5 Reasons to split squat

The split squat (ss) a progression of the traditional squat and is a glute and quad exercise designed to improve balance, stability and strength.

Working on your split squat has many benefits including strengthening your:

Quadriceps (front upper thigh).
Glute (butt muscles).
Hamstrings (back upper thigh) and
Calf muscles (back lower leg) aka achilles and gastrocnemius.

Here are just some of the benefits to practicing and improving your split squat:

1. Improved balance:

The split position encourages your core to work really hard to support balance in an unusual stance. As we get older our ability to balance reduces but the good news is that balance is a skill and can be improved with practice and exercise.

The more we can improve our balance and leg strength, the longer we remain independent and live a full and happy life. To learn more about balance testing click here.

2. Muscle balance:

An example of this would be an individual with a difference in leg length, which may be partly due to muscular weakness. On one side, this may be observed as a dropped shoulder, and tense spinal errector on the weaker side. Split squats are an ideal exercise to work on your weaker leg to ensure more muscular symmetry and greater ability to complete daily tasks.

3. More stability than a dynamic lunge:

Split squats are often confused with lunges, they are similar to one another. A split squat is performed in a still upward and downward motion, a lunge requires you to step forwards or backwards (known as forward, or backward lunges). The stability which a split squat provides allows us to progress to harder variations of the movement and even to hold weights to increase strength and muscle mass.

4. Its the perfect progression from a traditional squat.

Squat is one of the most common movements we do in our day to day life, so it makes sense to practice this movement to get stronger. We can consider the traditional (two foot squat) as a beginners exercise. The split squat requires more skill as you are in a split position, therefore it is a more advanced exercise.

5. Daily activities will become easier:

Split squats are an awesome unilateral exercise, giving us the opportunity to bias one leg or the other. This is particularly useful as many of our daily activities require stability on one leg, some examples include:

Walking and climbing stairs.
Getting into and out of a car or bath.
Preventing yourself from falling when you lose balance.
Pulling on trousers as you get dressed (standing).

suggestions from andy:

To ensure that your movement is stable, double check that your front knee is aligned just over your middle toe (tracking).

How to SPlit squat:

In this video I demonstrate the split squat. Use your arms out for stability as needed.

Feet hip width apart, take a big step forward (for me there’s about 24 inches between the toes on my back foot and my front heel).
Keeping your shoulders directly above your hips and your ears over your shoulders.
Bend your back knee to bring your hips down (with control) stopping just before the ground.
Imagine you are splitting the ground between your feet, pushing through your back toes and your front heel return to your starting position (thats one rep).
How to progess your split squat to make it even more effective:
1. Warm up with mobility and stretches for your hip flexors and calf muscles in particular.
2. Ensure that your back knee is coming down as far as possible (for beginners a smaller movement with less depth it’s a good idea to progress to deeper movements once you have built confidence).
3. If you feel particularly wobbly, don’t be afraid to put your arms out to balance yourself and increase the width between both feet.
More progressions include, slowing the movement down, holding a weight or adding a forward step with each rep.
Summary:
The split squat is a gluteal and quad exercise, designed to improve your gluteal strength and balance. It's all about the power in your glutes, which are among the most powerful muscles in your body. our glutes are designed to extend the hip or pull the leg behind the body, both of these movements happen when we practice a split squat.
Working on glute strength is vital and can reduce the risk of injury, improve daily movements and increase our athleticism.

Although the hip thrust and split squat are the most efficient way to work on hip extension, glute strength and mass, other beneficial exercises include: A floor bridge, lunge, deadlift, a hip thrust and quadruped hip extension.

Glute mobilisation and split squats are often part of my circuits and Trigger Point Pilate’s sessions, contact me today to book your trial session. If you you want me to develop a 1-2-1 personal training plan, for you hit the button below.

5 reasons to split squat