JKConditioning, personal training
This exercise is great at challenging single leg hip stability while strengthening your posterior chain (hamstrings, gluteals and para-spinals) and abdominals (indirectly). Don’t be confused with the version where the weight is lifted off the floor between reps – that’s referred to as a Stiffleg Deadlift – two different exercises even though they look the same.  I’ll save that exercise for another post.

Dumbbells can be held in each hand or in just one hand (same side as the leg that is going up – more challenge to the abdominals).  A barbell can also be held so more weight can be an option (as dumbbells only go so heavy).

  • Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Lift one leg slightly off the ground so that you’re now standing on one leg.
  • Puff out your chest and bring your shoulders back.  Slightly bend your stance leg.
  • Pretend you are in front of an audience and that you’re about to bow.  This is called the “hip hinge” and is pivotal in performing this exercise correctly.
  • As you slowly start to lean forward, simultaneously lift your opposite leg.  Pretend it’s connected with your shoulder so that if you bow “so much”, your leg will lift “so much.”
  • DON’T squat with your stance leg – keep that leg slightly bent throughout the exercise.
  • Keep lifting that leg and keep bowing.
  • Think of reaching for the wall behind you with your lifting leg’s heel.
  • Stay flat in your hips and shoulders – keep square with the ground.
  • At the end position (as in the picture above) you should have a flat torso position and should feel tremendous tension in your stance leg’s hamstring.  If you don’t, something is probably wrong.  Don’t round your back by “loosening” the muscles along your spine.  Stay straight!
  • Keep that neutral spine and your shoulders back.  Your chest should still be puffed out, even in this bottom position.  From the side, your body should form a capitol “T.”
  • Bring your mid-air leg down as you stand up.
  • That’s one rep.

I like doing sets of 5-8 with my runners depending on the time of year; also, depending on the week, I’ll typically get them to perform 2-5 sets in a given workout.

That’s a wrap.

Thanks for reading and run strong,

-Jon

I’ve been weight training on and off for years but never really had a specific goal or target in mind so routinely stalled out, plateaued or stopped training all together. Before I joined JKC I was definitely in a fitness slump and needed something to motivate me and get me back on track. I did a bit of digging online, looking at various personal training options and gyms around town but JKC seemed like the best option by far. I’ve tried big box gyms and other personal trainers in the past but none of them have had the perfect combination of goal specific fitness programming, welcoming and supportive environment, and the knowledge and passion to back it all up that you’ll find at JKC. Jon and Thomas are great to work with, they know how to motivate you if you’re having an off day and are well versed in all the different ways to make your muscles burn! I also have noticed some major improvements in my deadlifts since I started with JKC and was really happy with the result.

I came to JKC through recommendations from my peers from lululemon. As a current ambassador, I’ve been introduced to legacy ambassadors, like Jon, and I knew a bunch of other people from the store were working out here so I wanted to give it a go. I often dread lower body workouts so I started coming here to do legs. I’ve had such great progress that I now come twice a week— and, I no longer hate leg day!

I’ve never experienced this sort of hybrid between group workouts and personalized service. Many group strength training services offer a sort of one-size-fits-all workout for the general population, which has never been of interest to me, because I want my workout tailored to my needs! I LOVE that you can be in a group setting while doing your own personal program; I love the camaraderie and community at JKC, and, I’ve seen incredible results thus far! Jon is always so attuned to what I need.

I’m 30 — started at JKC Aug 2016. I moved to NL to open lululemon and we chose Jon as one of our store’s ambassadors, did one workout and have raved about it ever since! The JKC team can adapt a workout no matter what the situation — injuries, new goals, you name it! The trust and expertise can’t be matched!

I had virtually no real experience using weights and felt intimidated going gyms. I avoided gym-goers using free weights, especially when hearing that loud crash, as they would drop weights to the floor. I thought this was to show everyone around them that they owned that area and that I shouldn’t go anywhere near! So I guess I just wanted to learn how to lift weights safely in a gym environment.

I spent over 18 years in the British Military, so I got to use some nice gyms. 99% of my time and experiences in those gyms was spent doing cardiovascular workouts, because I could just jump on a treadmill, plug in my head phones and do my own thing! JKC is different, because they have given me the confidence to use free weights and equipment that I had feared for years. Their demonstrations and knowledge is impeccable and I thank them for their continuous belief and support they show me at every session.

I’ve always struggled with both my weight and anxiety throughout my life. As a writer you live a pretty sedentary lifestyle filled with both realistic and unrealistic deadlines, so I needed something to get me off my butt and to get me moving. JK has been a godsend during this past year and a half in particular. The pandemic has been tough, but workouts with both Thomas and Jon have really helped reduce the stress and strain of a global pandemic, and added an anchor of normalcy back into my life — which has been worth its weight in gold.

JKC has created an incredibly inclusive environment that’s filled with all kinds of supportive folks from all kinds of different backgrounds. For folks like myself, being surrounded by people with such athletic ability can be intimidating in most gyms. It can actually be a deterrent, and it sometimes has been for me. But, at JKC it’s far from that — it’s inspirational. Everyone supports one another. Which is something that’s not easily found in this day and age, inside of a gym or out. Not to sound like a total cheeseball here, but it really feels like a family.

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