Single-Limb Exercises

What’s an extremely easy way to burn more calories, improve your stability, and increase overall strength? Start doing your exercises on a single limb!

We’ve talked about single-limb exercises frequently on this blog, and that’s because we think they’re the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow, the duck’s quack … and just to keep the dated references going – well, we think they’re just swell.

Single limb exercises obviously challenge your balance, but they do much more than that. They can help eliminate any strength imbalances since you can’t rely on your stronger side to make up for your deficiencies. Also, single-leg exercises are similar to movements you do in everyday life or while playing sports, such as walking, running, or leaping.  In addition, they can help you burn more calories since it takes twice as long to complete a single exercise.

But you might be thinking: “I’m not Gaston!” And that’s right. You’re not Gaston. No-one’s as burly or brawny, or as slick or as quick. Then again, no-one eats five dozen eggs every day (think of the cholesterol!) But that doesn’t mean you can’t perform single-arm pushups or single-leg squats like Gaston (probably does). You’re just going to have to build up to it. The act of performing a single-limb exercise is going to be very difficult for most people. Not only will balance be an issue, strength will be as well. Ease into it! You can modify exercises to fit within your strength level. Here are a few examples.

-          Upper body push: Single-arm Pushups against a Wall. Face a wall or doorway, spread your legs about shoulder-width apart, and raise your arm until it’s about chest height. Perform a one-armed pushup, making sure to keep your elbow close to your body. These might seem too easy at first, but I think you might be singing a different tune after 20 or 30. Remember to keep your core tight before you start your pushups. An easy way to make sure your core is tight is to clench every muscle in your body (your legs, butt, abs, and even your hands). To up the intensity, bring your hand to a lower plane, like a heavy table, a kitchen counter, a chair pushed against a wall, and eventually, the floor!

                      



-          Upper body pull: Single-arm Door Pulls. Open a door and stand facing the edge of the door so the doorknobs are perpendicular to you (round ones help here). Grab one doorknob with one hand, the other knob with your other hand, then bend your knees until you’re in a half-squat. Lean back until your arms are straight. Then pull your body towards the door. If you can, perform the pull with just one arm. Remember to keep your back straight and your shoulder blades in a stable position. To make things easier, use both arms, or move your feet further away from the door so you’re standing more vertical. To make things more difficult, place your feet behind the doorknobs so they’re further away from you/you have to squat more; or simply hold the contraction longer.

                    

-          Lower body push: Single-leg squats. Start by holding onto a doorframe or other sturdy object (like a couch) to make sure you don’t fall over. Don’t worry about cheating with your arms; you’ll still feel a burn after doing 10+ single-leg squats even if you help yourself up. Lift one leg off the ground and hold it either in front of or behind you. Then, squat as deeply as you can on your standing leg. Suspension straps can help TREMENDOUSLY with this exercise, as seen here:

Two things to remember:

1) Make sure you keep your bending knee from leaning inward – this is called a valgus fault, and can lead to injury. Activate your gluteal muscles to remedy this, as well as keeping your knee steady/leaning out. 

2) Don’t let your knee go over your toes. You want to be sitting back and activating those glutes. Letting your knee go over your knees can lead to injury.

-          Lower body pull: Single-leg Romanian Deadlift. Stand on one leg.  Keep your leg straight but without your knee locked out. Hinge at the hips, and bend over while keeping your back straight. Maintain a controlled pace and movement – think more Drinking Bird toy, less stapler snapping closed.

      

             

If there’s a running theme throughout these exercises, it is that FORM MATTERS. If any of these exercises are too difficult to do with proper form, then you may need to modify them further.  Also, these exercises are only a guide, not a complete work-out plan. There are many resources (books, personal trainers, online forums, etc) to find more information on complete work-out plans.