Bulgarian Split Squats - JP Fitness Forums

SpacecityPaula · 06-05-2007, 10:26 PM

Any good tips for these? I'll definitely be doing these BW only for awhile.

I'm wondering how exactly you tell when you have enough extension in the back leg.

It's hard for me to judge since I'm so wobbly doing these.

Cynic · 06-05-2007, 10:42 PM

You're gonna be wobbly. It's a tough exercise and you're trying to balance on one foot while holding weight.

I try to go with either the standing leg straight or with the foot slightly forward and I like to have my whole instep on the bench, not just the toe.

RobLL · 06-05-2007, 10:57 PM

Do them like they show in the book

But maybe after you get the wobble under control- if you do

Actually at the beginning I put the bench against the wall, so I could put my foot against the wall to help balance, esp. with weights. I'm doing FL for the second time, and yesterday I did not lose balance once. May be a PR

Cynic · 06-05-2007, 11:35 PM

I should have asked, you do wear a flat sole shoe such as chuck taylors or nike frees, right?

Else, you do it bare/socked foot.

Victoria · 06-06-2007, 05:07 AM

I also pick a spot on the wall across from me to focus on while I do the exercise. It helps me keep my balance a bit. Otherwise, these are just plain hard!!! But, keep at it...it will come.

joshuaseu · 06-06-2007, 07:12 AM

I used to pull my bench over so i faced a wall, then i put my hands out and touched the wall with just a few fingertips, and slid them up and down the wall as i went, and progressively took fingers off the wall til i only needed it to stabilize myself occasionally, and now i rarely lose my balance

Lisa~ · 06-06-2007, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpacecityPaula

Any good tips for these? I'll definitely be doing these BW only for awhile.

I'm wondering how exactly you tell when you have enough extension in the back leg.

Lower your body until your forward leg is at least parallel to the floor, then you will have enough extension in the back leg.

Quote:

It's hard for me to judge since I'm so wobbly doing these.

Assist your balance with breath control. Before you move, inhale deeply and lock your rib cage onto your pelvis with a tight contraction of your whole core. Maintain that pressure throughout the movement. Exhale after the point of greatest exertion on the way back up.

Any time your spine bends you'll change your center of gravity and lose your balance. You have to stay tight, chest up, eyes forward. Having a wall or other structure close by to touch if you need to is always helpful.

LT Hebert · 06-07-2007, 04:39 AM

I have a question regarding BSS. When I'm doing a set, it seems like the back leg gets almost as tired as the front leg, and when I go to switch legs, it's already fatigued somewhat. Is this normal, or am I doing something wrong? (Actually, it's much worse in my right leg, where I still have some healing nerve damage from pregnancy.)

tkinsley · 06-07-2007, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LT Hebert

I have a question regarding BSS. When I'm doing a set, it seems like the back leg gets almost as tired as the front leg, and when I go to switch legs, it's already fatigued somewhat. Is this normal, or am I doing something wrong? (Actually, it's much worse in my right leg, where I still have some healing nerve damage from pregnancy.)

I have that same question, Michelle... I always just took a few extra seconds (like, sometimes 60 of 'em!) before I set up for the opposite leg, but I'm not sure if that is really the *right* way to do it.

Victoria · 06-07-2007, 05:06 AM

Same here....

Lisa~ · 06-07-2007, 07:15 AM

Both legs are working, but the stronger your forward leg the less you'll tend to push with the back leg. So make it your goal to push less and less with the back leg. Your (lack of) flexibility in the back leg will affect what you feel in that quad too.

A few months ago I asked Mike Robertson a few questions about the BSS. In part, I asked: Is the quad of the back leg supposed to contract to return you to standing or should you make an effort to relax the back quad and drive upward with the glutes of the forward leg only? How does lengthening the distance from the foot on the ground to the support bench change the muscles that are recruited? Do you always want to spread out as far as possible?

Here's a portion of Mike's answer:

Quote:

In my opinion, you shouldn’t be using the back leg at all in a BSS; if you do, that means your glutes/posterior chain/working leg aren’t strong enough with the load that you are using. As with any single-leg exercise, the greater the stride out, the greater the emphasis on the posterior chain. The short-stroke versions all put more of a premium on ankle mobility and quad strength.

He also suggested that I was overthinking it--paralysis by analysis. So, just do it.

Mahler · 06-07-2007, 07:20 AM

To add to what has already been said, keep the Dumbbells as close to your body as possible and descend into the squat as a unit trying not to move the DBs.

OldGuy · 06-07-2007, 07:22 AM

That's a great post, Lisa. Thanks.

RedLefty · 06-07-2007, 07:29 AM

Along with the long stride out with the front foot as Mike Boyle suggests, I really focus on keeping the weight on the heel of my front foot. If my weight gets out on my toe, not only does it seem to fatigue the quad quickly, but it also seems to tire out the back leg as it holds me back from tipping forward.

If I keep the weight on my heel, it feels like the entire posterior chain is firing, and my back leg can hang and be relaxed. It may not work for you, but my BSS changed dramatically after this small shift in where my weight was coming through the foot.

Lisa~ · 06-07-2007, 08:07 AM

Good point RL. The weight should always be on the "7" (imagine a 7 on the bottom of your right foot), but err to the heel and never shift fully to your toes. That's true for any exercise that requires you to stand planted on your feet (or foot as the case may be).

DrWheatie · 06-07-2007, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynic

I should have asked, you do wear a flat sole shoe such as chuck taylors or nike frees, right?

Else, you do it bare/socked foot.

That was a key for me. Having started at a new gym I was a bit wary of walking in with my Chuck Taylors on. Probably worrying a bit too much about how I looked or building my "gym cred" at the new place. I noticed that squats were hurting my low back, and lunges were very wobbly. Switched back to my Chuck's this week. It's amazing how different (better) squats feel and how more stable my lunges and even those BSS's are.

I'm still getting my IH8BSS license plate.

Aoife · 06-07-2007, 08:46 AM

Balance is better maintained with the eyes open and focused on some point outside the body, like the floor in front of you... where your gaze easily, naturally falls. Maintain that focus on your gaze, it'll help.

(That's what usually helps with my balance in yoga... and standing on one leg with the other high in the air behind you and your arms out while twisting your torso definitely requires balance.)

Ogedei · 06-07-2007, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrWheatie

That was a key for me. Having started at a new gym I was a bit wary of walking in with my Chuck Taylors on. Probably worrying a bit too much about how I looked or building my "gym cred" at the new place. I noticed that squats were hurting my low back, and lunges were very wobbly. Switched back to my Chuck's this week. It's amazing how different (better) squats feel and how more stable my lunges and even those BSS's are.

I'm still getting my IH8BSS license plate.

Interesting. I would think that anyone who would take "gym cred" away from you for wearing chucks isn't someone you would want gym cred from anyhow.

Og.