The Step Up is one of my favorite leg exercises because it’s suitable for both beginners and advanced trainees.  Several variables can be changed in order to make this exercise more difficult or easy including changing step height, amount of weight lifted, and the placement of the free leg at the top of the movement.  That brings me to my next point; keeping the free leg from touching the bench at the top of the Step Up is a great way to challenge unilateral stability.  At the top of the movement the glute of your working leg has to work hard in order to keep your body from wavering.

Primary muscles worked.

• Quadriceps
• Glutes

Stabilizers

• Abdominals
• Obliques
• Hip Flexors
• Adductors
• Glute Medius

Tips:

1.  Keep your torso tall throughout the entire movement.  Do NOT dip your chest at the bottom.  Also this could be a sign of tight hip flexors.

2.  Fully extend your hip and knee at the top position, really squeeze the glute of your working leg.

3.  Make sure you pause at the top.  If your glutes are weak or your hip flexors are too tight, you’ll have a tendency to want to cut the movement short.

Pressing 400 – 500 lbs with a leg press or smith machine may seem impressive to some people.

Ask that same individual to do a pistol squat and then we’ll see where their strength really lies.  It’s a perfect example of how machine assisted strength training often doesn’t carry over to the real world.

Gravity is the real world.  There’s no faking a pistol squat.

Requirements

Quad Strength

Glute Strength

Core Strength

Stability of the knee and lumbar

Mobility of the ankle and hip

This is probably my favorite exercise for the upper body.  Its natural and fluid for your body to perform and it requires a ton of stability from your core.

The steeper you go the more difficult the exercise.

This body weight pulling motion is great for working the …

• Rhomboids
• Mid/Lower Traps
• Lats
• Biceps
• Forearms
• Rear Delts

You also get some stability from your …

• Erectors
•  Glutes
• External Obliques
• Rotator Cuff