The Best Lower Body Exercise

The Best Lower Body Exercise You Aren’t Using!-

DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training

Check Out More Great DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Programs HERE

I try to stay away from it. 

“The best”, “the magical”, “the one”, but let’s face it, there are some exercises that just rock more than others. 

They could be supercharged exercises for a lot of reasons. Maybe they allow people to learn a very important movement pattern. The exercise could work on multiple fitness qualities at once. It could help build flexibility/mobility all at once! 

Yea, there are those types of exercises and this DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training could be one of the BEST that simply doesn’t get the respect it deserves. 

The DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Up Down

Up Downs refers to a rather simple looking movement. As the name implies, you will be going down to the floor and then back up. Doesn’t sound that crazy right?!

It is what happens in between and the intent we have with this powerful DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training exercise that changes a lot of that. 

So, what’s so good about an Up Down?

For one it is one of the very best ways to teach people how to lunge and can be a useful screen to see compensations people may have in the movement. As I have discussed before, lunging is probably THE best lower body movement for a lot of different reasons. However, due to lack of stability, strength, and flexibility, a lot of people have a really hard time actually learning to lunge. 

One of the big reasons people struggle is they don’t think of the direction they are lunging as a means of either making the exercise easier or more difficult. While most people are introduced to lunging as going forwards, if you look at the movement of the body, it actually makes sense to teach people to reverse lunge before forward lunging. 

Ok, we have direction, but that is only part of the equation. The way most people teach the lunge, it is still a dramatic change from the more stable squatting exercises most learn. The Up Down gives an easy end point and allows the lifter to focus on just slowly lowering themselves. It is this deceleration that so many people get in trouble with so giving people the opportunity to get good at it is very important!

Then we have the simple wrap around of the leg. What looks easy is actually a great way to measure both stability and mobility of the hips. You will find that you or those that you work with have a dominant side. Seeing how big of a difference is a huge benefit to this exercise and the leg sweep is really important!

Lastly we have that infamous pause. That time where you take away all elastic energy and have basically almost a single leg deadlift. Since the deadlift is called such because it begins from a dead stop, we have just created the same effect. Because the deadlift is simply made up of hip flexion and hip extension we can check that off our list as well. 

Now of course the best part is we have a ton of different ways of loading the body and either making the exercise or more challenging. The Front Hold position actually is easier in some respects than just body weight because we are loading the core that tends to allow the hips to move more freely. That means we can add a challenge to just where we hold the weight!!!

Oh and if you think the Up Down won’t do much for you, think about it, it is the PERFECT exercise to also help people up upon their turkish get-ups, yea, powerful doesn’t do Up Downs justice!

This past weekend we got to teach the Up Down in various forms at the Long Beach Perform Better Summit. People found their heart rates sky rocketing and what seems easy is anything but!! If you try the DVRT Up Downs you are going to find them quickly become a staple in your exercise routine! 

How to do Up Downs:

–Power Clean the Ultimate Sandbag into the Front Hold position

-Holding the weight close to your body slowly drop step lunge so your rear knee gently rests on the ground. 

-Staying tall wrap the front leg around so both knees are in contact with the ground. 

-Pause for 1-2 seconds in the kneeling position.

-Without any forward lean replant the lead leg and push through the toes of the back foot and heel of the front foot to come back to standing. 

-Make sure to alternate sides. 

Progressions:

*Start Front Hold

*On the Fists

*Shoulder

*Overhead Snatch Grip

*Overhead Fists