So I decided to put my money where my mouth is and start a lower body workout comprised of only single leg exercises. Here’s what I came up with:
Monday
Front Squat Reverse Lunge 3×8
Step Downs 3×10
SL RDL w/ barbell 3×8
Lateral Lunge Shuffle w/ Sandbell 3×8
3-Way RDL 3x3x3
Thursday
SL Deadlift 4×5
FWD Lunge to deficit w/ DB 3×8
SL 1 arm DB RDL 3×8
Goblet Lateral Lunge 3×6
RDL to Row 3×6
I mulled over exercise selection for awhile and came up with this set because they were either exercises I had never done before (SL Deadlift), exercises I hate because they are hard but awesome ( Front Squat Reverse Lunge, Goblet Lateral Lunge), or were a good integration movement to end a workout (RDL to Row, Lateral Lunge Shuffle, 3 Way RDL). As always, there are many different exercises and rep/set schemes you could use. This just so happened to be what I was feeling at the time and wanted more volume since I hadn’t done that for lower body in awhile.
A few things I’ve noticed while doing this workout:
I was sore for 3 days after the first time I did Monday’s workout (which I didn’t even finish) so Thursday’s workout was low intensity.
This is the hardest workout I have done since I finished playing baseball. I have desperately wanted to quit mid workout each day. Take it slow and build up instead of jumping right into what your ego is telling you to do.
SL Deadlifts are awesome and really hard. I started off with less than 1/3 of my deadlift max and was very challenged by it. I also felt it was much more challenging to keep proper form since I am doing twice as many reps as I usually do with deadlift. It is also much easier to let your scapulas protract, deactivating your lats and causing the back to round.
It is important to keep your weight on the ball of your foot. This will activate your glute and put you in a more stable position. The tendency will be to let the foot roll out or supinate.
The 3 way RDLs and RDL to Row are for integration and movement so resistance is a secondary concern. Concentrate on form on any exercise like this. Using more weight defeats the purpose.
Barrett Stover 