Kevin Neeld — Hockey Training, Sports Performance, & Sports Science

The Difference Between a 1-Leg Squat and 1-Leg Deadlift

After talking to Nick Tumminello, I changed the way I do 1-leg squats.  I used to do them with the “up leg” out in front.  Some people call this a pistol squat (I hate that name).  Now I do them with the up leg behind the body.

I made the switch from the “up leg in front” to “up leg in back” in the middle of this summer.  In my afternoon hockey training group at Endeavor, I wrote a 1-leg squat and 1-leg deadlift into the same training session.

Switching to the “up leg in back” version of the 1-leg squat prompted a lot of my athletes to ask what the difference was between them.  This really got me thinking.  Watch these videos and see if you can pick up on the differences between these two.  It’s pretty subtle.

1-Leg Squat

1-Leg Deadlift

-Kevin Neeld

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Kevin Neeld

Kevin Neeld Knows Hockey

Kevin has rapidly established himself as a leader in the field of physical preparation and sports science for ice hockey. He is currently the Head Performance Coach for the Boston Bruins, where he oversees all aspects of designing and implementing the team’s performance training program, as well as monitoring the players’ performance, workload and recovery. Prior to Boston, Kevin spent 2 years as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Jose Sharks after serving as the Director of Performance at Endeavor Sports Performance in Pitman, NJ. He also spent 5 years as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with USA Hockey’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, and has been an invited speaker at conferences hosted by the NHL, NSCA, and USA Hockey.