Poliquin Step Up

The Poliquin step up is a VMO-centric exercise. It is a scaled down version of the Peterson step up which has the athlete balancing on the ball of the foot. Using a slant board is preferable, but placing the heel on a weight to create a similar angle is an effective method of adapting when no slant board is available.

Cues:

Keep the torso vertical and squat straight down
Flex the toe up on the non-working leg
Bend until the knee reaches approximately 30 degrees
Pause and smoothly change directions squeezing the quad intentionally as you do so

Scale:

Hold onto a support to assist with balance and reduce load as needed

Errors:

Shifting the hips back like a regular squat
Bending deeper than 30 degrees
Moving quickly and flailing around

Cues:

Keep the elbows level with your shoulders and rotate the hands down and back up with control
The elbows should stay directly to the sides of the shoulders
Maintain strong retraction and rotate the hands as low as possible without causing the shoulders to translate forward