haha...or to teach you how to stand up :)

The reason I said that is because single leg squats are not just about balance. They are about stability at the hip and ankle. They teach proper firing, etc...

Balance and stability are not the same thing. Keep that in mind. Balance is "equilibrium". Stability is more like resistance to movement. Anybody can do static split squats and lunges, etc...well with not very much practice. And while I can sing the praises of any single leg movement all day...as I often do, haha..."mastering" the single leg squat puts you way far ahead of the game. Not that you can't work in both...you can if you want. Hell just "practicing" the single leg goes a long way.

But while split squat variations require a balance component and they are "uneven" so you get that kind of core component, along with so many other benefits you are "somewhat balanced" and "somewhat stabilized" the whole time. Even with lunges your never exactly doing it on one foot since the weight is being shifted in a mechanically favorable way..i.e. a natural way.

But let me just say, for perspectives sake, that it was just a casual comment as far as my druthers. Most people don't do any sinlge leg stuff at all! I can hardly argue single leg squats versus split squat variations without pointing out that just DOING single leg stuff in the first place is one thousand percent better.

BUT with a static supported or dynamic supported single leg movement the glute medius and hip rotators do not really have to work to stabilize the hip and prevent internal rotation of the femur. Whereas with single legs squats, UNSUPPORTED, they do..which has obvious benefits for knee health and not just proper hip stability. It's all a chain, after all. There is a lot of need for core bracing. It take real strength to do it. etc and so on. A single leg squat will actually carry over, imo, to a static split squat and hence to a later progression to lunge variations, imo, but the reverse is not true.

And I know it was just a question, btw, Crade :D. I don't take every query as a challenge!

Day 3 - 10/11/08

I would have worked out yesterday but I was on the road coming home for Fall Break. So I worked out in my old gym - the yuppie one with only one squat rack, ha. But it was enough since there weren't many people there.

I changed my design around a little as per Kane's suggestions and I like it better this way.

Back Squat
(365 x 2) x 6

Felt very, very good. I'm thrilled to finally be working with some legitimate weights - I think it was just a mental block that kept me from breaking through to the higher numbers before.

Front Squat
(135 x 8) x 2

By this point I was fairly gassed, and front squats are still fairly new to me, like a few of the other movements I'm incorporating, so I started real low. I'll look to progress here but my focus is still going to be on my back squat.

Weighted Situps
(110 x 10) x 3
(2 55-lb. dumbbells)

All in all a good day... and coming home to two plates full of steak ain't bad either. :)

Day 4 - 10/13/08

Not a great workout - I'm getting some tendonitis in my left shoulder, and while I was doing mostly triceps-dominated stuff today, it just distracted the hell out of me.

Warmup -
25 pushups
80 x 15 rope pushdowns
15 pushups
80 x 10 rope pushdowns
Warmup sets on floor press

Floor Press
(255 x 2) x 2

Skullcrushers
90 x 6, (110 x 6) x 2

I could probably have done more here.

Close Grip Bench (pinkies on the inside of the knurling)
165 x 8
170 x 8


After I finished my normal sets I did a few more sets of pushdowns and some other tricep work just to finish out.

I missed Wednesday's lift and I decided I need to take some time off - I hate to do it but I need to wait until my body adapts to the daily rigors of practice before I can start adding to it. I am going to try like hell to avoid overtraining, which is going to be tough given our schedule.

When I come back, though, I may make some changes in my routine. I plateau'd on bench, or have been recently, and I'm going to take DH's advice and drop bench out for a while. I'll probably replace it with some heavy tricep work.

Day 5 - Oct 18th 2008

I keep moving this workout to Saturday. Yesterday and the day before I was cutting weight to certify at my weight class, which meant a total of 19 lbs. in those two days. So I was not up to lift. Practice this morning was easy so I decided to get some work in. I was late to the gym - it closes at 5 on Saturdays which sucks - but I got my high box work in. I'd never squatted on a box before and I wanted to see how it was.

High Box Squat
335 x 2
355 x 2
365 x 2

Felt very good. I had the box slightly above parallel.

I put 155 on the bar - very light - and tried some front squats but I need to work on the form. I guess I just need time to adjust but I couldn't hold on to the bar very well.

Not a lot of work here but for the circumstances - coming out of weight cutting and after practice - I felt good just to mess around with the form.

for the fronts...i like the cross grip...get under the bar so the bar is basically crushing your adams apple....then get your shoulders under the bar...so it's sitting on your front delts. right hand goes onto the bar on the left side of your neck and vice versa. then........stand up :)

^ I tried that. I think I didn't have it high enough, from the way you're describing it. I'll have to try that - thanks!

^^ And I hate the cross grip. I just put my hands on my deltoids and rest the bar on top of that. I have the bar in the same position as Pity though. Just keep the bar high/back & your elbows up. It seems like most people are split as far as preference for hand placement goes. The bar should be in the same place either way.

^I tried that one too haha. I think in both cases I needed it higher up and farther back (itt: connor does not know how front squat :biglaugh:). Thanks ross!