LOWER BODY MOVEMENTS

In our Strength Training System, most exercises that are being considered for a specific program will be placed into one of three general movement categories. Lower Body Movements involve the following movements: knee extension, hip extension, and plantar flexion. Lower Body Movements are those that will help increase strength in the lower back, quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus muscle group, hip extensors, flexors, adductors, abductors, and the muscles of the lower leg (calf and ankle). Bilateral Movements are prominent within the program, but we also utilize a lot of unilateral variations which are more sports specific and help reduce stress placed on the body during training.

Single Leg Box Squats are a Unilateral variation of our standard Box Squats and differ from traditional single leg movements because the weight is completely unloaded from the lower body during the bottom portion of the lift. This eliminates an eccentric load from the hips and forces the athlete to become completely tight and stable before completing the accent. Come to a complete stop when sitting on the box but maintain upper body rigidity and spine neutral posture the entire time.

Single Leg Box Squat: Body Weight

• Begin by choosing a box height that allows you to lower to full squat depth
• As you progress you may extend your arms forward to act as a counter lever during the bottom portion of the movement
• Maintain your head in a neutral, double chin position, looking slightly down.
• Begin by placing all your weight on one leg, keeping the opposite knee bent at 90°
• Once you’re in your proper stance, slowly and under control, drive your hips back as you maintain a relatively upright posture. Take a deep breath and hold it during the decent.
• Don’t let your knee come inward. It is important that your knee track over your ankle and that your thigh, knee, shin and foot are all in-line during the movement.
• Sit completely on the box
• Pause and then forcefully through the floor with that same foot as hard as possible, squatting back to the starting position
• Your chest should always come up first, before your hips. Not the other way around. This will always be your biggest challenge.