Offering unconventional body weight workouts is a task Total Trainers home gyms specialize in. Exercises we are not used to performing often prove more beneficial to muscle development than maxing out on an overloaded barbell. The Total Trainer has blazed quite a path in this department, giving each of its users the means to harness gravity resistance for purposeful workouts that grant tangible strength gains.
Utilizing our Total Trainer’s functionality and attachments can have positive effects on numerous other aspects of our training. An unconventional gravity resistance exercise the Total Trainer can help us perform more effectively is the one legged squat. While they can be done using the Extra Large Squat Board on the Total Trainer, doing them while we stand upright forces the body to work overtime in order to maintain our center of gravity.
This one legged squat, alternatively known as the “pistol” squat, is a stellar workout for improving lower body definition. Getting the technique of this modified squat down can prove a challenge, but once it is mastered the benefits imparted to your physique and coordination will be self-evident. Performing squats on your Total Trainer strengthens the thighs, hamstrings, and glutes, conditioning the muscles which play a crucial role in getting down the “pistol” squat technique. After all, these “pistols” are an innovative way to strengthen the lower body using our own body weight, but their range of motion and the powerful leg and core muscles needed to complete them can make their completion a challenge.
You will need to start out by standing with legs shoulder width apart, head facing straight ahead. Raise your arms out in front of the body, holding them in the air parallel to the ground.
Slowly raise one leg off the ground, mimicking the same motion you would while landing a slow motion kick on someone standing directly in front of you. Hold this position during the entire squat. The act of balancing yourself with one leg suspended in the air can prove a more difficult proposition than it sounds on paper; this requires your body to have a keen sense of balance in order to avoid instability or, in severe cases, even toppling over.
Now, think of your next motion as one that would be employed while sitting down in an (invisible) chair. (When teaching yourself this exercise, you may move a weight bench or chair behind you to sit down on instead of bringing your body all the way through to a full squat.) This is going to give you a back stop until you feel the full squat motion is no longer awkward; once mastered, you may then ditch the chair and go down through the movement’s entire range of motion. Lower your body to the ground as if you are attempting to take a load off and ease into that La-Z-Boy.
Your glutes come toward the ground, with one foot in contact with the floor and the other leg remaining extended in front of you. Come back up again, keeping your upper body stable throughout the entire motion.
Aside from the squats done on the Extra Large Squat Board, our Total Trainer can pitch in in other ways to help us gain the necessary strength for one legged squats. Core work done with the Sit-up Foot Trays and Ab Pro Strap help develop the body stabilization so crucial to remaining upright during each “pistol” repetition. Posture is key to fully conquering these one legged squats, and your Total Trainer can be a tremendous asset in granting the leg and core work required to do so.
Correctly performing this one-legged squat requires an assessment of your body’s overall coordination and balance. If these need work, the early stages of this lift are going to necessitate the chair/weight bench option. You can also try having a door frame in close proximity to rest a hand on in order to steady the body, as this assists in keeping balance and posture as the body is lowered down and back up again.
While practicing them standing upright, you can even try using resistance bands, gripping them for support as your leg is extended outward and body lowered toward the floor. Just loop the bands around a heavy object that will provide unshakeable support. If you find it more comfortable, try holding a dumbbell or plate weight out in front of the body if this helps maintain balance.
This exercise incorporates numerous lower body muscles, adding strength and tone with each passing session; a sense of accomplishment will accompany the learning of such tough form. It is just one many exercises able to be mastered more quickly and efficiently when the Total Trainer is a cornerstone of your home gym workouts.