A New Strategy For Single Leg Strength

One thing I’ve recently become a huge fan of is the BANA (bilateral assisted/negative accentuated) concept popularized by Joel Seedman. Essentially what you’re doing is performing the concentric (“up”) phase of an exercise with both legs, and the eccentric (“down”) phase with one leg.⁣⁣

What makes it so valuable? First, most people can handle 25-30% more load on bilateral squats/deadlifts in comparison to 1-leg squats, split squats, single-leg deadlifts, etc. At the same time, most people can handle 25-30% more load on the eccentric phase of an exercise compared to the concentric phase.⁣⁣

When used for single-leg exercises, the BANA method takes advantage of these two principles by combining the “extra load” benefit of a 2-leg concentric phase with eccentric unilateral overloading. This isn’t only powerful in terms of gaining functional strength and hypertrophy – it’s also an extremely effective way to refine movement mechanics and clean up sloppy patterns.

This makes applying the BANA method to single-leg deadlifts (SLDLs) an awesome way to handle heavier loads without having to worry as much about balance, which is often the limiting factor with SLDLs. As a result, BANA SLDLs are massively beneficial as they 1) promote functional strength and hypertrophy in the posterior chain, 2) allow you to handle more weight while keeping technique pristine, and 3) build eccentric hamstring strength, which is crucial for deceleration and preventing hamstring injuries.⁣