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There’s an alarming trend of Coaches who do not like the conventional double leg squats with the bar behind your head.
But for those who like to do the double-legged squats, it is recommended to do “front squats” with the bar on your front shoulders and collar bone, because if you fail at a given weight, you can easily throw it in front of you and abort the squat safely. (of course, watch the mirror and people in front of you first!)
I come from the old school, and I did 2-legged half squats to parallel and managed 2 reps at over 400 lbs.
You can see some recommended weight ratios for power clean, bench press and squats in terms of your bodyweight, my old weight training program, a discussion on how to determine 1 rep max (1 RM), and another sample weight training program from another coach.
Static vs Dynamic Exercises
The argument is some coaches argue the only time a sprinter overcomes inertia from a motionless position is at the start. Once they are moving, then any specific exercise should be dynamic.
Moreover, the same rule applies for Bench Press. I like love the BP only because it keeps me steady in the blocks’ SET position, as your weight is over your shoulders (see illustration below). It’s also a standard testing exercise.
How Low Should You Go?
Another interesting controversy is how deep the squats should be performed. Quarter squats at 135 degrees? Half squats parallel to 90 degrees? Full squats with hamstrings touching the calf?
Some coaches argue you don’t need to go past 95 or 129 degrees, as they only go to 95 degrees in the blocks for the front leg, and 129 degrees for the rear leg where the initial push-off begins (see photo)
You can get a better idea of the start with the video of Usain Bolt’s start.
Optimal theoretical starting “set” position.
Illustration by Derek Hansen of Running Mechanics.
Single Leg Squats
When was the last time you pushed off with both feet at the same time in sprinting? Are you a swimmer? Of course, the Ben Johnson start comes to mind.
Thus, training should closely resemble the action as possible, therefore here are some of the common leg exercises used to develop strength, balance, and co-ordination:
- split squats
- one-legged squats
- single-leg deadlifts
- lunges
- steps up
- Goose steps
What ever you do, start with bodyweight, and begin your strength program early in the Fall or GPP phase. It’s never too early.
Jimson Lee
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The start of a race your feet are staggered and not side by side along with each leg working independent of each other and not simultaneously. Once you are up and running, you use one leg at a time and not both legs at the same time. Also in track a lot of time is spent on the ball of the foot.
I have athletes do all lower body lifts from the ball of the foot and flat foot, double leg, single leg and with feet staggered.
All of the following lifts can be performed single leg.
Front squat, back squat, dead lift, push press and hang cleans.
Did you know that during a single leg dead lift one leg can handle the same amount of weight as two legs!
Think about it, high jump, long jump, triple jump, hurdles, running and sprinting are all single leg actions.
There are many other benefits to performing lifts from the ball of the foot instead of just flat footed, along with single leg and staggered feet, but that is for another post. If anyone wants information on how to perform lifts from the ball of the foot, single leg and staggered feet properly, just email me.
Just to clear things up, being on the ball of the foot is when neither the heel or toes are touching the ground.
@Adarian – yes good points. But sometimes I see people squatting with the plank or 2×4 under their heels just to stay “on the ball of the feet”. I shudder in horror when I see this! Thoughts?
Hmm, single leg hang cleans… that may take some practice!
I have seen people do that also but that is still not the same as being solely on the ball of the foot.
Just putting something underneath your heel, still keeps your weight on the whole foot.
Ball of the foot is just that, where the heel and the toes are not touching the ground.
If you are truly on the ball of the foot then the plank is not necessary. Even for very tall people or people not very flexible.
“The ball of the foot is the power center of the body. That is the sweet spot in the blade where you can deliver the longest and most powerful push. And bringing the weight to the ball of the foot allows for the super important, component of forward momentum in to the push. ” Back again if this is true then why don’t we spend time in the weight developing this sweet spot of a the power center of the body?
That’s a good idea…
“weight developing this sweet spot of a the power center ”
Balance is one of the most important aspects of movement.
I investigated this concept a few years ago and the research I found (NSCA Journal) implied there was a significant difference in force generated during double leg lifts vs. single leg lifts (single leg being significantly lower). The gist of the paper was that the strength level attained through bilateral training resulted in greater gains in single leg performance test than single leg training alone. It was just one paper so I took it with a grain of salt, however it presented an interesting perspective (I’m trying to find the paper again).
Which is more effective? Training in a single leg mode and modify each exercise to mimic your sports specific movements as close as possible? Or use the bilateral method to develop general strength and then introduce neuromuscular components to apply the newly developed strength to more specific movement patterns? I’ll be researching this myself but I’m interested in hearing other experience/opinions.
This is what I was thinking. I find a significant increase in leg strength on conventional double legged lifts such as the back squat has enormous carry over to sprinting as it does almost sport that require explosive speed. Lifting from a solid platform rather than expending energy trying to balance and stabilize your body as you would in one legged exercises. It just makes sense to use double legged exercises to build a foundation of leg strength while utilizing other exercises to train movement efficiency rather than strength.
A few questions, are we talking about the same single leg lifts and how were the single leg lifts performed?
Which test were performed?
Did they have some do one or the other and both and then measure the performance before and after training?
I am not saying do one over the other but do both styles.
Two of the biggest benefits that I have seen with single leg lifts are an increase in coordination and a reduction in lower limb injuries.
Did you know that you have better balance from the ball of the foot than being flat footed or on the ball of the foot and your toes, along with being more agile.
Most people assume that being on the front part of the foot (toes and ball of foot) is the same as only being on the ball of he foot.
@Adarian – yes, I get people all the time asking for that clarification.
The purpose of the Squat is not to mimic the sprinting / running action, but to stimulate muscle fiber and the nervous system – especially when done in conjunction with plyometrics between sets etc.
To make Squatting and other such strength exercises more closely functional and relevant to sprinting “bridging exercises” are performed such as bounding, pulling sleds or the like.
Can anybody realisticly think of any strength exercise in the gymnasium that even remotely resembles the actual sprinting action – i think not. This is not an either or situation – but a matter of variation.
Not the action in whole, but certain parts of sprint actions yes.
If you just want to just stimulate fibers and the nervous system then do anything as what you do wouldn’t really matter as long as you stimulated muscle fibers and the nervous system.
To answer the last question would have to mean we all agree on what are sprinting actions.
I have stated earlier we can get closer to sprint actions when lifting than we currently are by doing variations of lifts, such as ball of foot lifts versus the standard flat foot lift since we are suppose to sprint on the ball of the foot or by doing single leg lifts versus just double leg lifts.
If you want to speculate and experiment then go right ahead – there is a lot of information out there to confuse people but perfomance is the ultimate test. The sprinting action should always be seen as a whole and not be fragmented as you suggest so a phased transition approach is needed.
What i tell you is from experience and to save you some time. I have coached gold and silver medal level athletes at the World Champs and Olympics and continue to follow what the best in the world are doing.
I am not asking any questions – i know what works.
Thanks i am done here.
Good point abut the instructions on dropping a bar and safety racks.
We are talking about apples and oranges.
When I say single leg is not the Bulgarian style.
I have people that have done single leg deadlifts for a few years now and no injuries to mention. Single leg lifts at over 350 lbs for a variety of lifts.
I also have on average have people that lift from 50 to 75 lbs more during a workout from the ball of the foot then standing flat footed.
The ball of foot lifts are done barefooted as to focus on that area. Not in shoes.
Variety is important.
I would have to agree with Angus as to sprinting technique as a whole. However, my greater knowledge is in lifting (competitive weightlifter & powerlifter) so I comment on the foot and types of squats & deadlifts. There are a couple dozen types of squats. The idea that it is easier to drop a front squat than a back squat is not correct. I teach dropping the bar prior to any teaching of the actual lifts all good lifting coaches do this. As to front vs high bar back, back or power squats , they work the muscles differently with different emphasis. they are not exactly comparable and produce different results. Heels are usually raised for front squats (check weightlifting shoes) as the emphasis is the quads. Powerlifters use flats because power squats emphasize glutes and hamstrings.
As to having better balance on the balls of the feet without toes – not in my tests. You may recall an easy way to keep a prisoner from running was to cut off the toes of one foot.
I suggest a reference back to old soviet strength training where the idea is to use 10-20 different types of squats and deadlifts and rotate them on 1-3 week cycles based on the skill level of the athlete. This allows optimal nervous system recovery while allowing maximal strength and speed strength training on a continuous basis.
Single limb exercises in my opinion are best suited to coordination efforts not maximal strength gains. I use them as supplemental work. My best competitive power squat was 705 in the 198 class. I have never single legged or bulgarian as we call it over 315. My best deadlift is 565 and I never single legged over 225. Then again I never tried more as there is a good chance at an injury to one of the smaller stabilizing muscles. I have seen quite a few gain strains with ligfht weight doing bulgarians. I was not coaching those people.
My preference is variety using both limbs and single limbs with an emphasis on improving whatever is weakest.
Pat Pawlowski
I forgot to mention that if we have inexperience lifters they should be squatting in a power rack so there is virtually no chance of being trapped by a bar.
PSki
I’m a professional track and field athlete and I agree with Angus. It’s all about stimulating the nervous system and recruiting more muscle fiber. Most people don’t come close to recruiting all the muscle fibers they already have. By training the nervous system to recruit more muscle, you can have monumental strength gains without ever gaining a pound. Single leg exercises are very useful and help bridge the gab in translating the strength gains to functional running, but they are less effective if done alone. The research Christian read has been tested and retested. It’s explained by a concept called irradiation. A good laymen’s read of this is Pavel Tsatsouline’s “Power To the People”.
Also, running on the balls of your feet for better speed is one the biggest fallacies in track and field. It actually causes injury and decreases speed if the athlete does not push into the heel after hitting on the balls of the feet or hit completely flat footed. This is where a great deal of sprint power is realized. Biomechanical studies have shown this as well. Most pictures catch sprints after the heel hit or before. But the best in the world HIT FLAT. Here’s a link to watch Asafa Powell AND Tyson Gay springing. https://speedendurance.com/2008/03/27/japanese-documentary-of-asafa-powell/
The video even highlights the flat foot. It’s a Japanese documentary, but just mute it. So single leg exercises on the ball of the foot only mess up the kinetic chain. Stay flat. Another great sprint mechanics guy that talks about this is Michael Yessis. The top coaches coach this and the frame by frame review of world record holders show it.
PS – Dr Yeissis book is called Explosive Running.
@OTA – Dr Yessis’ book is an excellent resource, which you can buy used at Amazon for 5 bucks.
Good points on the foot contact. A lot of coaches neglect it, or just miss it.
I am with you on the single leg strength excersies, but I disagree on elimnating double leg squats all together. The core strength that is gained from double legged squats is great, and it in combonation with single leg excersies yields huge strength gains. Yes getting away from the double leg squats during the competition phase of training is great, but the off season should include the double leg squat.
* Most pictures catch sprints after the heel hit or before. But the best in the world HIT FLAT. Here’s a link to watch Asafa Powell AND Tyson Gay springing. https://speedendurance.com/2008/03/27/japanese-documentary-of-asafa-powell/
The video even highlights the flat foot. It’s a Japanese documentary, but just mute it. So single leg exercises on the ball of the foot only mess up the kinetic chain. Stay flat. Another great sprint mechanics guy that talks about this is Michael Yessis. The top coaches coach this and the frame by frame review of world record holders show it.
The point made by OTA is good about flat foot, i like teaching the basics as much as possible before moving on the to more adv teachings. I try and move all the training methods parallel as much as possible so that all of my kids are hitting all of the biomotor abilities. I agree with all BUT DOUBLE LEG SQUATING IS NOT ALL BAD!!!
athletes must drive the heel into the ground during leg exercises to activate the glutes and hip extension, which simulates the sprinting action. When sprinting, foot strike should land on the ball of the foot not heel but glute activation is enhanced by driving the foot down into the ground and this movement pattern is harnessed in the weight room by focusing on driving the heels into the ground.
SPEEDENDURANCE.COM/BONIFACE ZEBO-yes everibody likes him the squat for the running,all sport i succeeded in catching the best performance all sport over the world africa haiti the w i carreebean us-states french
I think we should be very specific about what we mean by a flat foot strike. I am a Masters sprinter (converted from a high level thrower in my school/college days) and have trained with many good sprinters and coaches. None advocate nor train to use a heel-toe rolling footstrike, which this flat-foot conversation implies. I studied the video link and it’s obvious that the footstrike of course occurs as a clawing through-back motion (to minimize braking) and the contact is almost exclusively between the track and the spike plate. Never does the heel touch the track. Yes, you can see Powell’s trainer shoe flex and almost suggest heel contact with the track, but he clearly is fast striding rather than running over 70%, as Tyson is. If by ball of the foot you mean toes, than absolutely that is wrong. The ideal and frankly only way to effectively sprint is full contact of the first half of the foot, and never the heel. Even top distance runners barely contact the heel (I have observed this live during world class road races). Maybe this just calls for more clarity in what exactly we mean by flat foot strike versus WHOLE foot strike. Comments?
The top sprinters either strike where the WHOLE surface of the foot strikes the track simultaneously (including the heel) prior to the push off or they hit their spike plate first than push into the heel (touch the heel to the track prior to push off), the end result also being a flat or whole foot strike. This foot strike applies to the max speed phase (not acceleration). Definitely NOT a heel-to-toe strike which only causes a breaking force.
The footage show’s the heel on the ground with the whole foot touching during max speed after the transition phase. The narrator also notes this, but unfortunately, it’s in Japanese.
USATF also has some great slow motion footage plus analysis that they give to national team athletes. It’s done by High Performance. I don’t know if anyone has access or can post some of these.
Paul Graham’s description of this motion is a lot better than mine….
paul graham on October 29th, 2009 1:46 pm
athletes must drive the heel into the ground during leg exercises to activate the glutes and hip extension, which simulates the sprinting action. When sprinting, foot strike should land on the ball of the foot not heel but glute activation is enhanced by driving the foot down into the ground and this movement pattern is harnessed in the weight room by focusing on driving the heels into the ground.
thanks OTA. go to completespeedtraining.com
strengthcoach.com
for much clearer demonstrations.
paul :)
I stopped reading when I got to “I did 2-legged half squats to parallel”.
Read a little more. Half squats are not 90 degree’s.
Your at 90 when your hip crease is below the top of your knee.
interesting you would reference ben johnson when he would back squat 600 lbs at the peak of his career. speed/strength athletes must squat. i agree with the above. you have to look at recruiting the nervous system. a big fallacy is to try to reproduce a sport in the weight room. don’t. stick with basic exercises and drills specific for your sport will convert that strength. example: ben johnson would bring a squat rack out to the track. he would do sets of squats with 500# followed by 60’s. advising speed/strength athletes not to squat is horrible advice
SUMO squats (check out Westside barbell/Louie Simmons for explanation) are a godsend for sprinters in their off season. It can train the glutes, hamstrings, adductors, and core stabilization like other movement. When the movement is mastered, it rivals the power clean in its ability to train an athlete to generate power through the hips.
And this is neglecting the olympic style squat also…failing to train the back/front squat leaves an athlete with poor clean and snatch ability – (I assume that since they are also bilateral exercises, they’re useless too huh?).
This article is rubbish. Every exercise has its place and merits. You certainly wouldn’t put a huge emphasis on squats during competition. However, advising entirely against the usage of the squat anywhere in an athlete’s preparation? Despite countless examples of successful athlete who have used it? (most notably Ben Johnson). BS.