Increasing Your Squat: Bilateral or Unilateral Training?

What is the fastest way to getting a bigger squat, single leg work or just doing normal squats?

An athlete recently ask me the above question.  Just like many questions in strength & conditioning, the answer starts with "It depends...".  The first big thing that the answer depends on is why you want a bigger squat?

If you're a powerlifter, or just someone that wants to have the biggest strict squat at your gym, then if I had to choose between the 2 choices in the question, I'd say stick with "normal squats".  But even in that case, there is much more to do then just doing normal back squats.  If you're in this category, check out this article on T-Nation by Dave Tate, Master the Squat.

In this article, they break down improving your squat into mental, technical, and physical parts. If you look in the "physical" section, you'll see they give helpful hints on the traditional back squat, but also talk about assistive exercises like Romanian Dead Lifts and Good Mornings, so there is more to it then just doing the normal squat.  

Although they list assistive exercises, they don't list any single leg variations.  Some say that you training unilaterally will not help you increase your true squat, but check out this article by Ben Bruno, Single-Leg Training Put to the Test, and you will see that you can.  It does also state, however, that if your main goal is to increase you bilateral squat, then you need to focus on your bilateral squat and save your unilateral training for assistance work.  

Although Ben Bruno makes an argument to include single leg training, Mike Boyle takes it a step farther and says bilateral training is not even needed.  He has many articles out there on the subject, but here is just one that article, 5 Superior Single Leg Exercises, that states his fews on the subject as well as list 5 good leg exercises to include in any program.  

Since I tend to work with mainly traditional sport athletes, I think that mixing both unilateral and bilateral is the way to go.  If I had to choose only one for athletes, I would however, choose unilateral training.  Unilateral training has a large carryover to the playing surface.  Most of the time in most sports, athletes are performing game actions on a single leg.  

Besides the physical aspects of unilateral vs. bilateral (which you can read about in the above articles), there are some mental advantages to each style.  I find there are more mental advantage to unilateral training.  Some athletes, such as certain females or taller individuals, are hesitant to use as much weight as they could on the traditional squat either because it makes them feel uncomfortable or they believe the heavy weight is going to get them to big and bulky.  Although we know the latter is not true, these issues can be avoided by while still developing great leg strength by implementing single leg training because the lifter doesn't feel like he/she is actually lifting as much weight.  I use single leg training with all athletes, but because of these mental advantages, I have had great success with female soccer players and male basketball players, which are two groups that traditionally don't like to squat at all.  

The traditional squat also has a mental advantage as well, being that many guys, and some gals, just like confidence built by seeing a large amount of weight bending a bar.  

In Summary
My quick answer is that if you're only worried about increasing your traditional squat, you have to do the traditional often and go heavy.  If you want to increase your squat, but at the same time improve speed, athleticism, agility, and power, I believe both unilateral and bilateral squat variations should be used, with a slight emphasis towards unilateral training.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.

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To see how to gain leg strength with only dumbbells, see my past post, DB Versions of the Top Weight Training Exercises


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Trouble Losing Fat? Suggested Readings

Do you feel like you are doing every according to the book and still not losing fat?  Here are two good articles that may help you out.

12 Reasons You're Not Losing Fat by Jason Ferruggia

The reasons given in this article are things that you can change in a short period of time. It's fairly short and an easy read.

1. You're Eating Too Many Carbs
2. You're Eating Carbs at the Wrong Time
3. You're Eating Too Much Fat
4. You're Not Eating Enough Protein
5. You're Drinking Too Many Protein Shakes
6. You're Eating Nuts
7. You're Eating Too Much Fruit
8. You're Not Training Heavy
9. You're Overdoing Cardio
10. You're Not Running Sprints or Doing Sled Work
11. You're Not Managing Stress
12. You're Not Getting Enough Sleep

Click on the link above and read the full article, there is some good useful info to take from it.  #12 everyone could do a better job with.  #'s 7&9 may be surprising to some.  #'s 1,2,&4 are probably the ones that you can change in the shortest amount of time that will give you the best results.

Four Reasons You're Not Losing Fat by Bryan Walsh at Precision Nutrition

This article is a little more scientific and hits more on what is going on physiologically in the body.  The article discusses 4 physiological barriers that could be holding you back.

1. The Oxygen Delivery System
2. The Blood Sugar Management System
3. The Adrenal System
4. The Digestive System

The main take from this article is understanding that there is more that goes into fat loss than just diet and training.  If you feeling you are doing well with the 12 points in Ferruggia's article and still not having the success you want, make sure to check out this article.

Increase Strength, Build Muscle, and Lose Fat?

Getting strong, building tight muscles, and losing the flab all at once is possible!

I recently received an email that asked me some pretty good and common questions.  I thought instead of just answering the questions in an individual email, I would answer the questions here.  Below are the questions...

I am trying to increase my strength and muscle mass and at the same time loss some fat.  This is where I get confused.  Do I have to choose to either lose weight or gain muscle mass?

My workouts right now include 1 day- back/biceps/core, 1 day chest/triceps/core, 1 day shoulders/legs, then I repeat.  I am working heavy weights with 8-10 reps and 9-12 sets per muscle group.  How often should I change my repetitions/weights?  I have been doing heavy weights for a while now but I am starting to feel it in my joints a little bit.  Should I switch to lower weights and higher repetitions? And if so how often do I switch?  I also work in about three 1 to 3 mile runs.

Then with my diet I am trying to reduce my calorie intake to lose weight and increase my protein intake to build muscle. 

I don’t know if this is a combination that will accomplish what I am trying to do.  I can tell that I am gaining muscle mass but I do not feel like I am losing fat and my weight seems to be steady or slightly going up. 

To thoroughly answer the above questions, a person could write an entire book, but I will at least try to give some useful information here for those that have these same questions.  

Question #1. I am trying to increase my strength and muscle mass and at the same time loss some fat.  This is where I get confused.  Do I have to choose to either lose weight or gain muscle mass?

Increasing strength, building muscle, and losing fat all at the same time is like Zoolander turning left, difficult but possible.  To see the largest and quickest gains in any one area, you should focus on that specific area, and most likely you will see slight improvements in the other areas.  However, the truth is that many of us just want to keep improving in all 3 areas.  I have worked with many competitive high school and college athletes that have done well achieving all three goals when just training for one, so even the average person can succeed in all three areas when you train and eat properly.  To do this, you will need to train consistently, train hard & smart, and focus on nutrition.  Keep reading to see how this can be done.

This group is made up of former bodybuilders, fighters, & athletes, and all of them were able to be strong, muscular, and lean in the proportion they desired by proper training & nutrition.

Question #2, 3, & 4. My workouts right now include 1 day- back/biceps/core, 1 day chest/triceps/core, 1 day shoulders/legs, then I repeat.  I am working heavy weights with 8-10 reps and 9-12 sets per muscle group.  How often should I change my repetitions/weights?  I have been doing heavy weights for a while now but I am starting to feel it in my joints a little bit.  Should I switch to lower weights and higher repetitions? And if so how often do I switch?  I also work in about three 1 to 3 mile runs.

Again, a book could be written answering theses questions, but we can cover some important points here.  To understand more of what I think should be included in a strength & conditioning program, check out two of my prior posts, Choosing or Designing a Strength & Conditioning Program Part 1 and Choosing or Designing a Strength & Conditioning Program Part 2.

Before I even look at answering any of the specific questions, I would suggest that he change his workout split.  Right now it is more like the traditional bodybuilding layout.  I don't believe this setup gives the best option for gaining strength & size and definitely for not for fat loss.  Even a traditional Lower Body/Upper Body Split would work better because you'd be working each area of the body more often in a week.  I suggest using either a Total Body Program or a Push/Pull Split.  I personally like the Push/Pull Split because you can work out 4 times a week and if needed you could do all 4 days in a row.  I also like a Push/Pull Split because it helps ensure that you keep a balance in the muscles and movements you work.  

Here are templates of workouts that I have often used...

By including exercises from each of these categories you will have muscular balance and reduce your risk of injury.  Here are examples for each of the categories...

Explosive Push: Jump Squats, Push Press, Push Jerk, Split Jerk
Explosive Pull: Clean Variations, Snatch Variations, Swings, Explosive Step Ups
Rotator Cuff: L, W, Y, T, and I's, Wall Slide Shoulder Press
Single Leg Lower Push: Rear Foot Elevated Squats, Single Leg Squats, Front Lunges
Double Leg Lower Push: Front Squat, Back Squat, Goblet Squat, Barbell Hack Squat
Horizontal Push: Chest Press Variations, Push Up Variations
Vertical Push: Shoulder Press Variations
Single Leg Pull: Single Leg RDL Variations, Rear Foot Elevated Dead Lift, Hip Raises
Double Leg Pull: Dead Lift Variations, RDL, Good Morning, Hip Raises, Leg Curls
Vertical Pull: Pull Ups, Chin Ups, DB Pullovers, Lat Pull
Horizontal Pull:  Row Variations (Cable, DB, or BB)
Stability Core: Plank and Bridge Variations
Rotational Core: Rotations, Chops, Twists, Side Bends
Deep Ab: Rollouts, Sit Up Variations, Get Up Sit Ups, Reverse Crunch Variations
Mobility: Lateral Shifts, Hip Flexor, Straight Leg March, Knee Hugs, Ankle Hugs

Generally we'll do working sets of all exercises.  This means that for exercises that are more complex and/or use heavier weights, like squats and cleans, you may need to perform 1-5 warm up sets where you gradually increase your weights using 2-6 reps at a time until you near your first work set.  

To answer the question of how many repetitions should be done and how often to switch, here is an excerpt from a prior post...Some programs will have a different intensity goal for each workout in a week.  An example would be where Day 1 would be moderately intense, Day 2 would be very intense, and Day 3 would be a light day.  The style that I generally prescribe is called weekly undulated periodization, which is where I change the rep scheme weekly.  Week 1 is moderately high rep (8-12 reps), Week 2 is mid-range (6-8 reps), and Week 3 is lower rep (3-6 reps).  Usually we'd go through this cycle twice before taking an unloading week (go lighter weight and/or usually alternated exercises to give the body a break from the norm), but is some cases will throw an unloading week in after Week 3.  I also usually progress the intensity of each set during a workout, especially in the bigger lifts, going from moderate intensity on the first set to very intense on the last set.

Females can also benefit from lifting heavy weights!

Besides your unloading weeks, I do not suggest going higher reps and lower weights for fat loss and to avoid soreness.   Your first work set should be moderately difficult and build up to your final work set where you use a weight that pushes you to technical failure (the point where you could not perform any more reps with good technique and tempo) in your rep range.

These templates are not the only type that we use, but they do give a great starting point.  Some people like to move to more straight sets and others like to put 3 to 5 exercises in a group set instead of just doing paired sets, just depends on preference, time, and goals.  Either way, the balance should be maintained between workouts.

I suspect that more of his soreness is by combining longer runs along with his strength training.  Unless you're a distance runner, I suggest skipping out on the longer runs, maybe one a week for recovery and enjoyment purposes (if you enjoy long runs).  Other use some sort of interval training for conditioning purposes.  Check out the Power of Intervals for more information on interval training.  You can also use "finishers" at the end of your workouts.  Finishers use a combination of exercises done in a quick and intense fashion.  I will have a future post that will discuss the use of finishers.  

For any type of competitive athlete that needs more speed, power, and/or agility work, drills and exercises can either be added to this template after the warm up and before the lift or even incorporated into the lifting workout as complexes.  

Statement #1. Then with my diet I am trying to reduce my calorie intake to lose weight and increase my protein intake to build muscle. 

Nutrition has just as much or more to do with fat loss as training does.  As far as reducing calorie intake, some people may need to do so, and some do it to much.  I find that most people that train regularly often don't need to restrict calories, but rather choose their calories.  There are different caloric needs calculators out there, I suggest try a few and see what caloric range is consistent among them.  

He has the right idea about increasing his protein intake.  This won't only help in building muscle, but also helps with fat loss.  The goal for protein intake should be about 1 gram per pound of bodyweight.  If you're trying to lose a larger amount of weight, that number may be high, so average your current weight and your target weight and use that as your goal.  So if you weight 250 and you want to be at 200, use 225 as your goal, and this number will gradually lower as you reach your goal weight.  

Generally, the area that many people have problems when it comes to carb intake.  Your carb intake should be relative your activity level.  Your body can handle and utilize more carbs on the days that you have more intense workouts.  Generally, you should have between 1 and 3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.  Be on the higher end if you're main goal is to gain muscle mass and it is a day you have an intense workout.  Be on the lower end if you are more focused on losing fat and/or it is a day where you had little to no activity.  If you have a lot of fat to lose and it is a day that you not active you can even get by with .25-.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.  

I won't go further into nutrition in this article, but remember, keep sugars low, eat less processed foods, and don't be afraid of healthy fats.

Closing Statement.  I don’t know if this is a combination that will accomplish what I am trying to do.  I can tell that I am gaining muscle mass but I do not feel like I am losing fat and my weight seems to be steady or slightly going up. 

The information in this article should help you get on the path to reaching the multiple goals of increasing strength, building muscle, and losing fat.  Achieving these goals simultaneously is not easy, but it can be done.  Check out Article Takeaway: 8 Laws of Strength Training by Bret Contreras.  Also, stay posted here for more posts that will help reach your goals.

Be Strong and Laugh!

Stair Workouts for Home & Travel

Stairs have long been used by athletes to increase
 strength, power and endurance, but anyone
can use them to help increase their fitness level.

The last post was on the Power of Intervals; how they can help you lose weight and become more fit.  Sometimes it may be tough to do intervals because the weather is bad outside and you don't have access to any type of exercise equipment.  Well there is a piece of equipment that most of you have right in your homes, a flight of stairs!

Stairs can help you increase your strength & power as well as increase both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity.  Below is a short list of workouts that you can try out at home or when you are on the road. 

This first group can be done anywhere you have a full flight of stairs or two 1/2 flights (which would equal one flight like in a split level home or in some hotels or apartments).  If you are new to working out, you could perform these walking instead of running. You can choose either running the workouts by hitting every step or by hitting every other step.  Hitting every step will work foot quickness more and cause less fatigue in the legs, whereas hitting every other step will work more strength/power.  Both methods can be challenging.  The amount of sets and reps you do will be determined by your fitness level, time, and whether you are doing stairs as your sole workout of the day or if it's your finisher after your normal workout.

Hurry Up, Slow Down

Fast as possible going up, followed by and easy walk down.   Do 10 flights for 1 set.  Do 1-5 sets with 2-5 minutes rest between sets.

Dueces Are Wild

Go up and down 2 flights at a very fast pace, followed by walking up and down 2 flights (this would be 1 rep).  Do 1-4 sets of 5-10 reps, but stay under 20 total reps unless you are feeling great.  Examples: 3 sets of 6, 4 sets of 5, 2 sets of 10, 1 set of 15, etc.

Lucky 7’s

Go up and down 1 flight at a fast pace, then walk slowly up and down 1 flight.  Next go up and down 2 flights at a fast pace, then walk slowly up and down 1 flight.  Continue at this pattern until you go up and down 7 flights at a fast pace, then continue the pattern going down until you finish with go up and down 1 flight at a fast pace again.  When beginning this workout, you may only do have of it or take a 2-5 minute break after your 7 flight interval and then work your way back down.

Crazy 8’s

Go up and down 8 flights at a fast pace followed by walking around ground level for 2-5 minutes (that would be 1 set).  Do anywhere from 1 to 5 sets depending on time and how you are feeling.

The next two workouts can be done in hotels or apartments that have a multiple number of flights. 

2 Up, 1 Down

Sprint up two flights of stairs as fast as you can and then slowly walk or jog down one flight.  Set a goal of what floor you want to finish on and continue the pattern until you reach that floor.  There are many variations you can make to fit your fitness goals, like 3 Up 2 Down (bigger rest:work ratio = faster speed) or 4 Up 1 Down (small rest:work ratio = slower speed).

Ladder On the Stairs

Sprint up one flight of stairs and then walk or jog down one flight.  Next, sprint up two flights of stairs and then walk or jog back down two flights.  Set a goal for the number of floors you would like to do and be done when you get back down after your final sprint/run.  Variations include completing the ladder back down (ex. up 1, down 1,  up 2, down 2, up 3, down 3....up 7, down7 , up 6, down 6, up 5, down 5,...up 1, down 1) or start with your goal number of flights and do only a descending ladder (ex. up 7, down7 , up 6, down 6, up 5, down 5,...up 1, down 1).  For more speed/power work, keep your goal flight lower and do more sets, and for more anaerobic capacity/aerobic mix raise the goal flight and do less sets.


Give these workouts a try either next time you're traveling, to change things up at home, or to use as a finisher to a strength workout.  

H

The Power of Intervals

Marathon runners do more continuous training, sprinters do intervals.
Which is the body you're looking for?

Interval training is where you do an activity at a higher intensity interspersed with periods of rest and/or low intensity activity.  Intervals have long been used in sports, but they should not be just reserved for athletes as some may think.  Some people, even some sport coaches, may think that intervals can't improve aerobic fitness or produce as much fat loss as longer continuous aerobic training.  I thought I'd just share a few studies with you that I came across in readings from strength coaches Mike Boyle and Robert dos Remedios.  At the end of the post I also give you some ways to implement intervals into your workouts starting today!

First, a study at East Tennessee State in 2001 compared two groups of obese women during an 8 week study.  One group did steady-state aerobic work and the other did high-intensity interval work.  They would workout until they burned 300 calories and then stop.  Each group exercised the same amount of days and weeks, but only the interval group loss fat.  Also, the interval group's metabolic rate was raised for 24 hours after working out, whereas the aerobic group had no change.

Second, a study at McMaster University in Canada also compared a steady-state group to an interval group.  The steady-state group performed 90 to 120 minutes of continuous cycling, and the interval group did four to six 30 second all out sprints with 4 minutes rest in between, which meant they only actually "exercised for 2 to 3 minutes per session out of a total time of around 20 minutes.  The study found no differences when they performed their final fitness tests, but amazing part was that the steady-state group committed 10.5 hours to training and the interval group only committed 2.5 hours to training (and less than 30 minutes of that was actually exercising).  So the same results came with far less time with interval training.

Lastly, a study at Tremblay in 1994 compared a group that did 20 weeks of steady-state training, and to another that did interval training for 15 weeks.  The steady-state group did burn more than 2 times the amount of calories (28,661 to 13,614), but the interval group burned more than 900% more subcutaneous fat (the fat right underneath your skin)!

There has also been more than a few studies that have shown interval training to actually improve aerobic capacity more than steady-state exercise.    The reason for this, and for the better fat loss results, may lie in a theory called Excess of Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).  This basically means that your body continues to work and burn calories for up to 48 hours after a hard interval workout.  I am actually currently working on writing up a report on a large study I conducted last year that compared 2 types of interval training to continuous training that had some pretty significant results, but I'll save those for another post when my report is complete.  

Try putting interval training into your workout tomorrow.  This doesn't mean you have to do very intense training at first, start out slower and build up to more intense intervals.  Whether you are a weekend warrior, someone who needs to lose weight, or an athlete whose workouts don't currently include interval training, you can benefit from adding interval training.  Below are some examples of some different ways to perform intervals.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  Start out with few reps and longer rest periods and work your way up.  Better results in less time, why not try them?

Although the following refer to running, you can use this for any mode of interval training (bike, rollerblading, swimming, jump roping, etc.).  There is far more options available for intervals than this includes, but this should give you a good idea of some that you can add to your training immediately.

The below descriptions cover more the use of conventional modes of "cardio" exercise, but intervals can also be done with bodyweight and lifting exercises, which will be covered in a future post.

Before all workouts do a short body weight circuit and/or run easy for around 5 minutes for a warm up.  You could also perform some light stretching.  Do static stretching after the completion of your workout.

1.Sprint Workout- Sprint as fast as possible until you feel like you are slowing down.  This usually will be around 5-8 seconds.  Let yourself slow down naturally and then walk until breathing is normal (can take up to or more than 1 minute).  Do 1-3 sets or 6-10 reps (max of 24 total reps).  Take as long as you need between sets.

2.One Word Pace Workout- Run for 20-30 seconds at a pace fast enough to where you can only manage to speak one word at a time, which is close to sprinting speed.  Then walk for 1-3 minutes.  Perform 1-3 sets of 3-6 reps (max of 15 total reps).  Take as long as you need between sets.

3.Couple Word Pace Workout-  Run for 1-2 minutes at a pace fast enough to where you can manage to get out a couple words at a time.  Then walk for 2-3 minutes.  Perform 1-3 sets of 2-5 reps (max of 10 total reps).  Take as long as you need between sets.

4.Sentence Pace Workout-  Run for 3-5 minutes at a pace where you are able to get only a sentence out at a time.  Then walk 3-5 minutes.  Repeat for a total of 4-8 times.

5.Fartlek Workout-  This run gives you a lot of variety and can be made as easy or as hard as you feel like you want it to be.  Always maintain at least a jog, and then at random times, perform one of the type of runs above.  Mix it up for the most variety.  Perform the run anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the time you have and how difficult you make it.

6.Conversation Pace Workout-  Although this doesn't qualify as interval training, it's still ok to add in a continuous long slow distance run now and then if you like that type of work.  Run at a pace where you could hold a conversation with someone for 20 to 40 minutes. 

As far as what workout you should do what day, just don’t do consecutive numbers back to back, i.e. don’t do workout 2 today and 3 or 1 tomorrow. These can be done on the same days as resistance training or on days in between.  If you do them on the same day as lifting, I would choose a more high intensity type workout and keep the sets and reps lower so that you complete the workout in a reasonable amount of time. 

DB versions of the Top Weight Training Exercises: Part 1

I recently read two very good articles by two great minds in the field that discussed the best weight training exercises to build muscle.  Click on the links below the full articles.

Back to Basics: Time Tested Muscle Building Exercises by Zach Even-Esh

and

Top 10 Weight Training Exercises for Building Muscle by Jason Ferruggia

These articles are just straight forward about listing a small group of exercises that should be a staple in everyone's workouts.  Although the titles suggest that these exercises are for muscle building, they are also important for strength, speed, and athleticism as well, and should be done by both males and females who looking to improve their fitness level, body composition, and/or athletic performance.  Below are the exercises that each of the author's list (* exercises appear on both lists)...

Even-Esh's Top 8
1. Squats*                                       
2. Deadlifts*
3. The Bench Press*
4. The Military Press*
5. Pull Ups
6. Ring Push Ups
7. Sprints
8. Farmer Walks*



Ferruggia's Top 10
1. Snatch
2. High Pull
3. Overhead Press*
4. Squat*
5. Deadlift*
6. 1 Arm DB Row
7. Flat or 15-30 Degree Incline Press*
8. Farmers Walk*
9. Kettlebell Swing
10. Sled Dragging/Pushing



My purpose for this series of articles is not to elaborate on the exercises listed above, these authors already did a great job explaining why these exercises made their lists.  My goal is to present how to do many of these exercises when you only have DB's available.

Right now, between teaching and training, I spend much of my time away from home.  Because of this, I want to spend as much time at home as I can, but also want to make sure I get good quality workouts in during the week, so I decided to workout at home.  Although I have more equipment at home then the average fitness oriented person, I do not have any barbells (BB) or plates, which are needed for many of the exercises above.  I think many people realize that DB exercises can have many benefits to a program, but often can be criticized because it is difficult to make some DB exercises difficult enough to get the same amount of work accomplished as their BB counterparts.  Below are DB exercises I use in my programs that allow me to work strength similar to some of those on the lists above.

Squats
Squats appear on both of the authors' lists above, so as many know, they are pretty important. For beginners, you could progress through DB Goblet Squat, DB Front Squat, DB Suitcase Squat (DB's hanging at your sides), and DB Goblet Split Squat.  These will lead you to the first of two DB squat variations in which you can build some serious leg strength and muscle.

Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats
Also known as Bulgarian Split Squats, Rear Foot Elevated (RFE) Squats can even an advanced lifter gain strength.  Here are the variations in the progression I use...

RFE Goblet Squat

The RFE Goblet Squat helps teach correct technique while giving the lifter an easy way to hold the DB.

RFE DB Front Squat

The RFE DB Front Squat still helps the lifter maintain proper technique, but allows for more weight to be handled.

RFE Suitcase Squat or RFE DB Squat

By the time the lifter reaches this progression, their technique should be pretty solid, so the RFE Suitcase Squat can be used to allow the lifter to use even more weight.  Some beginners using this variation will have a tendency to lean to far forward.

Although it's not along the lines of this article, the next progressions would be the RFE BB Front Squat and the RFE BB Back Squat, both of which can build some very serious leg strength.


Pistol and Single Leg Squat Variations
The type of squat that can build size and muscle without a barbell are the Pistol and Single Leg Squat Variations.  These exercises can be intimidating for many because they can be very difficult or impossible for many people to do with just body weight.  The videos below show ways to progress up to using DBs to build greater leg strength.

BW Single Leg Squat Variation

I like to athletes/clients with Single Leg Squats instead of Pistol Squats because the Single Leg Squat allows a person to keep a more upright position in the torso, as well as making it easier to avoid a rounded back.  The video above shows how to progress the exercise without using weight, moving just from a toe touch to a full parallel Single Leg Squat.  If you can't touch your toe down to the ground for the first progression, place an object below your foot to touch.

Single Leg Goblet Squat

Once a person has achieved success on the body weight variation, they can then move on to the goblet style shown above (or could use a DB Front method, not shown).

Pistol Squat Box

Pistol squats have become a very popular leg exercise, and for good reason.  They develop balance and good unilateral strength.If you can not perform any true pistol squats or can not do enough reps to complete a full workout, the above video shows how to progress to a true pistol squat by performing Pistol Box Squats.  If you fall to the box, the box is too low!

Full Pistol Squat

After you can complete Pistol Box Squats and do them well, you can progress to a true pistol squat.  The above video shows 3 variations of the Pistol Squat: going to parallel depth, going to full depth, and using a DB goblet style for resistance.  You could also hold 2 DBs in the front position.

Being able to back squat a large amount of weight is a good display of leg strength, but I'm more impressed with athletes that can pistol squat well with weight.  I have seen many guys that have 500+ lb squats that can not do a full pistols squat, and I think you need to be able to do well squatting both bilaterally and unilaterally to say you have good leg strength.


Deadlifts
If you don't think squats are the king of all strength exercises, then you likely believe the king is the deadlift. Deadlifts are even more difficult than squats to without a barbell and plates because of the amount of weight that can be done and the lack of the changes in tempo you can do with the deadlift compared to the squat.  For DB variations of the deadlift, beginners can start out with DB Sumo Deadlift, DB RDL's, Single Arm/Single Leg RDL's, and Single Leg/Double Arm RDL's.

Single Leg Dead Lift Variations

Single Leg Dead Lifts, or aka by some as a Knee Touch Squat, are similar to the Pistol Squat as they can be difficult for many people to do, even without any weight.  The above video goes through the progression of being able to do a SL Dead Lift with DB's, starting with using just your bodyweight and touching a higher object.

One difference between a SL Dead Lift and a SL Squat is that in the squat your torso stays upright, but in the dead lift, you lean over so that your upper body is against your thigh.  If you can not control yourself all the way down to the ground, use an object under your back knee.  If you can not hit the object, or ground, under control, you need to use a higher object.  If you don’t have an object to touch and you can’t control yourself to the ground, set your back foot down for assistance as needed.  Try not to push off your back leg as you raise your body back up, unless you absolute need to. 

SL Dead Lifts can also be done without touching your back leg, just lower yourself as far as you can.  Some find this type easier, some find it more difficult, but it can be beneficial to switch up the variation that you do.  I have recently started do in them on a bench so I can touch my knee to the back of the bench but my foot will not contact any surface.


Rear Foot Elevated (RFE) DB Deadlift

The variation that I like most because you can really pull some heavy weight, is the RFE DB Deadlift.  This is similar to the RFE Suitcase Squat, but it has two major differences.  First, you will start each rep with the weight resting on the ground.  Second, to get the weight to the ground, you will have to lean over with your chest almost resting on your thigh.  By being in this position, the exercise becomes a lower body pulling movement that will work your glutes and hamstrings.  Your hip joint will almost be as low as your knee joint.  Make sure you back is tight and flat or slightly arched, do not allow your back to be rounded.  At the bottom, tighten your glutes and abs and then pull up.  Control the weight on the way down.  Always make sure you have the proper starting position before lifting the DB’s.  For a variation, hold the DB's in a pronated manner rather than neutral, which will make the lift slightly more difficult.  

I hope you are able to take some of these variations and add them into your training.  Even if you are not limited to only DBs, the variations of Squats and Deadlifts above are a great way to get some unilateral training into your workouts, and you can even progress the RFE versions above into BB lifts like the RFE Front Squat, RFE Back Squat, and RFE BB Deadlift.

Look for Part 2 of this series soon!