Step ups form

[Occam]

So I'm in the middle of NROL H1, and I'm wondering what "good form" really is for step ups. In NROL, they emphasize doing all the work with your working leg: "Don't push off with your left leg; it's just along for the ride. ... Step off with your left foot. As soon as it brushes the floor, lift again."

This ends up being a lot like this variety of single leg squats. The difference being whether you are facing the bench or with your side to the bench.

Other resources show a step up that includes a lot of "cheating" with the off leg. Here's a video that exemplifies that version.

I'm able to do a couple of pistols with my right leg, but I can't nail the form exactly as described in NROL, especially just "brushing the floor" before pushing back up. I do a few things to avoid helping with the off leg: I keep the off leg close to the bench with toes up and lean forward a good bit. But I do end up putting my weight back down on the floor momentarily.

I'm fine with the version I'm doing. It's plenty challenging. I'd be able to handle a Lot more weight with the version in the PN video, but I don't know that it'd be doing me as much good.

I've kind of rambled on here. Mainly I'm just wondering how others do the move, anything specifically to watch and/or avoid, etc.

[Bill2380]

I put my weight on the floor, but pull the toes up on the back foot to minimize any push off.

[Pman]

I think the ideal is to just brush the floor with the foot of the non-working leg. This is something to strive for. Just hard to do when first starting these.

[Leigh P.]

Pushing off with your other leg on step ups is like jerking your back on a standing bicep curl. You are just living in denial that you can actually lift that weight. Step ups are a really big ego killer for a lot of people. This is not a movement that is meant to be easy. The goal is to raise your body, off the ground, with one leg, at knee height. John Izzo actually goes over a proper step up pretty well in his Eye of the Trainer. Basically if you can add weight to higher rep step ups, then you should be able to achieve a pistol (this is given you aren't dealing with mobility/joint issues, I am talking pure strength/balance here). If not, you aren't doing them properly and you need to regress.

[stingo]

Originally Posted by Leigh P.

Pushing off with your other leg on step ups is like jerking your back on a standing bicep curl. You are just living in denial that you can actually lift that weight. Step ups are a really big ego killer for a lot of people. This is not a movement that is meant to be easy. The goal is to raise your body, off the ground, with one leg, at knee height. John Izzo actually goes over a proper step up pretty well in his Eye of the Trainer. Basically if you can add weight to higher rep step ups, then you should be able to achieve a pistol (this is given you aren't dealing with mobility/joint issues, I am talking pure strength/balance here). If not, you aren't doing them properly and you need to regress.

This is tough one for me - I've been using weight but from the sounds of it I should go back to bodyweight and try to master the form. (I've been alternating legs when I've been doing mine). If that's not happening, what to try then? (If doing step ups properly with just bodyweight isn't happening...)

[Chris Correia]

I think if you work just one leg at a time, you will feel in better control of the movement. You will be able to focus on what's contracting and working in each leg. It will be easier to minimize the action of that trailing leg and keep the focus on the muscles of the up leg.

Personally, I set down ever so lightly, keeping tension on the working leg, but not full tension. My version of cheating, perhaps. But generally, I do dynamic/explosive step ups, changing legs in midair/midstep-up.

[Frank.S]

I didnt get much with stepups until I started to cheat them a bit and actually get some weight on my back.

Unlike a bicep curl with using your back, cheating a bit on a stepup isn't really dangerous. If something goes wrong.. drop the barbell.

[Hunter]

For me, the key with step-ups is the same as any other leg exercise: focus on driving through the heel. I've noticed that when I get my weight forward on the ball of the foot, I have a stronger tendency to cheat with the off leg.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by Bill2380

I put my weight on the floor, but pull the toes up on the back foot to minimize any push off.

I started lifting my toes of my back foot off the floor and it really helped. Geez, I thought I invented that!

[Occam]

Thanks for all this input!

[BamaDave]

Do you guys keep the lead leg on the "step" for all reps and just lower the non-working leg, or do you lower both legs for each rep?

[stingo]

As I understand NROL you keep the working leg on the step. For a variation it suggests alternating legs on each rep.

[UpNorth]

Here is some timely advice on the step-up from Andrew Heffernan's blog:

So, how to make a body-weight step-up an advanced training exercise?

Thus was born the Peg-Leg Step Up.

While performing regular step-ups, I noticed I was generating a lot of momentum by pushing off my bottom foot. What if I could eliminate that “help”? How much harder would it be?

So I flexed my left foot, hard, as if trying to touch my left kneecap with my left toes. With my toes pointed up, only the heel of my left foot was in contact with the floor, my other foot on the bench. My left foot was now a peg-leg, with all my weight driving straight down from my hip to my heel and into the floor. I attempted the exercise again without the aid of any push-off from my left foot.

Night and day. Suddenly, I had to generate all the power from my right leg, and it was tough. I didn’t allow the ball of my left foot to touch the floor at all, because as soon as it did, it wanted to help. It was almost funny watching my body trying to figure out this new self-imposed handicap. I could only do about 12 reps! Suddenly, step-ups were hard again, and I was happy.

[maxattack]

This is some really great info!
Step-ups are an area of my rounties that always frustrate me. I feel like I'm not getting what I should out of them when I added light dumbbells but, bodyweight was not enough sometimes.
Going for my second time on lowerbody for NROL's H1 in the morning and will def. use these tips.

[Lisa~]

I've got no argument with the advice that's been given above, but I just want to add that all kinds of step-ups are good. There's not a right or wrong way to do them. There are just different focuses for the movement based on speed of execution, push-off point (or lack of push-off), how you drive upward , and how you control the descent. Basically, more heel drive = more hip focus, more toe drive = more quad focus. Slower speeds require more muscular control, faster speed offer more conditioning. It's all good.

Most new lifters need more posterior chain strength, so the advice to do all reps on one leg with very little push-off from the trailing foot is fine. Just don't get the impression that this is somehow superior or better or more right than other variations of step-ups.

[maxattack]

I agree. I have found that focusing on lowering myself slowly, with more pressure on my heel, definitely hits my glutes more....which is where I need more strength.

[stingo]

Lisa, would I be right in thinking it's kind of like a split squat but from a different angle?

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by stingo

Lisa, would I be right in thinking it's kind of like a split squat but from a different angle?

I'd think of it more like a single-leg squat with your trailing leg reaching back (but barely touching the floor). In a split squat your weight is evenly distributed between the front and back foot and your feet never move.