In our last article we spoke about six keys for developing an athlete specific strength training programme. One of our recommendations was to add more single leg exercises to the strength training programme so the purpose of this article is to provide you with real-world examples.

Single Leg Exercises

These single leg main lifts will allow you to increase weight to a greater degree than some other assistance or supplementary exercises. These exercises require a foundational level of strength, good mobility and coordination.

I suggest sticking with 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps for main single leg lifts. Some good exercises to choose from include:

• Barbell Split Squats
• Landmine Lunges
• Single Leg Landmine RDL

Accessory Movements

Smaller or accessory movements will help develop strong ankle and knee stability and will reduce the likelihood of a sports related injury. Reps and sets for these movements can be pushed a little higher versus the main lifts. Some good examples of single leg accessory movements include:

• Rear foot elevated split squat
• Single leg squat
• single leg bridge
• single leg RDL
• walking lunges

You can view demonstrations for each exercise by scrolling below or visiting our YouTube channel.