One-Leg Sports Training: Effectiveness in Strength Development for Athletic Performance

Current training philosophy

Strength is one of the most, if not the most emphasized, element in the development of athletic performance. Most athletic trainers are of the "opinion that one is never strong enough. Therefore, this philosophy pushes athletic trainers to load as much as possible the weights lifted by their athletes to develop superhuman strength, especially in the United States. L" The idea seems to be that "if the weights lifted by my athletes are higher than those of the other team, if my athletes are stronger, my athletes will win." Anyone who has been involved in sport for long enough has seen that this current of thought is totally erroneous. Athletes who lift remarkable loads in the weight room have been seen to have less strength, power and speed on the playing field than opponents who could not lift the same loads in the gym. The world of athletic training was heavily influenced by the philosophy of bodybuilding. Traditional multi-joint movements of bodybuilding dominated the paradigms of bodybuilding. development of force. Additionally, the strength machine market has attempted in many "interesting" ways to develop strength. Due to the strong influence of muscle hypertrophy philosophy, squats and leg presses, in one way or another, are still the strong point in most training programs for athletes. Often, outside of periodization considerations, these exercises continue to dominate strength development cycles.

Biomechanics of Sport

If we look at the biomechanics of the lower limbs, in almost all sports, we can see that in most cases, the production of force is generated by only one leg.

Running and quick changes of direction, which are fundamental in many sports, are skills that require force generated by just one leg. Even in situations where both feet are on the ground, weight distribution will often be one-sided. Laws of physics such as inertia, momentum and impulse characterize these environments. Furthermore, these physical components must deal with 360 degrees of freedom of movement and the reaction forces with the ground. These are the elements that the athlete must train to offer the best performance and which are the basis of many sports. Since training specificity is the guiding principle of athletic performance enhancement methods, it would be prudent to consider these simple observations. If force generation in sport involves unilateral movements, multiarticular movements, multiplanar dynamic stabilization and ground force production, then shouldn't these be the principles behind the development of lower limb strength?

Multiplanar nature of the kinetic chain: effects of the unilateral performance of the lower limbs

Observing the kinetic chain in action allows us to see how reaction forces are transmitted through the lower limbs and core muscles to promote fast and explosive movements. The various angles of the body that result from momentum manipulation require an athlete to be able to produce force on one leg, concentrically, isometrically, and especially eccentrically. This dynamic multiplanar environment, in sport, requires that force is applied to the single leg in a proprioceptive way. The supporting leg must control the forces (concentrically, isometrically and eccentrically), while the angles of the leg joint are constantly changing in all 3 planes of motion. This stimulation of the lower limbs is rarely addressed from a perspective of strength from today's training methodologies.

Unilateral Lower Limb Training: Training, Scheduling, and Safety Considerations

High-intensity single-leg training should be prioritized in sports that require running and / or quick changes of direction such as soccer, basketball, American football, and many more. Leg presses and single-leg lunges, they are a good start, but it doesn't end there. Think about the different angles that the leg creates and the forces they place on it. Note, the position of the foot while the force is applied to the ground. This means that the athlete must learn how to apply force while the foot, knee and hip are loading (pronation system) or unloading (supination system), in all planes of motion. Between the loading and unloading phases of force production, the athlete needs proprioceptive stabilization. Stabilization training combines the production of eccentric and concentric forces and this must be trained to achieve optimal performance. Exercises such as one-leg squats with dumbbells do not require heavy weights to create a high-intensity workout. One-legged training also makes sense, when viewed from an athlete's health and career span. The degenerative effects of years of athletic abuse and heavy leg training can result in pathologies. to the knees, lumbar and hips. Not only does training on one leg offer a method for developing usable strength, but the weights to be supported are not high (as opposed to 150-300 kg of squats or 300-500 kg of leg -press) and the positions are not that extreme (for example the full squat position, associated with Olympic lifts). Because of the lighter weights and the more functional postures used in this one-sided training approach, single-leg training is essential to prolong an athlete's career while improving his or her performance.

Future directions for research and observation

There is no doubt about the effectiveness of traditional lifts in achieving various factors of strength and hypertrophy (increased volume of work, hormonal response, etc.). However, when the mechanisms behind injuries or dissipation of force production are examined, one immediately notices that one leg dominates in the vast majority. So if the principle of "specificity" "really dominates the performance enhancement paradigm, then proprioceptivity, heavy single-leg workouts will produce extraordinary results, without extreme positions or loads. This one-sided approach to training will not only improve performance but also prolong the athlete's career.