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Leg strength training exercises - best progressions for barbell squats, step-ups, and lunges. Leg movements for endurance, stability, hypertrophy, and strength, and a sample routine targeting the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Access to all courses with monthly membership

Brookbush Institute

I have almost completed my CPT certification and am half-way through the Human Movement certification to inform my massage practice. The different modalities of reading, watching audiovisual materials, and attending live or recorded webinars have been important to my learning style and for review.

Brookbush Institute has the most detailed, specific and effective tools for online learning for movement and/or bodywork professionals. I love the combination of the videos as well as the text available online.

I recently completed the CPT course. It was demanding yet practical. I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting an education about human movement.

I have my personal trainer certificate through here and am almost finished my human movement specialist certification. Overall, the education that Brookbush has packaged together for clinicians and trainers is invaluable. I am a physio assistant so coming from more of a rehab background I appreciate that this education has been beneficial both as a trainer and in a rehab setting. I love that I have been able to do all learning at my own pace and able to work around my schedule. Thank you for setting up this platform! Highly recommend :)

I have been a massage therapist for 10 yrs and I feel like all the “pieces” I’ve learned throughout the yrs have been put into place and can see the full picture. I am also a member to tons of great content since I love to learn! I plan to get my CPT through them as well.

I have been following Brent Brookbush for nearly a decade- back when I was a personal Trainer and now as a Physical Therapist. BBI is an incredible resource for any movement nerds and corrective exercise specialists! The information is thorough with multiple real world applications. I am looking forward to an in-person Manual Therapist course the second they do one a little bit closer to Virginia ;)

I have taken both the Human Movement Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer certificate programs and have found the value in understanding the how and ways the body moves and functions and from evidence, non-biased, outcome, conceptual, theoretical, and practical approach to helping my clients/patients look better, feel better, and move better.

Over the last years I've returned time and again to Brookbush Institute for stellar coursework as I've worked toward a Human Movement Specialist certification. (I'm currently ACE CPT, and in training with Anatomy Trains for Structural Integration Manual Therapy.) Every Brookbush Institute module is fantastic and each one includes detailed informational videos, written descriptions of how to-do, and, more importantly, why to-do!

I am a 70 yr old chiropractor and no other healthcare provider was able to come up with an exercise protocol particular to my structural and balances and muscle deficits and keep me in the game. And as for continuing education on human skeletal movement, the website is phenomenal full of great exercises for particular mechanical dysfunction.

The H.M.S. is the most valuable certificate I have earned and was a fraction of the the cost of my others. Define the best bang for your buck!

Brookbush is the most efficient Personal Training Certification I have ever come across. All the lessons are well thought out and very straight to the point.

I am getting my Master's degree in Kinesiology, and I would like to say that I have benefited greatly from the rich, comprehensive, well-documented scientific content of Brookbush Institute that links theory to practical applications. Proudly I've got my CPT certificate, and I am on my way to get my HMS certificate.

Having courses count towards different certifications makes it so users can transition seamlessly from one certification to another. In my case, going from earning the BI CPT to earning the BI HMS was an easy decision and I am proud to have earned both certifications. I have also had the pleasure of going to a Live HMS workshop that was well taught by Instructor Boettcher and that was excellent to see how the methods and techniques are implemented.



I have been a member of BBI for years and every course I have taken has been incredibly informative. I learn more from these courses than I do at local CEU courses for my PTA license. I also earned my CPT and HMS certifications through the platform. It was so convenient and the content was top notch! Forever member.

We learn principles in academia, we learn cool new modalities via whatever specialty certification, but BBI really concentrates on the nuances of passive treatment and they do a fantastic job. The format in which BBI instructs soft tissue specialists (DPTs, Chiros, ATs) like myself feels like almost like an apprenticeship. You get a thoroughly detailed explanation of the “why’s”, and a visual comprehension of how to apply. Personally, I believe application is where the good and the great are distinguished.

Brookbush has been incredibly helpful since I was in massage school and now as I’m in my career! I run my own practice and it gives me the resources I need to not only improve what I already know, but also help me navigate better, more efficient ways of treatment.

Totally loving the convenience and affordability of this program with my crazy lifestyle! I feel like I am getting a quality education without a massive cost! My favorite part is the videos I can watch in the courses. I learn so much better that way. Once I really spent more time on the site, I figured out how to maneuver around a lot better! I enjoy the sense of humor, as well as the easy explanation, and short tests. And if I am really tired, I can have the computer read me the lessons. 😁

Challenging concepts are explained in very understandable terms without dumbing down the material, and I find this program to be superior in quality to other personal training programs.

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This course discusses variations, progressions, and regressions of leg exercises for increasing lower body strength. More sophisticated leg workouts and leg day routines can be created with multiple variations of squats, split squats, lateral lunges, single leg exercises, bodyweight leg exercises, etc. Note, 

 for foot placement, are covered in separate courses. This course features more functional movement patterns for improving leg strength than the leg presses, hack squats, leg curls (seated leg curls and prone hamstring curls), leg extensions (knee extensions), and/or other machines found in a gym setting that claim to "target" the glutes, hips muscles, or calf muscles. Further, this course includes detailed cueing, including foot placement during a squat (e.g. hips or feet shoulder width), how to tell the correct distance between the right and left foot during a reverse lunge, what to do with the left leg when doing a right leg single leg deadlift touchdown, or the optimal starting position for the hips during a dumbbell front squat. This course will provide a variety of ideas and concepts to use on leg day, during the leg workout portion of your routine, or during leg day home workouts.

Additionally, this course covers the functional anatomy of leg exercises for lower body strength, including the contribution of the hip muscles (e.g. glutes a.k.a. gluteus maximus and gluteus medius), knee muscles (e.g. quadriceps), ankle muscles (e.g. gastrocnemius and soleus), and core muscles (e.g. erector spinae, obliques, hip flexors, etc.). More advanced anatomical considerations include the contribution of core subsystems (e.g. 

), the use of lower body strength exercises during neuromuscular re-education (a.k.a. integration exercises), and the potential of over-active hip flexors or calf muscles to restrict motion and decrease performance. Further, this course is built from a systematic research review, it is pre-approved for credits toward the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification, and pre-approved for continuing education credits for movement professionals (personal trainers, fitness instructors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, massage therapists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, etc.).

We hope this course inspires the inclusion of leg exercises for all goals in fitness, performance, and physical rehabilitation. For example, workouts for increasing glute and hamstring hypertrophy for physique athletes, routines to increase single-leg strength for powerlifters and field sport athletes, and the creation of home exercise programs for maintaining mobility, core strength, and reconditioning after lower extremity injury in a clinical setting.

Shoulder Exercise and Pressing Progressions

Total Body Exercise and Integrated Progressions

Power Training: Upper Body and Total Body Exercise

Generally, unstable surfaces are not recommended for step-ups, and great care should be taken with back loaded resistance. Although the height of a step-up may seem relatively low, falling in the direction of the stance leg with or without load can be hazardous.

Unstable load (weights suspended from a barbell with bands, or using liquid-filled tubes)

Dynamic lunge to single leg balance unstable 

Goal: Lower Body Hypertrophy (Strength/Stability Supersets)

Moderate (75-90% 1-RM)/Light (60-75% 1-RM)

1-3 minutes (alternatively, can be performed in a circuit)

Lower Body Max Strength/Power (Post-activation Potentiation Circuits)

 (Heavy > 85% of 1-RM) (Light < 30% of 1-RM

 1-2 minutes (note, exercise performed in circuit)

Post-activation Potentiation (PAP) Circuit Routine:

Active Rest (corrective/mobility not appropriate): 

Course Summary: Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions Course Study Guide

Study Guide: Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Introduction

For a comprehensive review of unstable load and surface training:

Relative flexibility progressions are general guidelines for exercise selection that can be used while correcting postural dysfunction/movement impairment. These progressions are in order from least to most demanding relative to mobility and neuromuscular control. Individuals exhibiting signs of 

lumbopelvic hip complex dysfunction (LPHCD)

 may reduce the chance of compensation by integrating lower body movement patterns in the following order:

The majority of lower extremity exercises require significant trunk stabilization and coordinated recruitment of all core subsystems. The 

 maintains segmental stabilization and alignment, while balanced recruitment of the 

 prevent excessive flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation of the lumbar spine. The 

, stabilize the sacroiliac joint and eccentrically decelerate and/or isometrically stabilize the lumbar spine.

Kinesiology

Dr. Brent Brookbush demonstrating a wobble squat with a client

Squats

Comparing the Squat, Lunge and Bulgarian Split-Squat

Dr. Brent Brookbush demonstrating a wobble lunge

Comparing the Squat, Step-up and Single-leg Squat

Squatting with a miniband above the knees to increase glute complex activity 

Comparing the Unilateral Lower Body Exercise for Stable and Unstable Surfaces

Dr. Brent Brookbush demonstrating a lateral lunge with front rack

Comparing the Unilateral Lower Body Exercise on Stable and Unstable Surfaces

Research Summary

Research Corner

Foot Position

Head, Torso, and Scapula Neutral

Knees Over Toes (Tibia and Torso Parallel)

Stride Length During a Lunge and Front Rack Position

Front Rack Position

Form, Progressions, and Sample Program

Squat Form and Modifications

Back Squat

Front Squat

Wobble Squat

Squat Stability Videos and Progression

Step-Ups

Step-Up Stability Videos and Progressions

Holding a weight (dumbbells/kettlebells) at the sides

Unstable load (weights suspended from a barbell with bands, or using liquid-filled tubes/slosh pipes)

Sagittal Plane Lunge

Frontal Plane (Lateral) Lunge

Front Rack Lateral Lunge:

Transverse Plane Lunge

Wobble Lunge

Lunge Stability Progressions

Park, J. K., Lee, D. Y., Kim, J. S., Hong, J. H., You, J. H. and Park, I. M. (2015) Effects of visibility and types of the ground surface on the muscle activities of the vastus medialis oblique and vastus lateralis. 

Journal of Physical Therapy Sciences, 27, 2435-2437

Han, D., Nam, S., Song, J., Lee, W. and Kang, T. (2017) The effect of knee flexion angles and ground conditions on the muscle activation of the lower extremity in the squat position. 

The Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 29, 1852-1855.

Li, Y., Cao, C. and Chen, X. (2013) Similar electromyographic activities of lower limbs between squatting on a reebok core board and ground. 

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27

Andersen, V., Fimland, M. S., Brennset, O., Haslestad, L. R., Lundteigen, M. S., Skalleberg, K. and Saeterbakken, A. H. (2014) Muscle activation and strength in squat and Bulgarian squat on stable and unstable surface. 

Saeterbakken, A. H. and Fimland, M. S. (2013) Muscle force output and electromyographic activity in squats with various unstable surfaces. 

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27

Lawrence, M. A. and Carlson, L. A. (2015) Effects of an unstable load on force and muscle activation during a parallel back squat. 

Ditroilo, M., O'Sullivan, R., Harnan, B., Crossey, A., Gillmor, B., Dardis, W. and Grainger, A. (2018) Water-filled training tubes increase core muscle activation and somatosensory control of balance during squat. 

Stuart, M. J., Meglan, D. A., Lutz, G. E., Growney, E. S. and An, K. N. (1996) Comparison of intersegmental tibiofemoral joint forces and muscle acdtivity during various closed kinetic chain exercises. 

The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 24

DeForest, B. A., Cantrell, G. S. and Schilling, B. K. (2014) Muscle activity in single- vs. double-leg squats. 

International Journal of Exercise Science, 7

Jones, M. T., Ambegaonkar, J. P., Nindl, B. C., Smith, J. A. and Headley, S. A. (2012) Effects of unilateral and bilateral lower-body heavy resistance exercise on muscle activity and testosterone responses. 

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26

McCurdy, K., O'Kelley, E., Kutz, M., Langford, G., Ernest, J. and Torres, M. (2010) Comparison of lower extremity EMG between the 2-leg squat and modified single-leg squat in female athletes. 

Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 19, 57-70

McCurdy, K., Walker, J. and Yuen, D. Gluteus maximus and hamstring activation during selected weight-bearing resistance exercises. 

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,

Lubahn, A. J., Kernozek, T. W., Tyson, T. L., Merkitch, K. W., Reutemann, P. and Chestnut, J. M. (2011) Hip muscle activation and knee frontal plane motion during weight bearing therapeutic exercises. 

The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 6

Eliassen, W., Saeterbakken, A. H. and van den Tillaar, R. (2018) Comparison of bilateral and unilateral squat exercises on barbell kinematics and muscle activation. 

The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 13

Krause, D. A., Elliott, J. J., Fraboni, D. F., McWilliams, T. J., Rebhan, R. L. and Hollman, J. H. (2018) Electromyography of the hip and thigh muscles during two variations of the lunge exercise: a cross-sectional study. 

Krause, D. A., Jacobs, R. S., Pilger, K. E., Sather, B. R., Sibunka, S. P. and Hollman, J. H. (2009) Electromyographic analysis of the gluteus medius in five weight-bearing exercises. 

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23

DiStefano, L. J., Blackburn, J. T., Marshall, S. W. and Padua, D. A. (2009) Gluteal muscle activation during common therapeutic exercises. 

Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 39

Boren, K., Conrey, C., Le Coguic, J., Paprocki, L., Voight, M. and Robinson, T. K. (2011) Electromyographic analysis of gluteus medius and gluteus maximus during rehabilitation exercises. 

Begalle, R. L., DiStefano, L. J., Blackburn, T. and Padua, D. A. (2012) Quadriceps and hamstrings coactivation during common therapeutic exercises. 

Bibliography

Questions, comments, and criticisms are welcomed and encouraged

Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Related Courses:

Course Summary: Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Study Guide: Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Introduction
1 Sub Section

Research Corner
5 Sub Sections

Form, Progressions, and Sample Program
5 Sub Sections

Squat Stability Videos and Progression
4 Sub Sections

Step-Up Stability Videos and Progressions
1 Sub Section

Lunge Stability Progressions
5 Sub Sections

Bibliography

Related Courses:

Comments

Guest

Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Related Courses:

Course Summary: Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Study Guide: Leg Exercises and Lower Body Exercise Progressions

Introduction1 Sub Section

Research Corner5 Sub Sections

Form, Progressions, and Sample Program5 Sub Sections

Squat Stability Videos and Progression4 Sub Sections

Step-Up Stability Videos and Progressions1 Sub Section

Lunge Stability Progressions5 Sub Sections

Bibliography

Related Courses:

Comments

Guest

Introduction
1 Sub Section

Research Corner
5 Sub Sections

Form, Progressions, and Sample Program
5 Sub Sections

Squat Stability Videos and Progression
4 Sub Sections

Step-Up Stability Videos and Progressions
1 Sub Section

Lunge Stability Progressions
5 Sub Sections