How Lauren Pak Trains Legs Like an Athlete, Not a Bodybuilder

Lauren Pak recently shared a video explaining that athletic lower-body training requires more than heavy squats and deadlifts. She highlights three qualities that often get overlooked: single-leg strength, multiplanar movement, and loaded power. BOXROX summarized her approach as a reminder that leg work should build balance, control, and athletic resilience, not just impressive numbers. This perspective aligns with practical training ideas that can bolster bodyweight workouts, including push-ups, by improving core stability and how the body moves as a cohesive unit from the ground up.

Why it matters for push-ups

Good lower-body control translates into a steadier, more powerful push-up. When the hips and legs can brace and move through multiple directions, the core stays steadier under load and the shoulders can stay stacked over the hands. Unilateral work reduces imbalances that show up as knee drift or hip wobble during sets. Multiplanar movement trains the trunk to respond to different planes—forward, lateral, and rotational—so your spine and scapular region can maintain alignment during various push-up variations, from incline to decline to staggered hand positions. Loaded power in the legs also supports a more forceful, controlled drive when you press from the floor, helping you stay strong as fatigue sets in. Source: BOXROX.

PUSHapp take

From PUSHapp's viewpoint, incorporating unilateral and multiplanar leg work into warm-ups and recovery days helps you push from a more stable base. It reduces fatigue on longer sets and supports form across push-up variations, making you a stronger, more resilient athlete overall.

Try this

• Single-leg Romanian deadlift to standing (3x8 per leg), focus on a slow hinge from the hips and a controlled reach toward the floor.
• Multiplanar step-ups (forward, side, diagonal) for 3x6 per leg to build trunk control through varied loads.
• Bulgarian split squats with a 2-second pause at the bottom (3x6-8 per leg) to train depth control and hip stability.
• Low-load reactive jumps: 2-3 sets of 3 reps with a soft landing, emphasizing brace and quick stabilization before the next rep.

2 min read.

Source: BOXROX. PUSHapp commentary is original and based on the public RSS summary.