a more solid phrase than look at your arms or back is thought to be: Look at your legs.
The lower body muscle groups can account for approximately 70% of the muscle mass of your entire body. When you train your legs, it not only stimulates muscle growth in the legs, but also stimulates the body to produce more growth hormone, which in turn stimulates muscle growth throughout the body.
In addition, strength training for the legs is never "Isolated", as it also stimulates other muscle groups such as the back and core, increasing the efficiency of strength training.
however, there is another classic leg exercise that is not simply a strength training exercise, it covers flexibility, stability, movement control, strength and explosive power. If you get bottled up in the squat, you can also try this movement to tone it up.
It is the single-legged hard pull.
the gluteus is made up of the following three muscles, the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The gluteus is the core component of what is known as the posterior lateral chain, which also includes the hamstrings on the back of the thigh, the lower back muscles and other muscles on the back of the body. These posterior chain muscles work together to maintain a healthy, upright posture, as well as to maintain balance both dynamically and statically. In addition, having a strong posterior lateral chain is essential for maintaining a healthy lower back.
Step-by-step breakdown
you will need an area where you can fully extend yourself. Place a kettlebell in front of you.
1. Stand upright with your feet planted firmly on the ground, legs straight and upper arms dangling in front of your body.
2. Keep one foot steady on the ground and slide the other side back so that you can move your upper body forward, with the hip joint on the axis. Whenever you lose your balance during the movement, simply nudge the free leg to the ground to maintain your balance.
3. Keeping the stable leg straight or slightly flexed, lean forward until your fingers touch the kettlebell handle, then hold the kettlebell handle.
4. Complete the movement by pulling through the posterior muscles - hamstrings and gluteal muscles.
5. Complete the movement by keeping your body upright and your supporting leg fully extended. Ensure that your hips are displaced throughout and that your gluteal muscles are tightened.
6. Take a short pause during the movement to ensure balance, then lower the kettlebell to the floor in a controlled manner.
Complete 5 repetitions on each leg with a small to medium weight and slowly increase the number of reps as the set progresses.
Common mistakes
avoid these mistakes to get the most out of this movement and to avoid muscle strain
arching of the spine or arching of the back
your body should be in a straight line with no bending or arching of the spine. Arching your back can cause back pain and reduce the force on the gluteus maximus, which is counter to your goal.
Bend your back leg
your back leg should always be straight and in line with your spine. Bending your back leg may cause your back to arch.
Adjustments and variations
you can make this movement more accessible by doing it in different ways to increase the intensity.
we highly recommend that you start off by perfecting your movement without the aid of any portion. Just let the torso drop until the hamstrings feel a moderate stretch, and bend the knee of the supporting leg if your flexibility prevents you from leaning forward enough.
Once you're ready to add weight, start with light weights. A more recommended approach is to complete five sets of five repetitions on each leg, then switch to a slightly heavier kettlebell and repeat.
Want a bit of a challenge?
Another approach is to use two kettlebells. This can increase the total weight, so make sure you're already proficient with one kettlebell before you start with two to finish.
another way to increase the difficulty, and without increasing the deadlift, is to be able to close your eyes. This way you lose the input from your eyesight and your muscles need to work harder to keep your balance.
Safety precautions
if you have an ankle, knee, hip, shoulder or back injury, get advice and check if you are fit to do this movement first. Work within your strength and stop immediately if you develop pain.
with the single leg hard pull, your balance will increase dramatically and you will not only carve and strengthen your gluteal muscles, but also increase your general athletic ability and overall athletic performance.
The single leg straight leg pull is a simple yet effective movement that simultaneously strengthens and sculpts the gluteal muscles and improves balance. You can do this movement with kettlebells as well as dumbbells, and novices can also do it with self weights. You can incorporate this movement into your programme to build strength and tone muscles. This is best done after a warm up.
as you progress from a step back to an advanced level, you can gradually start to increase the hand weight from self weight training or switch to an olympic bar to make it more difficult in terms of balance and stability.
