Dear Mark, I apologize.

[Brett79]

while i'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you i have to ask then, are you against doing 1 leg exercises as assistance/accessory work? what if imbalances start to come up? squats/deads aren't going to fix any imbalance that might come up for whatever reason.

not being arguementative, actually curious. thanks!

[Mark Rippetoe]

1 leg exercises are pointless. They are a waste of time, and a distraction from both practice and training: The Two-Factor Model of Sports Performance | Mark Rippetoe

How do 1-leg exercises "assist" anything? Why and how would "imbalances come up" if perfect bilateral technique is used under the bar? What is an "imbalance"? This is just modern S&C talk, and it makes no objective sense. Read the article.

[Michael Wolf]

We are actually all of us implementing those of GammaFlat's suggestions that don't directly have to do with being involved in HS Football, just in a roundabout way. The narrowcasting thing allows us to work mostly with people interested enough to ask and think about why, rather than just accepting the authority of the person whose shirt says "Football Coach" or "Trainer." They're generally bought in to our core concepts and adhere pretty well. They get a lot stronger. They talk to their friends and family about us. Some of them try it. And we create all of those examples and advocates without having to directly fight with people who have all the authority and ego but, in a classic Dunning Kruger situation, are too uninformed to understand that they're uninformed.

[Mark Rippetoe]

It appears that the entire S&C profession is hamstrung by the Dunning-Kruger Effect. This is the easiest way to explain the phenomenon we see almost universally in sports teams' weight rooms and training facilities. Excellent, Wolf, this gets added to the 6:00 lecture.

[convergentsum]

"How do 1-leg exercises "assist" anything?"
I can see how they might create useful stresses that bilateral exercises don't, eg. when a sportsman changes direction at speed, his legs (one at a time) might be transmitting force in any direction, including directions that would be naturally handled by the other leg were it available. I suppose you would recommend him to practice agility directly, but might there be a place for low impact exercise to strengthen those joints?

I don't know what I'm talking about, but Rip has thoroughly convinced me that progressive overload of bilateral exercises will correct most strength imbalances.

[Mark Rippetoe]

"How do 1-leg exercises "assist" anything?"
I can see how they might create useful stresses that bilateral exercises don't, eg. when a sportsman changes direction at speed, his legs (one at a time) might be transmitting force in any direction, including directions that would be naturally handled by the other leg were it available. I suppose you would recommend him to practice agility directly, but might there be a place for low impact exercise to strengthen those joints?

I see a place for training for strength, using the most efficient way to get strong, and I see a place for practice on the field, where that strength gets directly applied to the sport in which it will be used, as it increases, in precisely the way it will be used. How can low-impact exercise strengthen a joint for a high-impact application, if the stress that must be adapted to is the impact? And how does a 1-leg exercise in the weight room that bears no resemblance to the field movement constitute practice for the field? I understand that it's uncomfortable to disagree with an entire cadre of fools who appear to be professionals all at one time, but sometimes advances demand courage. Refute the argument in the article. Take your time.

[convergentsum]

"if the stress that must be adapted to is the impact"
That's a good question. Can adaptations to low-impact but high-intensity stress help me endure high-impact but moderate-intensity events? I've enjoyed your argument that squats can help runners avoid injury, does that apply here?

[Mark Rippetoe]

If a non-specific adaptation is going to aid in adaptation to a specific stress, strength would be that adaptation, and strength is best developed bilaterally under the bar. Your suggestion was that 1-leg training provides that stress, and I'm asking how that works.

[convergentsum]

If a non-specific adaptation is going to aid in adaptation to a specific stress, strength would be that adaptation, and strength is best developed bilaterally under the bar. Your suggestion was that 1-leg training provides that stress, and I'm asking how that works.

I'm just trying to follow the argument. I think I get it now: if we are already satisfied that squats/deads/cleans strengthen the entire lower anatomy already, there's nothing that 1-leg work could add. I've read your books so I know this is not a baseless claim! But maybe this was what the OP's son's coach was missing, rather than the ability to reason.

[eustass92]

1 leg exercises are pointless. They are a waste of time, and a distraction from both practice and training: The Two-Factor Model of Sports Performance | Mark Rippetoe

How do 1-leg exercises "assist" anything? Why and how would "imbalances come up" if perfect bilateral technique is used under the bar? What is an "imbalance"? This is just modern S&C talk, and it makes no objective sense. Read the article.

I hear you loud and clear for the S&C world, but what about the physical therapy world (I know.. it's worst), where people simply don't appreciate a bilateral technique to strengthen the injured-side.
For example, after ACL-surgery, where patients can still show major imbalance few months post-surgery (usually between 15 to 35% at their quads on an isokinetic device), what would be your thoughts on the use of unilateral exercises?

I usually start off with Goblet Squats first few sessions, than introduce LowBar Squat. They squat every session (2 to 3 times a week). When the squat is done, I add some unilateral stuff on the operated leg (Step-up, Bulgarian, Single-Leg Squat, Single-Leg RDL,..) with 6 to 10 reps for 3 to 4 sets, with incremental load every session if the technique and the range of motion is on point.

However, my colleagues all use the Leg Extension machine and the Leg Press as main exercises. They almost never use the squat either, and when they do it's just a random exercise thrown in to look cool with 30kg 1/4 squats. I still cannot make a case for the LowBar Squat with them because they also get good results (at the isokinec test..) using the Leg Extension machine and no much more.

I'm questioning all the time this isokinetic device, it's the gold-standard in the ACL return to play criteria, and everyone relies 100% on this. But I've seen patients with no imbalance on this device at 6 month post-op, who were unable to Goblet Squat with 10kg, and I've seen patients with 25% imbalance (on their quads) who could Low-Bar Squat 100kg with perfect form. When one of my patients can return to the field being able to squat 100+ kilos (I know it's not strong to your standards) with proper form and depth, I'm convinced he'll do much better than the guy who sat on his ass for the last 6 months doing Leg Extension and getting his isokinec test under 10% cut-off. It's just that there is no data out there to support this conviction I have and to share it, every surgeon in my area give a green light to their patient as long as there's no more imbalance on this device. They don't even ask for a single/triple hop test, where the guy who cannot Goblet Squat 10kg would be busted.