single leg squats using dumbells, would one consider this a potential remedy for hip imbalance, or is it a learning curve to get the movement down? I tried it out and my hips are all over the place when doing them, but its also a balancing act, but it is challenging. I dont know if its learning curve or an exercise showing me some hip imbalance. Thoughts or suggestions?
It might serve a remedial purpose but I wouldn’t look to it for much more.
What do you think about barbell reverse lunges or regular lunges?
We used lunges- but unweighted reps down a mat. don’t know how that really counts. we considered it part of the power speed sessions
i think bj would have ran 9.5 if you added stepups and single leg squats.
Ok. I read you sometimes did power speed drills with a weight vest. Was this more with Gerrard or did you do this with Ben too. And how often was it incorporated? I know there is a ten percent rule and I know your stance on sprinting with them, you don’t like them. I am going to have to ask though, what about a weight vest for tempo or circuit training though or would this be more for drills? I’m looking for any ideas to get myself back in shape.
Single Leg Squats (SLS)
“Compete on one leg; train on one leg.”
“Train the sport specific way”
It’s hard to miss the promotion of this training method or the self-promotion of its Gurus. You can deep squat over 200kg, yet, when tested, you can’t do one unleaded single leg squat without starting to fall over. Amazed by your newly discovered ‘inadequacy’, you’re easily convinced that you must overcome it.
But that argument can be turned on its head. Since the formula for power output is weight times distance divided by time, it is precisely this same test that proves there will be training losses if SLS work is substituted.
Let’s get this straight from the outset. You will be hard pressed to ever lift one sixth as much with a single leg squat as you could with both legs, no matter how long you work at it, so there better be a convincing argument for its inclusion.
Supporters claim that you must be able to stabilize at least your own bodyweight to optimally stabilized in motions specific to your sport.
But like the gyroscopic effect of a bicycle in motion, the stabilization requirements for a body in motion are far less than when stationary, regardless of the direction of that motion.
Supporters argue that the single leg squat is more specific to the motion of the sport itself. While that might sound reasonable at first, it doesn’t stand up to closer examination.
A study by Loren Chiu, a PHD candidate at , USC , Dr. John Garhammer of Cal. State Long Beach, and Dr. Brian Schilling of the University of Memphis compared the movements of the single leg squat and other movements. They found that the magnitude and the direction of forces in a SLS were significantly different when compared to running to cut, backpedal and cutting to the left for both hip and the ankle. In fact a bilateral squat was much closer to these movements than a SLS. ( The Science of Specificity)