Secret
Training Tip #120 - My VERY Favorite Leg Exercise
(I Like It Even More Than Barbell Squats For Working
The Thighs HARD!)
This mystery leg exercise requires only two dumbells
and the guts to push yourself to the limit! If
you want great legs, whether it be massive quads
or shapely thighs, you NEED to put this exercise
in your routine. Find out what it is!
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Rather
than starting this article off with a riddle (like what's
black and white and red all over?... a newspaper), I've
decided to the take the suspense completely out of it!
My
VERY favorite leg exercise for really hitting the thighs
HARD is not a new exercise...it may not even seem to
you to be all that great of an exercise at first glance.
But when I tell you how to do it FOR REAL, you're going
to LOVE the results you get with it.
The
exercise is the Dumbell Split Squat and it's going to
change the way you look at dumbell leg exercises forever!
Here's
what it is:
To
honest, it looks almost exactly like an incomplete dumbell
lunge. In fact, you may have even done it before thinking
it WAS a dumbell lunge.
The
big difference is this...when you do a regular dumbell
lunge, you start in a standing position holding two
dumbells in your hands. You take a step forward with
one leg then drop down into a lunge position. From there,
you push yourself all the way back up to the standing
position then repeat with the other leg (stepping forward
then pushing all the way back up).
When
you do a Dumbell Split Squat, you START in the split
position (which looks like the bottom of the lunge)
and STAY there. You just move your body up and down,
keeping your feet exactly where they are on the floor.
No standing up, no stepping forward.
This
is a key difference. It takes away many of the balance
problems you find with lunges...it also takes away almost
ALL of the knee stress that you might experience with
lunges (when you step forward, your knee has to absorb
all the momentum of not only your body but the weight
of the dumbells moving forward).
When
you plant your feet, you can keep your balance MUCH
better. When you don't step forward, your knees don't
take that stress from the forward momentum.
The
Dumbell Split Squat is also ideal for home workout situations
in that you only need a couple of dumbells to get an
AMAZING leg workout.
Now,
these are some great benefits but do you want to know
what REALLY makes this my favorite leg exercise for
hitting the thighs hard?
Simple...it
gives you the ability to absolutely DESTROY your quads
without mercy. It does this by having the resistance
very close to the ground at the hardest part of the
exercise (the bottom of the rep).
Basically,
this means when you're doing the split squat, if you
get to the bottom of the rep and can't push yourself
back up, your dumbells are only an inch or two from
the floor! All you have to do is set them down and you're
done.
The
practical upshot of this simple feature is that you
can perform the exercise until your legs ABSOLUTELY
GIVE OUT. When you're doing a barbell squat, you can
certainly work your legs extremely hard but it's tough
to push them to the absolute limit - you always have
to get the bar back to the racks before you're done.
With
practice and time, you can build up to some VERY heavy
dumbells with this exercise (I've gone as high as 2
x 150 lb dumbells for reps).
This
exercise puts less stress on the lower back and will
work every major muscle group in your entire lower body.
Believe me, you'll feel this one in the morning.
How To Do It:
First,
pick two light to moderate weight dumbells the first
time you do the exercise. You can definitely work up
in weight as you work with the exercise more, though.
It's important to learn the technique properly before
moving on to more weight.
Set
the two dumbells on the ground about 6 inches apart.
Set your left foot in between but a little forward of
the two dumbells. Now set your right foot back about
two feet or so and assume a lunge position, kneeling
on your right knee. Your right foot should NOT be directly
in line with your left foot. When you place your right
foot down, set it a little out to the side.
What
this does is increase your base of support and make
the exercise more stable and allowing you to generate
more power. If you set your right foot directly in line
with your left foot, you'll be spending most of the
exercise trying not to fall over.
Keep
your abs and lower back tight and make sure you keep
an arch in your lower back here. Lean forward and reach
down and grasp the two dumbells. Bring your torso back
to vertical, picking up the dumbells off the ground.
This
is the bottom position of the exercise. Now, push yourself
up with your left thigh. Don't stand up to vertical...just
straighten that front leg, keeping your front foot planted
firmly on the ground.
It's
important to keep your upper body VERTICAL as you do
this exercise. DO NOT allow your body to lean forward
as you do the exercise. Imagine it as a straight up
and down movement and that you're sitting back as you
do it. This visualization will help keep you from leaning
forward.
Be
sure you don't utilize a forward and back, lunging type
of movement, as may be the tendency if you're used to
doing regular lunges. This is very much an up and down
type of movement.
Perform
your target number of reps with your left leg forward.
Push yourself hard! If you have to bail out on the exercise,
all you need to do is set the dumbells on the ground
at the bottom.
At
this point, you can either take a rest period or immediately
switch to the other leg in front - I prefer to go right
to the other leg in front with no break. Do as many
reps as you can with the other leg now.
Note
that you most likely will not get as many reps with
the other leg...no matter which leg is in front, the
rear leg is also doing a lot of work. So if you start
with the left leg in front, the right leg is still doing
work. When you switch legs, the right leg will already
be tired from the previous set.
Because
of this, it's important to always switch which leg you
start with on successive sets. Start with your left
foot forward on your first set, then on your next set,
start with your right foot forward. This will ensure
a balanced workload.
This
exercise allows you to basically "leave it on the
floor." Because you can just set the dumbells on
the floor, you can push your legs to the point where
they can hardly keep you standing. That's my idea of
a good leg workout!
In
the video, you'll also see a slightly different technique
that I use to get very heavy dumbells into position
for the exercise more efficiently. It involves setting
the legs near the top position first THEN picking up
the dumbells. It's a more advanced move that should
only be attempted by those with a strong lower back.
Left
Leg Forward
Right Leg Forward
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