Split Squat 2.0

One of my earlier articles for SimpliFaster was entitled My Love Affair with the Bulgarian Split Squat. As the winter months approach with the knowledge that I will be back down in the basement, I’m happy to announce that my love affair has still not left the honeymoon stage. However, just like every other relationship, one needs to always step back and assess what can be improved or eliminated. I am at that stage with the Bulgarian split squat.

One of the more difficult aspects of performing this exercise has been of the limitations of how much weight you can use. Since I use the Hammer Strength deadlift machine, grip strength has been a limiting factor on how much weight we can use. In fact, it prevents us from getting to the really heavy weights where we can really change muscle tissue and have the hormonal response we are looking for (as in what Cal Dietz looks for in Triphasic Training). To try to eliminate this factor, I have bought various belts to try to remedy this situation. I bought the Ironmind harness as well as a hip belt where I tried to attach straps to the handles, but the problem became that once you balance on one leg the pull took you one way or the other and became a balancing issue rather than a strength issue. In fact, the pull became so much that it causes knee pain in some of the athletes. I experienced a similar problem using a pit shark.  The pull from the middle knocked the athlete off balance as well. I have also tried to use to Spuds belts that crisscrossed over my athletes’ shoulders so there be more of a diagonal pull and create more stability when holding the isometric or eccentric position. This is been the best remedy that I have reached so far with the Hammer Strength machine. However, it does have its downside. With a lot of weight, the straps push hard on the neck and it gives you a strangling feeling. All is not lost. To try to make this better, the people at Spuds said that they will build a harness that will be able to handle a Bulgarian split squat. In the meantime, I admit, I bought a squat rack with a safety squat bar and that’s how I’ve been doing my split squats. So, for all the powerlifting people out there, I do have a squat rack.

Besides changing equipment, I have also changed foot position. In the past, when we did the exercise, we put our whole foot on the ground. But if the reason why we use the split squat position is to try to replicate and strengthen acceleration body shapes, why do we put the whole foot on the ground? It is not quite the same thing as an accelerating position which has just the forefoot in contact with the ground. The tension in the foot is completely different between having the whole foot on the ground compared with just the forefoot on the ground. So, I have changed how I position the foot when we perform the exercise. I will put a 25-pound plate or a Sorinex Flop underneath the athlete’s front foot. When the athlete sets up in his position, he will only put the ball of his forefoot on the plate. He can then position his heel in an elevated position where the angle between the foot and the shin is 90° or greater. This will replicate the first three to four steps in an acceleration. Or, he will have his heel lower, less than 90°, and this will replicate steps 5 through 9 or 10.

We need to work on this angle because too many athletes lose their ankle stiffness and therefore their power when they accelerate. When accelerating sprinters push down and the ankle gives, the shin will straighten which results in power being more vertical than horizontal.

When the athlete descends into the position, I have them initiate the movement with their ankle by pushing their knee forward. When they can’t go any further, I have them sit back while keeping their knee forward. The cue is that they are getting pulled apart between the hip and knee. This helps keep the pressure in the glutes and hamstrings and out of the quads. When they go to extend their body, the hamstring works in its biarticulate nature by acting like a catapult and pushing the hips forward. This is a similar motion to a good horizontal drive where the knee seems to push toward the ground. But more on that at TFC- Chicago Dec 7-8. Hope to see you there! (TFC-Tampa Dec 14-15)

Sorinex Flop under foot – note shin angle.

Note shin angle.

Back foot should have the weight over the BIG TOE. This athlete does not come through his big toe when he sprints. This picture shows the problem.