big legs with single leg workouts?

[yayeti]

Can you get big legs just doing single leg workouts, like squats, leg press and deadlift variations? I have a lower back problem and I think single leg might be safer for me.

[Holto]

What is your lower back problem?

[RobmoriRB]

We can not make a suggest with out knowing the injure, because we do not know how to give advice around it

[chris mason]

The answer is yes, you can get big legs doing single leg exercises. As for your back issue, as the others have said.

[yayeti]

The injury is a herniated disc L5-S1 Ive been dealing with it for 2 years. Can you recommend some of your favorite single leg exercises and suggested rep ranges for hypertrophy?

[loganchristophe]

I would say leg extensions and leg curls if you can't do any back related exercise. Rep range is 6-15 for the isolation machines but I would recommend getting past 10 reps for joint health.

[Holto]

My L5-S1 disk is hitting both my sciatic nerves. Right now I'm fighting to get back to a quality life but I've been wondering about one legged squats.

Leg press is an open chain exercise and can be dangerous for this reason. Doing it with one leg seems like a terrible idea.

A one legged squat however is something far more natural yet still brutal enough to build muscle.

Right now I'm doing bodyweight lunges and calf raises.

[yayeti]

I experience some pain depending on what position I'm in but I am still able to do most exercises. Deadlifts Im too afraid to do, but I am able to squat 245. I just make sure I keep my lower back extended maintaining the arch. Stuart McGill is a big name with lower back stuff and he thinks leg press is horrible for lower back. I think his reasoning is because if you don't maintain that arch you have a ton of weight putting shear force on your lower back. I am thinking single leg leg presses might be ok though.

I have even been doing RDLs but I just don't want to cause more damage. If I do single leg variations I think it would be a better way to spare my lower back, so was wondering if people have tried it much or know what ones are best for hypertrophy. I know there are articles about it on Tnation but wanted to know what you guys thought. Also I would recommend the Maximum Mobility DVD if you have lower back pain.

[Holto]

I am thinking single leg leg presses might be ok though

I'm sure before you started researching spinal issues you thought crunches were OK too.

I guess part of what you and I are facing is the need to re-assess our goals.

[scalley]

I'd assume 1 leg squats are still going to use your back to the degree of weight you are using. If I were you I'd get that sciatic nerve issue fixed before trying to make it worse leg extensions would be the safest choice though.

[greemah]

Have you tried barbell lunges? That will allow you to keep your back more upright taking the pressure off your lower back, and would be using less weight than you would for normal squats. Great exercise, gets very hard when you build up some intensity

[Texas Ranger]

You can try bulgarian split squats. You can hold dumbbells in your hands, use a barbell, or a weight vest to load the exercise. Keep the reps in the 8-12 rep range.

[Holto]

I'm also lunging to keep some leg muscle.

[Bruiser]

I had a botched back surgery 5 years ago and was told I would never lift 50 lbs again. I even ended up in a wheelchair for several months because if nerve damage. I have fought tooth and nail to get to where I am now. Benching 270, pulling 355 but only squatting 225 because it puts a lot of pressure on my disks.

What I've done to get to where I'm at is taking it slowly, building a good base and improving mobility/stability. I know for me personally doing one legged exercises was NOT an option. No matter how stable and strong you think your core is, doing one legged work will twist the shit outta ya and cause back pain.

Now this is just my opinion from what I've personally went through:
Doing standard two legged lifts with give you stability and help you strengthen and build muscle equally. If you wanna see what I'm talking about, pick up a 100 lb DB and walk 50 ft with it. Then pick up one in each hand and walk 50 ft. Tell me which one hurt more. Good luck and I hope this helps man.

[greemah]

Benching 270, pulling 355 but only squatting 225 because it puts a lot of pressure on my disks.

If you have a disk injury, how come deadlifting is easier than squatting? I would have thought deadlift would put much more pressure on it?

[Bruiser]

If you have a disk injury, how come deadlifting is easier than squatting? I would have thought deadlift would put much more pressure on it?

It seemed odd to me too, but it seems to come down to pressure on my disks. And having the bar on my back squatting hurts a helluva lot more than hanging from my hands when I DL. Must be the way it compresses. Because even heavy OHP hurts too.