one legged squats

boojohn

New Member
When doing one-legged squats in Butts and Guts, the quad of my leg that is extended backwards SCREAMS...what am I doing wrong?
 
Not Cathe, but: try propping the stool against an immovible object (wall or sofa) so you don't have to push down with the back leg to keep the high step steady. Try as much as possible to make the front leg do the work: the back leg should just 'be along for the ride."
 
Obvioulsy not Cathe, but I think it's okay to be feeling something in your quad of the back leg. I'm assuming you mean one-legged LUNGES where your back leg is on the high step??? In so many of Cathe's other workouts where we're doing lunges, she has said that 'you're working the ham and glute on the front leg and the quad of the back leg'.

HTH somewhat!

Gayle
 
Hi Boojohn,

I remember reading this last week and agreeing that I have the same problem. When I did the workout this morning, I just did a regular "one-legged squat", just balancing on the working leg with the other one lifted. Boy, did that really hit the glutes and hamstrings!! They were on fire when I was done, and I didn't feel a thing in the opposite quad (obviously, because it was lifted)!

Maybe Cathe will chime in here to tell us if there is a better way to do them without that back quad being so involved. If not, I'm going to stick with my one-legged version!
 
Great minds think alike! When I did this workout on Saturday I did exactly the same thing and it did make a huge difference. That is how I intend to do it in the future.

Thanks for the input
 
Hi, guys--can you explain what you mean by "just keeping the other leg lifted"? I experience the same problem in my back leg when I put it back on the high step and would like to try your modification, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Thanks!:)

-Marie
 
I can only speak for myself but I tried it 2 different ways. I put my leg back as if the step were there but simply raised my back foot to put all the work on the front leg. Balance is a challenge but I focused on a point straight in front of me and got it done.

On the second time around, I placed the leg behind me with the rear toe barely touching the floor. This worked well because the leg was too fatigued to not have any support at all.

HOPE THIS HELPS
 
I don't have a problem with my quad, but my hip flexor on the back leg just burns! Its that because my hip flexors are tight?

I am thinking about giving the "one leg raised a try"

Thanks
Linda
 
I did this workout again yesterday, and have a few thoughts:

I hold two weights at my side, instead of one in front like Cathe does, which may help me focus on keeping weight over the front heel and pushing through there, and also eliminates some balance challenge which would perhaps cause the back leg to work more.

When I was doing my second set of these, I noticed my rear quad working more, and it was because my front leg was reaching fatigue (I think this is one of the few workouts where I've actually felt like my glute muscles got to that point!). So putting a longer break between the previous exercise and this one might help reduce use of the back leg.
 
Does anyone have a problem with there front leg (the one of the floor) cramping up really bad. I have to pause the DVD during the work out because my legs cramp so much. Any advice?
 
I experience that one each time I do the DVD and I am afraid that is just our legs telling us we are not as strong as Cathe:-0 It will come with time.
 
>Does anyone have a problem with there front leg (the one of
>the floor) cramping up really bad. I have to pause the DVD
>during the work out because my legs cramp so much. Any
>advice?

My quads get really tight, but don't 'quite' cramp up. I think it helps me that I take a longer break before the exercise and between sets (in B&G in general, there are several places where I feel my legs need a longer recovery break, and I take it, up to 5 minutes in one place.

Take the break, and during this time, stretch the quads using some dynamic moves (hamcurls), and maybe 'knead' the muscle a bit, like you're kneading bread, or massage along the length of the muscle.
 
Thanks Kathryn. I'll try that the next time I do this work out. I've always felt that if I took to many breaks I was being a big sissy. But my quads really cramp up bad during this work out. Hopefully in time I'll be able to get thru it with out the pause button.
 

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