This exercise setup is simple yet incredibly effective for increasing the tension on your quads and glutes in a split squat.
This one will give you serious leg day problems. I was shocked at how well it worked for hitting the quads and the glutes.
Now, I won't claim to have invented this one because it seems like somebody probably should have already. It's not complicated...I just haven't seen it.
If you've seen or tried this one and know it by another name, let me know! I think it looks like the starting block of a sprint race (ish).
Essentially, what you're doing is a Bulgarian Split Squat style of exercise but with your back foot pressed up against the vertical face of a rack upright or wall.
I liked the rack for this because the bottom bit of the rack elevated my toes a few inches and that felt more effective. If you're using a wall, you can just set a bumper plate on the floor and see how it feels.
Set the dumbbells on the floor a few feet away from the rack then reach back with one leg and set your foot vertically on the upright.
Keep it there then get into the bottom lunge position. It's fine for your heel to come off a bit.
Stand up into the top of a split squat.
Now drop down and do split squats from there.
The key difference here with this one versus the regular Bulgarian is that as you come up, because your back leg isn't resting on a bench or anything else, your back leg has to PUSH against the vertical object HARD to stabilize your body, engaging the glute of the back leg.
This means as you're pushing UP and back with your front leg, your back leg is pushing FORWARD against it, ramping up the overall tension.
I found it actually created great accommodating resistance as I came up to the top, making the exercise get harder and harder as I came up (and the leverage gets better and you get stronger).
It puts MONSTER tension on the quads and glutes of the front leg because of this.
When you're done, switch legs (or take a rest first) then repeat on the other leg.
If you're looking for a new leg day exercise, absolutely give this one a try. It takes no time at all to setup and it didn't feel any different on my knees than a Bulgarian split squat...just ramped up the tension very effectively.
I'm going to be working this one regularly going forward...it felt GREAT.
Another excellent version of the Split Squat is the Dumbbell Switch Leg Split Squat.
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