Sharing a list of my very favorite, and what I consider to be the best, single-leg exercises! I hope this post inspires you to incorporate more unilateral training into your routine.
Hi hi! how are you today I hope you are having a wonderful week so far!
For today, let’s talk about fitness stuff. Single-leg exercises are one of my favorite elements to incorporate into lower-body workouts. Single exercises are – you guessed it – exercises that use only one part of your lower body at a time. Leg strength is important no matter what sport you choose or fitness mode you enjoy. Strong legs support daily movement and our ability to perform, and focusing on one leg at a time can have many benefits. In today’s post, I’m sharing a roundup of the best single leg exercises that will help you reach the full potential of your legs.
(The set was gifted from Mountain. I love everything on their site, and especially their leggings and joggers.)
Why train unilaterally?
It’s very easy to use bilateral exercises to *depend* on our strongest side. Think about a barbell biceps curl versus a dumbbell curl. With a barbell, you lift the weight without really being able to determine if the weight is distributed evenly between the sides. Your stronger side will always kick to help you complete the rep, which can cause muscle imbalances to go unnoticed. By training one side at a time, like a dumbbell curl, you can really focus on building strength on the weaker side. This will not only promote muscle symmetry, but also potentially prevent altered movement patterns from relying on stronger body parts.
Here are some of my favorite single-leg exercises to include on leg day! As always, check with a doctor before making any fitness changes. Respect your body and change as needed.
Best Single Leg Exercises
Single-leg deadlift (aka Single-Leg RDL)
Holding a dumbbell or kettlebell, shift your weight to your left leg, then float your right leg to the floor behind you. Keep your weight on your front leg, hinge at the waist and lean forward, keeping your back straight, until the weight reaches just below the knees (or as far as you can while maintaining a flat back) . Keep your right leg straight behind you. Exhale and return to an upright position. Repeat on your other leg. Be sure to keep your hips parallel to the floor and look straight ahead throughout this leg workout.
Bulgarian split squat
If you’re not familiar with this one, think of it as a more difficult reverse lunge. Stand in front of a bench or sturdy chair, then place one foot on top. Keep your hips and shoulders facing forward and posture straight as you bend your front knee. Press your entire foot forward and exhale to rise. Don’t worry too much about keeping your front knee stacked over your ankle—if you have ankle flexibility, it can go a little past your toes—but instead, focus on keeping your body upright and sinking instead of forward. Another tip: I like to curl my toes back on the bench, so the top of my foot or shoe is facing down. This puts more emphasis on the working leg.
Single-leg hip raise (aka glute bridge)
Start on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift one foot off the floor, and press your heel toward the ceiling. Squeeze your glutes to lift your hips, keeping your upper back pressed into the floor and hips parallel to the floor. Lower down to the floor (don’t touch it!), breathe, and rise again. Continue for all reps, then switch legs.
Single-leg calf raise
Stand with your legs hip-width apart and rise up on your toes. Lift one leg, and slowly wrap your foot behind the leg that is still flat on the ground. Lower your heel toward the ground, but don’t let it touch the floor between each rep to keep tension on your calf. Hold on to a wall or sturdy surface for balance if you need to.
Elevation of the side of the leg
Standing with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, shift your weight to one leg as you lift the opposite leg off the floor. Keep your toes pointed and use your glutes to lift your leg, lower with control, and exhale to lift again. For more of a challenge, wear ankle weights.
hip extension
Begin standing with your hips and shoulders in a line. Bend one knee slightly and place the opposite foot on the floor behind you. Using your glutes, exhale to lift your back leg off the floor. Return to the starting position with control and repeat.
Single-leg curl
For this part of your workout routine, use the curl machine at the gym, or a towel at home. Place a towel on the floor (or a paper plate if you’re doing it on carpet), lie on your back and place one heel on the towel. With your knees bent and your shoulders pressed to the floor, lift your hips up , off the floor, and then push the towel forward to straighten that leg (the working leg). Inhale to bend it toward your hips. Repeat all your repetitions on one side before switching to the other side.
Seated single-leg press
Start seated on the leg press machine set at 1/3 of your usual leg press weight. Place one foot on the plate, making sure you have about a 90 degree angle with that leg (90 degree angles help prevent both leg and back injuries). Exhale as you press your leg into the plate to straighten, engaging your glutes and hamstrings. Exhale, slowly return to start, and repeat.
Single leg TRX pistol squat or single-leg sit squat
TRX single leg pistol squat: stand away from the base point of the TRX, holding onto the straps with both hands. The straps will be straight, and your chest will be lifted, with a focused core. Take one foot off the floor and bend your leg, lifting the leg as far as you can. Inhale to sink into a squat position (the goal is to finish with your knees in a line) and exhale to rise. Really pay attention to the standing leg and keep it as stable as possible. Squeezing the glutes really helps. If you need to, start with a smaller range of motion.
For the single leg sit squat (if you don’t have a TRX), stand in front of a chair or a bench, with the chair or bench about 2-3 feet behind you. Make sure your feet are under your shoulders (hip width or slightly wider is good) and toes are slightly out. Focus on sitting back, while keeping your chest lifted and a tight core. Inhale to lower to hold your booty in the chair, exhale to rise. Do this on one leg with the opposite leg extended in front of you
Press the single leg band
Begin lying on the floor with a band loop just above your ankles. Raise your feet to your hips, as if you’re trying to press your heels into the ceiling (legs bent). Create some tension in the band by pressing. Hold it here, and then press one leg out and in, out and in. Complete 15-20 reps before switching to the opposite side. This is a wonderful gluten activation exercise. Make sure to stay within a comfortable range of motion.
Here’s a quick leg training tutorial I put together, featuring some of my top exercises from the list above:
How often do you use unilateral training in your work?
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xoxo
Mrs