BODYWEIGHT TRAINING POST PART 2... In PART 1 we looked at the upper body exercises. Now in part 2 we shall take a look at lower body exercises and how to classify your unilateral exercises (ULE). With bodyweight training as a whole, I like to look at there being six fundamental movement patterns... - Pushing - Pulling - Squatting - Lunging - Hip hinging - Planking and bracing exercises Most people need to learn how to perform bodyweight squats, lunges and hip hinging movement paterns before moving onto barbell loaded variations. Dumbbell or kettlebell loaded goblet squats are also good exercises for beginners, even though they are loaded exercises. Over the next few days Ill upload some videos on how to learn these movement patterns, using bodyweight and some other tools. *** BODYWEIGHT SISSY SQUATS *** Bodyweight sissy squats, using a large resistance band to enable you to keep a more vertically positioned torso, is a great exercise, especially for physique athletes, or anyone wanted to isolate the quads via a compound squatting movement. In the comments section below I will share video links to sissy squats, as well as the previously mentioned goblet squats. *** BODYWEIGHT GHRs and REVERSE HYPERS *** These exercises are great for the glutes and hamstrings. The GHRs (Glute Ham Raises) are really a hamstring exercise. They dont really hit the glutes. Reverse hypers on the other hand hit the glutes hard. I will share video links to examples of these in the comments section. *** UNILATERAL EXERCISES FOR THE LOWER BODY *** Unilateral is a fancy word for single... and in this case single leg exercises. Theres many variations of single leg exercises, with certain ones being much harder than others. Heres how I classify my lower body ULE (Uni Lateral Exercises)... - Lower Body ULE Level 1 - Lower Body ULE Level 2 - Lower Body ULE Level 3 Level 1 exercises would be the easiest in terms of the stability demand. These exercises would be the ones in which you can overload the greatest. Level 3 exercises would be the ones with the highest stability demands. These exercises, due to the higher stability demands, wont allow for much in the way of additional or external loading. So... as you see, both have their pros and cons. Certain exercises can be performed with greater loads (once youve mastered body weight) and have low stability demands... while others have greater stability demands, and thus dont allow for the same level of external loading. Lower Body ULE Level 1 Examples... - Lunges (in place, forwards or backwards) - Low box step ups - Split squats Lower Body ULE Level 2 Examples... - Lunges (deficit lunges or walking lunges) - RFE split squats or Bulgarian split squats - High box step ups Lower Body ULE Level 3 Examples... - Single leg pistol squats (FL to the front) - Single leg squat from box (FL to the side) - Single leg knee tap squats FL to the rear) NOTE... With single leg pistol squats the free leg (FL) is held out to the front. The free leg is held to the side, and inline with the active leg foot, on the single leg squat from box. The free leg is then moving to the rear of the active leg on the single leg knee tap squats. *** ADDITIONAL SINGLE LEG BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES *** - Single leg back extensions - Modified single leg back extensions - Single leg glute bridges - Single leg foot elevated glute bridges - Single leg hip thrusters - Modified single leg hip thrusters - Stability ball single leg hamstring curl Whats the difference between a glute bridge and a hip thruster??? I see many people mixing up the names of these two exercises, even some trainers. So let me quickly clear this up. A glute bridge is performed on the ground with your back, head, glutes and feet on the ground in the start position. A hip thruster is performed with the upper back resting on a bench or other elevated (ideally padded) and secure object. You have a very different thigh to body angle in the start position of a hip thruster. In PART 3 well look at some abdominal and core training exercises.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:42:46 +0000