One Leg Squat

[data farm 26]

Can you do a one leg squat? I think if you can do that it is one sign that you can be a good tree climber. I can only do one and it is really hard but eventually I want to get really strong in one leg squats.

 

[cory]

Impossible for, I'd guess, 95% of the population

 

[Neill]

Ow, my knee.
Of course I had to try. I did 42

 

[ATH]

Bulgarian split squats? Yes.

Other leg in front? Cannot get quite all the way down anymore.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

Yikes..
Did 20 each side.
Now struggling to stand..

 

[GregManning]

Ow, my knee.
Of course I had to try. I did 42

wow !

 

[AP1017]

Yikes..
Did 20 each side.
Now struggling to stand..

Thought about doing 20 and now struggling to stand.

 

[data farm 26]

I actually tweaked my back just doing 1 each side, oops.

 

[data farm 26]

Bulgarian split squats? Yes.

Other leg in front? Cannot get quite all the way down anymore.

I was doing one leg in front.... I just looked up the split squat, I'll try that when my back gets better

If you folks really did 20 and 42 respectively that is quite a feat!! @Neill @Stumpsprouts

 

[rico]

I was doing one leg in front.... I just looked up the split squat, I'll try that when my back gets better

If you folks really did 20 and 42 respectively that is quite a feat!! @Neill @Stumpsprouts

Rear foot elevated Bulgarian split squat..Amazing exercise. Alternate this with some good old ass to grass bodyweight squats (weighted vest as you get stronger) and you will be good to go.

Another very effective yet low impact exercise is the isometric squat-

 

[data farm 26]

I've been doing a lot of sumo squats that have been really helping me get my back in order, I'll try these other squats too. Thanks, Rico.

One leg squat with the other leg in front is super hard, I'm going to keep working up to that!

 

[Neill]

I was doing one leg in front.... I just looked up the split squat, I'll try that when my back gets better

If you folks really did 20 and 42 respectively that is quite a feat!! @Neill @Stumpsprouts

I apologize, I was feeling cheeky earlier.
No, I couldn’t even do 1

 

[ATH]

I've been doing a lot of sumo squats that have been really helping me get my back in order, I'll try these other squats too. Thanks, Rico.

One leg squat with the other leg in front is super hard, I'm going to keep working up to that!

I cannot do them, but check out pistol squats.

I'll have to ask if my son can do them yet, but one of his baseball coaches was having him do these which is where I learned of them. He needed a bench for balance when starting out with those. Not sure if that is part of their regular routine...but that's some serious balance and strength. He's a pitcher and catcher, so I thought it seems like something he should work on - big benefit to playing both positions.

 

[Matias]

I recently started getting strong enough to do ass to grass pistol squats. They are hard as fuck, and I can only a couple per side for now, but as soon as I get this hernia patched up, I will be back on the hard training. I don't see them as a prerequisite for tree climbers, but I find that the stronger I get all around, the easier all aspects of physical labor become, including climbing itself.

I was afraid that I would have a harder time hauling 20 extra pounds of meat around the tree, so I tried to stay slimmer, but I wasn't eating enough to get the fullest recovery from hard work, and I started struggling more and more with full work weeks. I weighed 165-170#. The pain got so bad, I went to a doctor of physical therapy, and learned that my piriformis was weak af, and the prescription was more work! I had to start doing excercises I had never considered doing, and then found more after our sessions that seemed to help a lot as well. I started doing deadlifts- current best before hernia was 185# for 16- and other traditional compound movements. I was up to 190# at the same belt size as at 165#, but have lost a few pounds waiting for surgery now, and I gotta tell you, moving myself around has never felt easier!
I highly recommend getting as jacked as you can while that is still relatively easy to do. PM me if you want a list of my favorite resources and stuff.

 

[data farm 26]

Sorry to hear that you had a hernia! Hopefully you can recover quickly and completely. Fwiw, a good friend of mine who is a pt as well told me to only get laparoscopic surgery when I thought I had a hernia. Might look into that if it's an option. Thankfully I didn't have a hernia, just a super weak ass and messed up hips and abdominals from a bad accident decades ago.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

Oh I guess I was doing pistol squats. I just went by the first youtube video that came up.

Been doing pilates which transfers to this a lot. Balance and core strength. Plus I'm not climbing anymore, so my back isn't all fucked up like it was for a decade.

 

[Matias]

Sorry to hear that you had a hernia! Hopefully you can recover quickly and completely. Fwiw, a good friend of mine who is a pt as well told me to only get laparoscopic surgery when I thought I had a hernia. Might look into that if it's an option. Thankfully I didn't have a hernia, just a super weak ass and messed up hips and abdominals from a bad accident decades ago.

Mine is at my belly button, so they're just going in through there. Not laparoscopic, but still only requiring a small incision, which is the main benefit of laparoscopy.

I am no stranger to fucked up old injuries. I always assumed all my back pain was from when I was crunched up in a rollover after the driver fell asleep at the wheel on the highway. I was shocked to learned it was literally a weak ass/hip flexor. Hit the gym, or make your own, but hit those weights-really light at first, focusing on technique, then progressing steadily into more weight or reps, but always pushing yourself a little harder each week that you feel fully recovered. And remember to eat enough when you do that, especially protien. Sleep is the greatest health supplement in the world, take lots of that. Eventually you will only be losing muscle, so grow as much as you can now to have a bigger reserve to work down from later.

 

[Bart_]

I warned my son about high stress injuries pumping iron. He got through ok but two of his friends have lifelong gift tendon and cartiledge injuries. Love your knees and they will love you back for decades to come. Put the hurt on them and they'll keep reminding you that you did. Worn out knees is a trademark of older men. Rotator cuffs are another classic.

oh, can you say meniscus?

 

[Matias]

I warned my son about high stress injuries pumping iron. He got through ok but two of his friends have lifelong gift tendon and cartiledge injuries. Love your knees and they will love you back for decades to come. Put the hurt on them and they'll keep reminding you that you did. Worn out knees is a trademark of older men. Rotator cuffs are another classic.

oh, can you say meniscus?

I'm glad that your son stayed outta trouble, but his friends likely succumbed to user error. People who are drawn to the activity tend to do too much too soon, and don't put enough effort into proper nutrition and recovery, and even stress management. Slow steady progress, and proper self care should see your joints staying healthy over time. Lower weight and more reps builds resilience, but does not let you put such impressive numbers on the bar. I recommend against pure powerlifting. While getting stronger is important, I lean a lot more into hypertrophy style training, but at the same time, putting a heavier emphasis still on practicing activities that use a lot of coordinated strength, like climbing, but other options include many other sports, and even things like various labors. Simultaneously maintaining a high degree of flexibility goes a long way. There are lots of old lifters that claim to still feel great, they just don't lift the kind of weight they used to.