Leg training...if you
only know a couple of
exercises for legs, it
can be extremely boring...squat
this, lunge that, leg
press over...what else
is left?
TONS!
If you want to hit the
quads, glutes and hamstrings
thoroughly, you need to
learn as many variations
of these exercises as
possible to keep things
interesting and to keep
your body from getting
used to any one form of
leg training.
And
that's where unique challenges
like THIS leg exercise
come into play.
This
is a variation of the
Barbell Split Squat that
has an interesting twist...on
each rep, you're going
to switch legs...not at
the top (which is WAY
too normal) but at the
BOTTOM of each rep.
Basically,
you're going to do a Barbell
Step-Back Lunge then at
the bottom of that rep,
you're going to bring
your front leg down and
kneel on BOTH knees at
the bottom, then bring
your OTHER leg forward
and come back up.
It's
deceptively simple and
it present a great challenge
to your body in a number
of ways.
First,
when you switch legs at
the bottom, you have to
maintainbalance with a
loaded barbell on your
back. This means plenty
of core involvement.
Second,
once you've switched legs
and brought your other
leg forward, you will
be starting from the bottom
absolutely ZERO elastic
tension in the muscles.
It's going to be ALL YOU
coming up from that position.
This helps build power
out of the bottom of the
lunge/squat exercise and
it'll show up on your
regular lifts.
Third,
it's actually kind of
fun because it requires
a bit of skill to do.
You're still working VERY
hard (trust me on this)
while presenting your
body and your mind with
something to keep it adapting
and keep things fresh.
The
first time you do this
one, start with just the
bar. I don't care how
much you can squat, you
need to learn the mechanics
of the exercise before
you load the bar at all
(even I did this and I'm
a bit nuts :)
I've
got the bar loaded with
185 lbs in the demo here.
Set
the bar on your back as
you would for a barbell
squat or lunge then step
back into the rack.
Now
set your left foot back
a few feet then come down
into a Step-Back Lunge.
Come ALL the way down
until your weight is resting
fully on that bottom knee.
One
thing to note here is
that you don't want to
come crashing down into
the bottom position on
this one...lower yourself
under control until you're
kneeling on the ground.
We aren't doing a knee
drop here!
Now
here's where your core
comes into play...bring
your right leg back so
that you're now kneeling
on BOTH knees. The weight
is now balanced primarily
with your core.
Next,
bring your left leg forward
so you're now in the bottom
of the split squat position
again. When you're about
to start the push up,
here are a few things
to think about.
1.
As the weight gets a bit
heavier, you'll need to
lean your torso forward
a bit to get the weight
over the center of power
of the exercise, which
is the front leg. This
puts a GREAT load on the
hamstrings and the glutes.
2.
Your back foot is important
here...don't just be resting
on the tip of your shoe.
When you're about to push
up, you should try and
have the balls of your
feet in contact with the
ground so you can exert
force with the back leg.
Without that back leg
tensed, you won't be able
to get heavier weights
up. It's not so critical
with lighter weights...you'll
feel the need for it as
you go heavier.
Once
you're ready to go, with
a powerful explosion of
strength, come back up
to the fully standing
position. Be careful with
your balance on this phase
of the movement. You should
be familiar with barbell
lunging before you try
this exercise, just fyi.
So
now you're at the top
and you have two choices...you
can repeat the movement
in the same sequence (set
the left leg back and
down then switch at the
bottom and come back up
with the left leg forward)
or you can switch legs
(set the right leg back
first, then come back
up on the right).
Whichever
way you want to do it
is totally fine. When
you keep to the same pattern,
you won't have to think
as much as if you switch
direction more frequently,
which can be a bonus :).
Here's
what it looks like from
the other direction.
Step
back with the right.
Bring
the left around and kneel
on both knees.
Bring
your right leg forward
and get into position.
Push
yourself back up.
That's
the exercise! It's actually
a pretty simple concept
and VERY effective lower
body training, especially
for athletics.
This
is going to target just
about every aspect of
the lower body in one
shot and give your core
some excellent stabilty
work at the same time.