"What are the best exercises for your legs?" This question is asked all the time. Most people, especially female, are really concerned about this area. Hips, butt, and thighs. I'm going to let you know about an exercise you might not have heard, or seen before. It's called the Bulgarian Split Squat. It's also known as the 1-legged squat.
Anyway you call it, it is a killer leg exercise. It's a favorite of many people because it works so well, and least favorite because when you start adding a lot of weight to it it starts to become a torture method.
It's definitely one of the best single leg exercise out there. Better than any lunge variation. The only thing that might beat it is the pistol exercise, but that is a super advanced exercise and only a very small handful of people can do it correctly. It's always good to start off with single leg exercises as they will identify if there are any muscle imbalances between the two legs, and if they need to be corrected. Imbalances can be anything from strength to flexibility, but are easy to change and bring the lagging leg up to par with the other one with single leg exercises such as the one I'm introducing you to today.
Now, on to how to perform the Bulgarian Split Squat. It will take some balance and coordination. So if you were new to training I would not recommend this. Start off with some bodyweight lunges in multiple directions to get the feel of single leg exercises and to work on your coordination and balance.
To start the 1-legged squat you are going to elevate you back leg onto a chair, box, bench, or any other sturdy object. If your up to it, try doing it on a stability ball. It should be about 12-18 inches off the ground. Now, here's where the balance comes in. You'll move your front leg forward. Move it up so your knee is slightly behind your ankle. You want to make sure it is slightly behind your ankle, cause otherwise you are going to be putting a lot of sheer force and pressure onto your knee when you squat down.
So now that you are in place, you want to squat down by dropping your hips as low as you can go. Make sure you keep you upper body erect and eyes should be looking forward, not down, at all times. Your weight on the front leg, working leg, should be on the heels at all times. Push through the heel to reverse direction once you have reached the bottom range of motion. You want to work to try and get to parallel to the floor, or below. The bigger the range of motion the more muscles you bring into play, so you build more lean muscle tissue, burn more fat, and rev your metabolism up more. Once you start getting your range of motion parallel or further you can start adding weight, either dumbbells, kettlebells, or sandbags.
Jason Yun, a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Sports Nutritionist, is a Columbus fitness bootcamp and weight management teacher. To book him to speak at your local Columbus organization please contact him by email at jyun@yunbootcamps.com or by phone at 614-432-9703. For a free 2-week trial to his Bootcamps go to: [http://www.yunfitnessbootcamps.com/] or http://www.yunnutrition.com/home.html
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