The split squat

The split squat! Amazing for weeding out strength and mobility imbalances between each leg. This is my first go to exercise for those learning to squat correctly. Here pictured is Bulgarian - rear foot elevation variation. 

Although admittedly one of the most annoying exercises to do it is also one of the most effective. The real imperative thing in this movement is to get the technique correct. As without correct technique you may as well be doing partial squats or a regular lunge. The key criteria being;

1. Drive your knee forward to fully close the knee gap between your calf and hamstring. This is the most crustal factor, as the point of the exercise is to train the knee range FULLY (which may not be achieved in full range squats by the client yet).

2. Ensure your keep your FRONT heel down and a soft to medium bend in your rear leg. This ensures a good stretch in the hip to enhance squat mobility. **If you look very closely you can see my heel actually seems to be slightly elevated in this shot, I ideally adjusted my stance to be slightly wider to keep it planted the next rep.

3. Keep an upright torso throughout the whole movement. If the torso hinges forward it’s essentially cheating the rep through lowering the weight on the front foot aka the equivalent of a ‘stripper squat’ where the butt rises first.