A program with purpose and balance will always wield major results. I implement plenty of bilateral (double leg) squat, hip hinge, Olympic, etc exercises in my program. These are all tremendous exercises but single leg work sometimes gets over looked. Here is a simple progression for mastering single leg squats (Note: This doesn’t get in to the importance or progression for other great unilateral exercises such as Bulgarian squats, lunges, single leg RDL’s).
Assisted Skater Squat:
Start here. Grasp a weight tree or pole of some sort. Have a pad as a target for the knee of the non-working leg (tall people use two). Sink the hip and knee, lightly tap the pad, then make sure you fully extend the knee and hip. The knee should track over the foot the whole time.
Skater Squat:
Now taking away the pad, again aim to tap the knee on the pad and fully extend back up. You can stick your arms out as you go down as a counterbalance. Knee should again track over the foot the whole time.
Single Squat:
Set up in front of a bench. Sit back and lightly tap your butt to the bench. Stand all the way up at the top. Again you can stick your arms out as a counter balance, or even hold a plate out in front for a load.
Pistol Squat from Bench:
Here come the hard ones. Start with a bench because you’ll have more room to keep the straight leg out due to the elevation. Try to sit all the way down and keep the chest upright (Not shown very well here).
Pistol Squat:
Not shown here! Why? Because I can’t get to a full single leg squat without breaking down in form or falling. The other wonderful thing about these exercises is they can show where one may have some mobility issues. Look at the angle of my shin in all these photos. Notice how I can’t get my knee very far out over the foot. I’ve played hockey since I was 8. Being in a boot all the time surely played a role in my stiff ankles. Hip and ankle mobility work may be necessary before completing this progression of exercises.
Try these out!
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