If you’re reading this because you want to do a one legged squat ask yourself why. Have you heard that bodyweight exercises are good for you? Have you heard that if you have most of your weight on one leg it’s like lifting that much? Is it because you’ve heard that it makes your legs stronger really fast? I asked myself those same questions and here’s why I started doing them sporadically.
I had a slight agitation that surfaced when trying to perform ass to calf bodyweight squats. Not one legged, but two legged. My right knee actually felt like it was getting weaker. Whenever I would squat to sit down, it felt as if the ligaments were stretching way too much.
Some might say I wasn’t flexible enough. My knees certainly are. I can sit with my foot on the sofa and my knee pressed completely against my body. That’s how I sit on my couch while browsing the net. My hips on the other hand aren’t that flexible, but it seems my knee didn’t like going that deep with all of my bodyweight on it.
So I began to rehab it. Two things made my knee stronger. Deadlifting with 125#. I’m not training for competitions or anything so the number doesn’t matter to me all that much. What does matter is how I feel. Do I feel stronger? Do I feel more capable? The answer two both of those is yes. The next thing that has made my knee stronger is one legged squats. I don’t do them the way you might have seen, with the free leg out in front and ass to calf. Instead, I perform them either to couch level, to a chair or by stepping up onto a park bench or picnic table.
A lot of people don’t have the flexibility to handle the one legged squat, but what if I told you that you only need some flexibility to reep the benefits. Can you sit down on a chair without a problem using both legs? If yes, then can you sit on a couch or sofa using both legs. If yes, then you have the flexibility required to perform a one legged squat. Here’s the catch focus on the positive part of the exercise only. I’ll discuss more about the positive part of exercises in another article. For now the positive part of the squat is when you stand up. The negative is when you squat down.
Here’s what I did:
I decided to start using only my bodyweight until I got stronger. And even then I didn’t add weight. Instead I kept my reps low, like 3-5, and I also increased the number of sets to build up more strength and endurance. I would squat down until my butt touched the chair or couch using both legs. Next, I shifted my weight onto one leg and stood. I moved the leg with no weight on it to the front or bent that knee just a little bit and balanced on my toes. After a while I was able to hook that foot behind the ankle of my load bearing leg and I liked that much better.
Sometimes I use a sofa instead of a chair, but due to it’s lower height it can be difficult when starting out. If performing them using a chair is too hard, place books on it to raise the height. This allows a shorter range of motion, making the exercise easier. Remove books as you get stronger.
I like to use my coffee table to steady myself sometimes. I lean on it with just a finger or two. It helps and makes the exercise easier.
Never go lower than your body will let you and never force it.
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