The dumbell split
squat is one of my favorite leg exercises - you can really
work this one till you fall down - I like it better than squats
for hitting the thighs hard, in fact.
This variation
of it gives you a few benefits on top of the split squat on
the floor - with a tradeoff...stability.
For this one, you'll
need a rack...duh...and a single dumbell. You'll need one
hand free for balance (when you need it). The dumbell doesn't
need to be heavy, especially the first time you do it (I'm
using a 75 lb dumbell here).
Set the safety
rails to the lowest position they can go and set the dumbell
in the center of the rack. Face one of the rails.
Pick up the dumbell
with your left hand then grab the upright with your right
hand. Set your right foot on top of the rail - you'll be on
the balls of your foot here.
Now, holding on
tight with your right hand, set your left foot on the BACK
rail. Again, set your weight on the balls of your foot.
This is the start
position - a standard split squat position only you're a foot
off the ground and you have to exert contsant tension in your
legs just to keep yourself in position here (adds to the fun!).
Now come down to
the bottom position. Keep your grip on the upright the first
time you do this exercise (you can progress to taking your
grip off later, once you're comfortable with the balance).
Come down as far
as you can. This is one of the MAJOR benefits of this version
- because you're off the ground, you can come down that much
lower into the movement, putting a greater stretch on the
glutes, hams and quads.
Usually, when you
do these on the floor, you can only squat down so far before
your back knee hits the ground. Not here...you can go down
until you've hit as much stretch as possible.
Notice the position
of my back foot - it's almost vertical. To maintain this position
without falling down, you have to exert strong backwards tension
with that back leg to keep yourself locked in place.
Now stand up and
keep going - shift your grip as you need to.
With this one,
DO NOT go to completely failure. Because you're off the
ground and balance is required, pushing to failure will compromise
balance. Keep a little short of it.
Do all your reps
one leg then switch to the other leg forward.
In this one, I've
taken my hand off the upright during the exercise, just grabbing
on to get into and out of position and when I need a balance
check (reminds me of a really bad joke - "I'm so poor,
I went to the bank and asked the teller to check my balance
- she came around the counter and pushed me...").
That's the exercise!
It's a great challenge for the lower body and will definitely
spice up your leg training routine. The increased stretchability
will also leave your glutes feeling extremely sore the next
day, fair warning.
