Lower Body Exercises (Knee Dominant) - Whether the goal is performance enhancement, injury prevention, strength gains, or size gains, training the lower body is the best way to accomplish all of these. Knee dominant exercises have deep movement at the hip and knee). In addition, we look at most knee dominant exercises as anterior chain dominant or quad dominant.

Why we like them so much: Great way to increase lower body strength / power, speed and vertical jump. In addition, they have numerous progressions and regressions (weighted and bodyweight).

Key Points:

  • Mobility / form prerequisites must be achieved before adding a load (primarily ankle and hip mobility, and neutral spine position)

  • Athlete must demonstrate perfect control

  • minimize range of motion at the ankle and maximize range of motion at the knee (top of thigh to parallel)

  • Body weight before loading

  • Simple before complex

Progressions:

Squats

  1. Bodyweight high box squat

  2. Bodyweight mid box squat

  3. Bodyweight low box squat

  4. Bodyweight counterbalance parallel squat

  5. Bodyweight counterbalance full squat

  6. Kettlbell or goblet low box squat

  7. Kettlbell or dumbbell goblet full squat

  8. Dumbbell between bench squat

  9. Barbell box squat

  10. Barbell front squat

  11. Barbell back squat

  12. Zercher squat

  13. Barbell plus band/chain squat

Lunges

  1. Bodyweight static lunge (split squat)

  2. Bodyweight forward lunge

  3. Bodyweight walking lunge

  4. Bodyweight reverse lunge

  5. Bodyweight Lateral lunge

  6. Bodyweight slideboard or Valslide reverse lunge

  7. Bodyweight deficit reverse lunge

  8. Weighted vest walking lunge

  9. Dumbbell walking lunge

  10. Barbell walking lunge

  11. Barbell front walking lunge

  12. Barbell Zercher walking lunge

  13. Dumbbell contralateral load deficit reverse lunge

  14. Barbell deficit reverse lunge