Today’s episode features an expert roundtable on an integrative view of single and double leg (unilateral and bilateral) training. Experts include Cal Dietz, author of Triphasic Training and University of Minnesota strength coach, Cameron Josse, director of sports performance at DeFranco’s gym (co-author of “The Process”), and Chad Dennis, veteran NCAA and professional level strength coach who is now director of performance for the XFL Seattle Dragons.
Single and double leg training is hotly debated in many cases, each method with its own unique aspects, benefits and drawbacks. In the majority of situations, single leg training is used as a warmup or auxillary while the “big lifts” dominate the landscape of exercise. Taking a wider view of these training modalities is important when it comes to optimal integration into our own training.
On the show today, myself, Cal, Cameron and Chad go over many ideas on this topic, particularly the idea of using single leg training as the primary method in earlier training phases (accumulation, GPP, etc.) and moving towards bilateral dominated training in later training phases (intensification, SPP, etc.).
We also take a deep dive into the neurological aspects of barbell (and jump) training, as the ramifications of movements with many, vs. few degrees of freedom (i.e. a walking rotational lunge vs. a heavy quarter squat). This episode is rounded out by a chat on unilateral jumping progressions and using dynamic work to prepare tissues for the rigors of high intensity training and in-season play.
Today’s episode is brought to you by SimpliFaster, supplier of high-end athletic development tools, such as the Freelap timing system, kBox, Sprint 1080, and more.
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View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.Key Points
- A thesis summary of building a foundation of single leg training and then filtering into double leg training
- Different approaches to periodization and planning in regards to single and double leg training
- Neurological Ramifications of unilateral vs. bilateral training via threat response
- Approaches to jump training periodization looking at single and double leg periodization
- A discussion on using unilateral work in the weightroom, and on field (jumps and sprints) to prepare tissues of the body for the season
Quotes from Cal Dietz, Cameron Josse and Chad Dennis
“I’m looking at a progression where we start with a foundation of coordination (single leg/more degrees of freedom) and we transfer that into really high outputs (bilateral training)” ~Cam Josse
“Unilateral work favors the cross crawl concept” ~Dietz
“I’m not a big fan of single leg squat with dumbbells, because I don’t feel there is enough stress, in my opinion” ~Dietz
“In the bilateral (lifting and even plyometric), I didn’t get a good neural feedback loop” ~Dietz
“I haven’t found one of my athletes that didn’t go into threat with a double leg, or get better (neurological) responses from a split squat stance” ~Dietz
“How do I fix that threat? I just have them march. If they do a hurdle hop, the next four steps are marching steps, and that takes them out of that threat as they go to the next exercise” ~Dietz
“There was a great tissue resiliency built from doing (single leg rudiment hops, filtering into bounding over time, as well as a unilateral to bilateral progression in the weightroom) from the joints, especially in the lower leg” ~Dennis
“It makes a lot of sense to use unilateral training in the early during these early periods in the training year, it could be 6-8 weeks, it could be 4 weeks really. I’m thinking field first, weightroom second” ~Josse
“If you are in the weightroom, it’s naturally multi-planar, just because you are on one leg more degree of freedom are involved” ~Josse
“If we are concentrating speed and power on the field, how do we support that in the weightroom? Bilateral activities” ~Josse
“While we are emphasizing force and accumulation, we are thinking mostly unilateral with a gradual shift to bilateral. When we are thinking power and speed, we are going to support that with high power and high forces in the weightroom using bilateral activities and bilateral jumps to match the power and speed qualities you want to see in concentrating the neurological load on the body” ~Josse
“If you get just too much of one focus, the compensation patterns that run through the body… if we don’t have that variety, these compensation patterns appear, and that’s when things start breaking in my opinion, at the highest level” ~Dietz
“To my understanding, balance is worked better when your body is moving and your head is moving” ~Dietz
“You can’t abandon bilateral in your unilateral phase… if this is in your future you can’t completely abandon it” ~Dietz
“I’ll do (bilateral work) in my accessory with with bilateral lifts, during unilateral phase” ~Josse
“One of my favorite lower leg exercises… running in circles (small diameter)” ~Dietz
“All my squatting is done on my toes…. In my opinion, that’s where sports are played” ~Dietz
“If I’m trying to prep my athletes tissues for what they are going to do it on the field, I try to keep (training) on the field as best I can in terms of stressing the tissues in a similar fashion” ~Josse
About Cal Dietz
Cal Dietz has been the Head Olympic Strength and Conditioning coach for numerous sports at the University of Minnesota since 2000. He has consulted with Olympic and World Champions in various sports and professional athletes in the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, and Professional Boxing. During his time at U of M, he help founded and chairs the Sport Biomechanics Interest Group with its purpose to explore the physiological and biomechanical aspects of advanced human performance encompassing the various aspects of kinesiology, biomechanics, neuro-mechanics and physics. Dietz has also given numerous lectures around the country, as well as publish several scientific articles and dozens articles on training. Most recently, Dietz co-authored the top selling book, Triphasic Training: A systematic approach to elite speed and explosive strength performance. You can find Cal’s excellent book via his website: xlathlete.com.
About Cameron Josse
Cameron Josse is the Director of Sports Performance for DeFranco’s Training Systems in East Rutherford, NJ.
Cameron has been working with DeFranco’s Training Systems since 2013 and has quickly built up a resume working with a multitude of athletes in high school and collegiate sports, as well as professional athletes in the
NFL, NHL, UFC, and WWE superstars. Cameron earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology while playing
football at the University of Rhode Island and holds a master’s degree in exercise science from William Paterson University.
About Chad Dennis
Chad Dennis has been a strength and conditioning coach for the past 17 years and has worked in high school, college, and the professional levels. He has experience training football, track and field, and basketball athletes and has been a part of several conference championships and bowl teams. Chad has been a head football strength and conditioning coach in the Big 12 and the MAC conferences and has been a director of performance in the XFL, AAF, as well as an assistant in the NFL with the Houston Texans. Chad is currently the Director of Performance for the XFL team, the Seattle Dragons.
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