Power Up on a Single Leg

Introduction

In this blog, I am going to talk about single leg exercises done to increase power. A single leg exercise is simply any lower body movement that you do with just the support and power of one leg. The general benefit is that you get to train your body equally, forcing imbalances between legs out into the open. If you know that single leg exercises make you hurt on one side more than the other, its because the sore side is usually weaker. By placing single leg exercises into your workout routine, you can eliminate the imbalances and become a more evenly powered athlete.

Benefits of Single Leg Exercises

There are so many benefits to adding single leg exercises into a training block. At the Kovacs Institute, I use single leg exercises in training blocks for all the professional athletes I work with. Here are some of the benefits.

1. They give an athlete more explosive power: studies show single leg exercises improve an athlete’s rate of force production.
2. They correct left-right strength and size asymmetries.
3. They improve general balance and proprioception.
4. They’re similar to athletic movements such as running and bounding and therefore have a strong motor carryover to sport.

Sample Exercises

Here are some sample exercises I use with my athletes.