Today I want to cover proper and improper exercise technique for the split squat. I’ll go ahead and note up front that everything I’m going to discuss would apply to the myriad lunging variations as well. The only difference is the added component of movement (forwards, backwards, alternating or whatever).
The Split Squat
Recently the split squat in one form or another has come sort of the forefront due to a rather popular strength coach’s belief that the split squat (more specifically a rear foot elevated split squat) can and should replace back squatting for athletes. While I won’t go that far, the split squat can certainly be a useful movement in many situations.
One is when a bilateral leg imbalance, that is a strength differential between the right and left legs, develops for some reason. The split squat is one of many ways to go about correcting this. A second place where the split squat can be useful (and this seems to be the main thrust of the strength coach mentioned above’s argument) is when the low back is limiting squat poundages.… Keep Reading