loss of confidence in the coach or trainer by the athlete or trainee”.

Bobby (6'3 205) is a local HS baseball player with tree trunks for legs! I expect great things from him this year!! With a GPA of 4.6 and athletic ability, coaches are starting to take notice. You can also see him here doing some “curls for the girls”....lol...told him I would post that pic:)

Preparation

Stand with dumbbells grasped at your side, facing away from bench. Extend leg back and place top of foot on bench.

Execution

Squat down by flexing knee and hip of front leg until knee of rear leg is almost in contact with floor. Return to original standing position by extending hip and knee of forward leg. Repeat. Continue with opposite leg. Keep torso upright during squat; flexible hip flexors are important. Forward knee should point same direction as foot throughout movement.

Muscles involved:

Target

• Gluteus Maximus

Synergists

• Quadriceps

• Adductor Magnus

• Soleus

Dynamic Stabilizers

• Hamstrings

• Gastrocnemius

Stabilizers

• Erector Spinae

• Trapezius, Upper

• Trapezius, Lower

• Levator Scapulae

• Gluteus Medius Gluteus Minimus

Exercises of the week: Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

Single Leg-Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

Muscles Used: Hamstrings, gluteals, adductors

Most people know about RDL (Romanian Deadlift), but have you ever tried them single leg? Not only does it strengthen the hamstrings to a high degree, but it works on dynamic balance, dynamic flexibility and strengthens your adductors as well. Just don’t get too crazy with the weight, because this exercise is way harder than it looks! Every time I show one of my athletes how to perform this exercise they always want to use a heaver weight, I tell them to keep it light and tell me how your butt feels tomorrow, every time they come in the day after they are complaining how they hurt every time they sit on the toilet! So remember to start out with light weights (5-10lbs BD in each hand to start) balance will be the hardest thing at first!

Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your body and raise one of your legs. The weight should be on the heel and the chest elevated. From this position, keep your free leg straight and swing it back while lowering the dumbbells down to the top of your opposite foot. Return to the top and repeat.

When you get good at these, try to keep your swing leg off the ground throughout the entire set.

Tips:

-Don't stand on a platform for this exercise in an effort to increase your range of motion. If you bend over too far or if the dumbbells hit the ground, you could alter your form.

-This exercises is very awkward at first. If you can't use heavy weight initially, just focus on form and the poundage will increase with time.

-Vary the amount of bend in your front leg. Varying the knee angle will place slightly different emphasis on certain areas of the legs and glutes. Just keep that bend consistent throughout the motion.

-Allow the front leg to "split the uprights" with your arms. The dumbbells should remain an inch or two away from the sides of the working leg. Your upper body will be slightly turned toward this leg.


***Single Leg exercises are a great addition to an athletic performance training program when done correctly. Being a past offensive lineman myself I can reassure you singe leg strength is key for lateral movement on the line of scrimmage!!

Brian Van Hook
Las Vegas Strength Training