How To Build Strong Legs Without Back Squats
Want stronger legs without back squats?
The back squat is one of the most sacred exercises in the gym and it is often revered by meatheads as the King of Exercises for building full body muscle and strength.
I used to think that.
Then I read an article by one of the O.G.s of strength and conditioning named, Mike Boyle and it completely turned my meathead world upside down. Mike caused quite a ruckus when he stopped having his athletes do back squats and began writing about the results he was getting. He was pretty much getting hate mail from other strength coaches who had come up in the worlds of either powerlifting, olympic weightlifting, or even bodybuilding (CrossFit was still knee high to a grass hopper).
Mike stuck to his guns though and I think his reasoning was correct and the feats of strength that his athletes perform in the weight room are impressive but what is even better is that they stay healthier and avoid injury.
So how does Mike get his athletes strong without the back squat?
The answer is single leg training.
Most people don't fail a squat because their legs are weak. Most people dump a squat because their core is the weak link (something to think about if you're a powerlifter). That means that if back squats are your main strength move you could be leaving gainz on the table.
The solution is to train your legs one at a time so your core is no longer the weak link. I have seen guys who can split squat 200lbs for a set of 3-5 on each leg that can't back squat 400# for one rep!
How about that!
Working one leg at a time is easier on the low back, allows for you train your legs harder, and has better carryover to everyday life. Sounds like a win, win, win, to me.
There is just one draw back... split squats with the rear foot elevated (sometimes called bulgarian split squats) are tough and will leave you walking funny for a day or two. Just a warning.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
If you have a high mileage body and are looking for a way to build strong legs that allow for you to be strong enough to do pretty much anything you like then I invite you into the world of single leg strength training.
Single leg strength training is one of the best ways for you to build a brutally strong set of wheels while also keeping you healthy in two distinct ways.
Single leg training reduces something called total systemic load which is a fancy way of saying that you are challenging your body to get strong without putting undue stress on the joints, tendons, and ligaments because you are handling less total weight.
Single leg training has a greater stability demand which requires ALL of the muscles that act on the hip, knee and ankle to work together in harmony (well done single leg training can significantly help people with cranky knees and low back).
BEFORE you go all in on single leg training there are a couple of things that need to be in place.
First you need to have a decent base of strength. I like a set of 10 goblet squats with a 1/2 bodyweight (ish) kettlebell OR a set of 40 bodyweight squats as general guidelines before progressing to single leg work.
Also you should probably have a decently strong midline, although it could be argued that if you can goblet squat for 10 with half bodyweight you've got a pretty strong midline. As a rule of thumb you should be able to hold both a front plank and both sides of a side plank for 1 minute before moving to true single leg work (you can still do some single leg bridging and split stance work).
With all of that being said here are my top five single leg exercises in no particular order.
Airborne Lunge (aka Shrimp Squat). You can really load these up and if you struggle with pistols these are a great starting point.
Single Leg Squats. A great knee dominate exercise with many of the benefits of pistols but not as high of a demand on your non-working leg.
Rear Foot Elevated (RFE) Split Squats. Sometimes called Bulgarian split squat...not sure what they have to do with Bulgaria but, these are amazing for hoisting HEAVY loads. More so than any other single leg exercise.
Single Leg Deadlift. If you're a runner these are a must for keeping your posterior chain strong and your knees healthy!
Reverse Lunge (especially from a deficit). This is another knee friendly exercise that most people with high mileage joints can handle pain-free. The deficit increases the range of motion giving your more gainz without additional weight.
Well there you have it, my top five single leg exercises for building brutally strong legs one at a time. Give them a try and let me know what you think