Name: Single Leg Squat to Bilateral Cable Pull Down
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T01:02:06.000Z
Duration: 4 min 3 s

English captions

https://stream.mux.com/ImOBPpdrVGJg43L4QGllpLoQBWyRz7YvNKpUsYs3L9I.m3u8

Learn how to properly perform the single-leg squat to bilateral cable pull-down (a.k.a. pistol squat with lat pull-down) in this comprehensive step-by-step instructional video from the Brookbush Institute. This evidence-based video provides expert coaching on form, posture, and exercise modifications (including progressions and regressions) to safely integrate lower and upper body strength. Enhance glute, quadriceps, and hamstring activation while improving latissimus dorsi engagement, balance, and coordination simultaneously. Perfect for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and rehabilitation clients seeking to develop total-body strength, stability, and functional performance.

Integrating Single Leg Squat with Cable Pull Down

Demonstrating Proper Form and Execution

Balancing Weight for Optimal Performance

Progression Strategies for Enhanced Difficulty

Single Leg Squat to Bilateral Cable Pull Down

This is Brent of the Brookbush Institute, bringing you guys the progression single leg squat to bilateral cable pull down. I think you guys going to find that there's an advantage to putting those two exercises together. You get a little assistance from the bilateral cable pull down to assist in a very difficult single leg squat, but this is still a very advanced exercise- a progression of our posterior oblique sub-system integration that requires an immense amount of stability and control. Now, you are going to need a pretty special piece of equipment: these two armed cable columns with the nice high cables are kind of mandatory. Although you might be able to pull off shorter individuals using a standard cable column that are only about six feet high, as your athletes or patients get a little taller, you need something with some nice high cables. I'm going to have my friend, Melissa, come out and she's going to help me demonstrate this exercise. Alright, are you ready? She's going to grab both of these handles. She's going to back up a little bit so that the weight is already lifted off the stack. I want her to sit and she's going to lift one leg about one inch off the floor. I don't want her to pistol squat with the leg out, that allows us to use some false stability through the hamstring. I want- if I was looking from the side, it would look exactly like a squat. You ready? Squeeze through your glute, stabilize, lean back, and now pull down. That's the hard part, guys, is to get all the way- "keep going, why did you stop?" The hard part is to go down, come back up, get stable with a nice straight line through torso and leg, and then pull down so we get that lat recruitment. We're getting nice posterior oblique sub-system integration from this lat through the thoraco-lumbar fascia into this glute. She is getting a little assistance from these cables on that single leg squat. I don't know how many of you guys have actually tried to do a true single leg squat with both legs together, but it is not easy. Of course, after she does 12 on this side, I'm just going to have her switch sides.  Now, a little special thing about this exercise is you do have to experiment with the weight. You end up doing twice as many reps with the upper body as the lower body, which means the weight for your upper body can't be so challenging that your arms burnout at let's say 12, because you'd still have a lot to go for legs. On the other hand, it can't be so light that it's not giving you any help on that single leg squat, because you'll find it's very challenging to maintain optimal form if you're getting no assistance at all. You're going to have to experiment with weight, up and down. If your goal is maybe more leg strength overall, you could start decreasing the weight. If your goal is more arm strength, maybe start increasing the weight. So there you guys have it: single leg squat to bilateral cable pull down. You could do a couple things to progress this exercise other than just shifting the weight. We could start to bring these handles down, forcing her to step further back which means then she'd also get less assistance coming back up. It would start to look more and more like a single leg squat to row to bilateral- or no it'd just be single leg to bilateral row. Not easy. So, I look forward to seeing one of you guys try to pull that off. Maybe send me a video back. I hope you guys have some fun trying to find a cable column to pull this off on. It's definitely a challenging exercise. I look forward to hearing about your outcomes.

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Single Leg Squat To Bilateral Cable Pull Down

The posterior oblique subsystem (POS) is comprised of the latissimus dorsi, thoracolumbar fascia (superficial posterior layer), gluteus maximus, and potentially the gluteus medius, lower trapezius, and serratus posterior inferior.


Posterior Oblique Subsystem (POS)

Functional strength training exercises - best progressions for subsystem integration movements, total body endurance, stability, hypertrophy, and strength, and a sample total body routine.

Total Body Exercises and Functional Exercise Progressions

Single Leg Squat to Bilateral Cable Pull Down:

With your client or patient facing the cable column, ask them to hold the handles of bands/cables, and assume a standing position with arms extended by the resistance.

Note, the amount of resistance for this exercise is likely to be relatively heavy; approximately as much as the individual could use during a seated row.

Ask your client or patient to lean back and counter the pull of the resistance without relying on it to maintain upright.

Ask your client or patient to lift the non-target leg so that it is 1-2" off the floor, but still close to the same position that would be assumed for a squat.

Your client or patient should then descend "straight-down" into a squat/sitting position, without relying on the bands/cables for stability, attempting to maintain tibia and torso parallel.

A common mistake is to sit down and back, "leaning" into the bands, and making it difficult to stand-up and pull with force.

Once your client or patient has achieved the bottom position, have them check their lower extremity alignment, draw-in, and prepare for the concentric phase.

Ask your client or patient to return to the starting position, by "squeezing" the glute complex and thrusting the hip forward of the target leg, while squeezing the elbows and shoulder blades back and down.

Note, achieving full hip extension while simultaneously achieving full scapular depression and shoulder adduction is more challenging than many anticipate. Often, patients/clients will reach the top of the movement in a semi-squat position. Cue your patient/client to achieve full hip extension, terminal knee extension and torso and lower extremity in-line at the top of each repetition.

Cue your client or patient to achieve full hip extension and terminal knee extension, with torso and lower extremity in-line at the top of each repetition.

Often, patients/clients will reach the top of the movement, but still be in a semi-squat or hip flexed (forward lean) position. Thrusting the hips forward and leaning back into the pulling motion is an important component of the concentric phase.

With control (and/or at the desired tempo), descend into the bottom of the squat while eccentrically decelerating the band/cable resistance. The arms should reach full extension as the bottom of the squat is achieved.

 Similar to the description under "Squat to Row", this exercise can be performed as just a single-leg squat while holding the cables, and then a single-leg squat followed by regaining stability followed by a pull-down, and then a single-leg squat with simultaneous pull-down.

 When incorporating this exercise into a program, consideration should be given to the fact that increasing cable load, increases the load on the upper extremity, but decreases the load on the lower extremity. Finding the right load may depend on upper/lower extremity strength, stability, the client/patient's goals and some trial-and-error.

 Increasing load and the addition of unstable surfaces, are appropriate progressions (depending on the patient/client's goal and the current phase of training). Further, advanced exerciser's may experiment with the angle of resistance, progressing from a vertical load to horizontal load will significantly increase the amount of load on the lower extremity.

 Unfortunately, this exercise has several limitations. A single-leg squat to unilateral pull-down (in the frontal plane) may not be possible, it may not be practical to attempt this exercise with bands (most attempts have resulted in awkward variations), and this exercise may be limited to relatively tall cable columns with mobile cams that can be position overhead.

Single Leg Squat to Bilateral Cable Pull Down

Rope Row

Single Leg Alternating Horizontal Abduction with External Rotation

Suspension Row with Rotation

Suspension Row and Progressions

Suspension Rotation Complex (Pallof Press)

Modifications of Renegade Row

Chaos Row

Rope Row with Eccentric Control

Standing Cobra

Horizontal Pull Up (Inverted or Hanging Pull-Up)

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