The benefits of step ups may be just what you need to boost your leg training progress or to destroy a pesky plateau. Read on to discover if step ups are right for you.
Be sure you know how to execute the step up properly before adding it to your routine. This way, you’ll be able to reap all of what it has to offer.
Benefits of Step Ups. This is an awesome leg exercise. Check out its benefits below to see some key advantages of implementing step ups into your routine.
- Improve Symmetry & Balance. The step up is a unilateral leg exercise, which means that you train each leg independently. The result is that you improve the symmetry of your leg musculature. And as I’m sure you could imagine, doing an exercise on one leg also improves your balance.
- Increase Your Squat & Deadlift Strength. Want to squat and deadlift more? Step ups can help. First off, they increase your overall leg strength, as any leg exercise would. Second, as I had mentioned, it’s is a unilateral exercise; therefore, in addition to fixing muscle size imbalances, it fixes strength imbalances that are holding back your progress on bilateral leg exercises (i.e. squats and deadlifts). You see, it’s common to hit plateaus on bilateral exercises because you can unknowingly favor your stronger side; thus, your weaker side becomes your weakest link and retards your overall progress.
- Save Your Lower Back. You use a whole lot less weight with step ups than you do with squats. This is obvious considering that step ups involve the same basic movement as squats, except you use just one leg. So this exercise can be clutch if you have lower back issues; or if you are simply trying to work your lower body without hitting your lower back.
- Develop Explosive Leg Power. Step ups train explosiveness of the leg muscles. This of course translates to a general increase in lower body strength. But the benefits extend that. You’ll be faster (such as when you’re sprinting) and you’ll have a higher vertical jump (especially off of one leg).
How do I exercise after spinal fusion on lower back what’s safe I’m one month post surgery
Hi Wayne, thanks for the question. I hope your surgery went well and you’re recovering well–it seems like you must be if you’re thinking of getting back into training 1 month after back surgery!
Unfortunately, I don’t know how to answer that question–it’s not my area of expertise. That’s definitely something to ask your doctor.
Best,
Alex
Your face is bigger than your body
LOL funny observation. I think that’s just camera lens distortion from my head being a bit closer to the camera than the body in that pic. You can see a more normal-sized head in the photos on my about me page 😉