MASTERING SINGLE-LEG EXERCISES CAN BE HARD. To strengthen your lower body, whether you’re lunging or doing the dreaded Bulgarian split squat, balance, strength, and focus are essential to completing the repetitions without losing your balance. Start with the split squat, which is the most basic unilateral leg exercise, if you are having trouble.
You’re building the groundwork for future, more difficult exercises when you perform split squats. The split squat is a great exercise for beginners as well because of its simple setup, which lets you add a lot of weight to build unilateral strength and muscle.
However, simple does not equate to easy, and before moving on to greater loads, you must comprehend the form. It’s crucial to pay close attention to this movement before you step forward, grab some dumbbells, and begin forcing your knee into the floor.
How to Do the Split Squat
- Commence by placing two dumbbells on the ground, one on either side of you. Lower yourself to one knee, bending both legs to a 90-degree angle. Lean forward gently.
- Your back foot’s toes and midfoot should be on the ground. Your feet should be parallel to one another, or on “train tracks.” Maintain a neutral posture with your neck by looking directly ahead.
- Squeeze your glutes, abs, and shoulder blades. Tightly grasp the dumbbells.
- To get up, fire your glutes in the back.
- Don’t bang your knee into the floor when lowering yourself back down. Rather, maintain your equilibrium and hover slightly above the ground before leaping back to a standing position.
Set Up
Fitbulk states: Underestimating the setup is the main issue people have with split squats—and this applies to all of them, not just this beginner kit move—including Bulgarians. They mistakenly believe they can simply spread their feet apart and dive into the motion aimlessly, resulting in a clumsy downward push-up.
To begin the split squat, allow your body to tell you where to stop: Assume the bottom position, ensuring that the angles of your front and rear knees are equally ninety degrees. Squeeze your hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes to help you stand up from this pose. Recognize that, although your legs may not be absolutely straight at the top, that’s okay Unknown to most, there’s continuous tension at the top of a split squat.
Glutes Tight
Fitlbulk advises: Tighten your glutes when rising from a split squat as well as at the bottom. Like a typical squat, the split squat requires a strong, focused glute squeeze because you want to keep your knee tracking outwards, away from your body’s core, to protect your ligaments and soft tissue.
Load It Up
Fitbulk states: You’ll probably think of the split squat as a step backward for unilateral leg training exercises and believe that Bulgarian split squats and lunges are better for your entire body. That is untrue. When you get the split squat down pat, it may be a really effective strength exercise that you can employ to increase your overall strength, power, and athleticism.
Don’t be scared to use a heavy barbell, hold kettlebells in a front rack, or hold heavy dumbbells at your sides once you’ve developed a feel for the balance. It’s still a good power move even if you’re only performing three sets of four to six repetitions.
Advantages of Split Squat
The most fundamental unilateral lower body action is the split squat. One limb at a time, unilateral training allows you to fix imbalances in your muscles and balance while developing strength and muscle. You’ll be able to concentrate on just moving on the working leg because you’re not moving (as you would in a lunge) or elevating your off-leg (Bulgarian split squat) to a more difficult posture.
Worked Muscles in the Split Squat
You’ll work your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings because this is a lower body muscle builder. You can also add some forearm or core activation, depending on how you load the action (carrying dumbbells at your sides, or holding weights in a rack position).
Typical Split Squat Errors
Feet Flat on the Floor
With your back foot planted at the midfoot, up on your toes, your front foot should be flat on the floor to allow you to use your glutes to lift off the ground.
Feet Off Track
The way you plant your feet matters too. You ought to be able to bend your knees into a balanced 90-degree bend. This means that your feet should be parallel to one another and approximately hip-width apart, and that your stance cannot be too close or too far away.
Leaning the Wrong Way
Although you should lean forward a little, too much forward body movement will cause you to lose your equilibrium. Leaning back and extending your lower back is a problem as well.
Slamming the Knee
With each repetition, control the weight and avoid slamming your knee onto the floor. Long-term, you’ll spare your knees and maintain your full-body tension.
How to Include Split Squats in Your Exercise Routine
Include this fundamental leg day exercise in your lower body training days after larger compound lifts, such as bilateral squats, to help you hone your single-leg work. Begin with three to four sets of eight to ten repetitions, emphasizing slow, deliberate movements.
As a seasoned content writer specialized in the fitness and health niche, Arun Bhagat has always wanted to promote wellness. After gaining proper certification as a gym trainer with in-depth knowledge of virtually all the information related to it, he exercised his flair for writing interesting, informative content to advise readers on their healthier lifestyle. His topics range from workout routines, nutrition, and mental health to strategies on how to be more fit in general. His writing is informative but inspiring for people to achieve their wellness goals as well. Arun is committed to equipping those he reaches with the insights and knowledge gained through fitness.