Both of these exercises use a “hip hinge” movement to build muscle while developing the kind of practical, real-world strength that makes you the go-to person when your friends need help moving. Both exercises also have unique characteristics that could make each one an effective choice under certain conditions and training contexts.

There is no “right” or “wrong” answer when it’s time to choose your deadlift. You simply need a better understanding of what these two hinging movements can offer. So if you’re in a certain “one deadlift rules the world” camp, your eyes are about to be opened to a new way of thinking about these powerful pulls.

Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift

• Exercise Differences
• Exercise Similarities
• How to Do the Deadlift
• How to Do the Romanian Deadlift
• How to Program the Best Deadlift for You

Exercise Differences

For consistency’s sake throughout the article, “the deadlift” refers to the conventional deadlift, while the Romanian deadlift refers, clearly, to the Romanian deadlift variation. If you’re curious about sumo deadlifts, sorry, but they’re not part of this conversation. However, they do share many of the same characteristics as the conventional deadlift.

Muscle Activation

Both the deadlift and Romanian deadlift involve hip extension, your glutes and hamstrings are activated and trained effectively. However, the deadlift starts from the floor and involves a more significant knee bend aka knee flexion.

This factor alone makes a huge difference because it’s what gives you more leverage to lift more weight with the classic deadlift. This is also why it’s a preferred stance for competitive powerlifters.

The improved leverage increases quadriceps activation, making the deadlift one of the most comprehensive lower body exercises by involving the glutes, hamstrings, and quads as one unit. The relatively heavy load and overall stability requirements also increase the demands on your core and back muscles.

Contrastingly, the Romanian deadlift is performed without significant knee flexion. This limits your leverage while involving many of the same muscles — except for the quadriceps. This is why the RDL is often considered a primary hamstring exercise. (1)

Eccentric Emphasis

The Romanian deadlift starts from the top, while you are standing upright, and it focuses on controlling the lowering phase (eccentric). This controlled eccentric emphasis is what gives you relatively more control over the movement.

Generally speaking, many people do not control their eccentrics during conventional deadlifts. They typically lift the weight explosively before dropping the weight nearly as quickly. This drop is often (and unfortunately) accompanied by a celebratory scream after each successful lift regardless of gym etiquette.

This difference in the eccentric emphasis, or lack of, can make the cadence and overall effect of the exercises quite distinct. With the higher degree of eccentric control, Romanian deadlifts may be better for training muscular deceleration (crucial for athleticism) as well as hip and hamstring flexibility-related adaptations.

Range of Motion

In a deadlift, the added knee flexion reduces the necessary range of motion at hip extension — because you’re bending at your knees, you can lift the weight without bending significantly at your waist. This also limits the range of motion for your glutes and hamstrings, especially in their stretched position (at the bottom of the exercise).

The goal of a Romanian deadlift is to push your hips back and not perform any large degree of knee flexion. Combine this with the eccentric control mentioned earlier and you get a much longer range of motion with your glutes and hamstrings, especially in the stretched position which recent research is finding to be incredibly anabolic. (2)

Strength Potential

Between the two movements, the deadlift is often more popular because its nature and overall technique allow you to lift relatively heavier weights. That’s why it made the list as one of the three movements performed in competitive powerlifting.

For non-powerlifters, conventional deadlifts can simply feel invigorating and motivating because of the sheer strength-building potential they offer.

Romanian deadlifts allow for less absolute load because of their mechanics. No knee flexion means fewer muscles involved and less loading potential. They’re still a potentially heavy exercise, but Romanian deadlift PRs are not bragged about nearly as often. When people ask how much you deadlift, it’s safe to assume they’re talking about conventional deadlifts from the floor.

Fatigue

This is one of the main differences that many people overlook. Not only is the level of fatigue different, but the type of fatigue is different between the two movements.

Because deadlifts involve more muscles and are often performed heavier, they’re generally more fatiguing. Whether you train with relatively higher reps or low reps, you can often count on feeling pretty beat up after doing deadlifts.

Especially as you get more advanced, one or two sets of deadlifts with a challenging weight or significant volume can leave you fried. This is often described as “systemic fatigue,” where your whole body is affected. Anecdotally, some people also tend to feel more joint stress with deadlifts.

Romanian deadlifts are typically performed with relatively lighter weights, so they trigger less joint stress and are less systemically fatiguing. This makes Romanian deadlifts generally easier to recover from. However, they can produce more fatigue and muscle soreness in the local muscles specifically involved in the exercise.

Romanian deadlifts also involve lots of eccentric stretching. This type of stress through a longer range of motion inflicts a higher degree of muscle damage. After you’ve pushed yourself with Romanian deadlifts, you can feel a clear difference where your glutes and hamstrings may even feel like they’re tearing. This causes your glutes and hamstrings to be more sore.

Exercise Similarities

Both exercises have differences that can be a factor, depending on your goal. However, they also share fundamental similarities and crossover. Most people in the gym, aside from competitive powerlifters, would likely not notice a drastic difference in long-term progress if they were to substitute one for the other.

Hip Hinges

The deadlift and Romanian deadlift are both “hip hinges” — your body primarily moves by bending at the hips. This action trains many muscles throughout your body by coordinating strength, force transfer, and stability from your lower to upper body.

This comprehensive effect allows you to build strength, muscle, and athleticism. Fulfilling these roles is often more important than some of their unique differences.

Posterior Chain Development

Your glutes and hamstrings, along with your low back, are all targeted with both the deadlift and Romanian deadlift. In other words, these exercises develop that backside many people are after.

You need some sort of basic hip hinge in your training program to efficiently target those eye-catching glute and hamstring muscles, while also strengthening your low back.

Building a powerful posterior chain has also been shown to help maintain strength and potentially decrease the general risk of injury and incidence of back pain. (3)

How to Do the Deadlift

The deadlift is often considered one of the foundational lifts that every beginner in the gym should learn. While that may or may not be true, the deadlift (as a hip hinge) remains a fundamental movement pattern that targets a variety of muscles from your hamstrings to your upper back.

This makes it an efficient and effective exercise for several goals, and mastering this exercise should likely be on the to-do list for the majority of gym-goers.

• Stand before a bar with your feet hip-width apart and the bar lined up over the middle of your feet. Grab the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Adjust slightly to get your shins close to the bar.
• Bend at your hips and knees, lowering yourself down while maintaining a neutral spine. Your shoulders should be slightly in front of the bar and your gaze should be focused on a spot on the floor a few feet in front of the bar.
• Engage your core and lat muscles to stabilize your spine. Grip the bar hard, take a deep breath, and brace your core. Drive through your legs, while extending (straightening) your hips and knees simultaneously.
• Keep your chest up. The barbell should move in a vertical path, staying in contact with your legs as you stand up.
• Drive through your heels until you reach a fully upright position. At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes to achieve a strong lockout. Your hips and knees should be fully extended.
• To lower the bar, hinge at your hips, push your hips back, and bend your knees slightly. Avoid rounding your back or letting the barbell drift away from your legs. Lower with control — don’t simply drop the bar.
• Once the barbell is back on the ground, take a moment to reset your starting position before beginning the next repetition.

How to Do the Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift may have a reputation as being more “for muscle” rather than “for strength,” but that’s not really accurate. The increased glute and hamstring recruitment can definitely benefit muscle-building, but you can still gradually work up to relatively heavy weights in the lift if you choose to train for strength.

Alternatively, some lifters focus on the longer range of motion and increased stretching offered by the Romanian deadlift. In any case, it’s a versatile exercise that can be a key player in any workout routine.

• Grasp a barbell using an overhand grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, allowing the bar to rest against your upper thighs. Either begin with the bar in a rack or deadlift the bar into position.
• Engage your core. Push your glutes backward and hinge at your hips to begin the movement. Keep a slight bend in your knees but avoid excessive knee flexion. Maintain a straight back as you move.
• Lower the barbell along the front of your thighs. Continue descending until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Avoid rounding your back during the descent.
• To find the bottom position, if mobility allows, aim for your torso to reach almost parallel to the ground with the barbell somewhere between your knees and ankles.
• To return upright, drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes. Keep your back straight and focus on feeling your hamstrings and glutes lift the weight. As you stand up, maintain control and avoid any jerking motions.

When to Program the Deadlift vs. Romanian Deadlift

For most people, the most effective way to program these exercises is to simply switch from using the conventional deadlift to the Romanian deadlift. The Romanian deadlift is superior for building lean muscle on your glutes and hamstrings, which is often a higher priority than lifting heavy weights.

In general, if you’re looking to build the highest level of strength and you want a more comprehensive exercise that recruits the maximum number of muscles, consider programming the deadlift.

However, the Romanian deadlift is the better choice for a posterior chain hypertrophy exercise. It takes the glutes and hamstrings through a longer range of motion with a muscle-building stretch.

Both are demanding compound exercises that should be programmed early in your leg day, ideally as your first or second exercise. To reduce cumulative stress and fatigue on supporting muscles, avoid programming anything too demanding on the lower back in the next workout, like back squats or direct back extensions.

Pick Your Heavy Hinges

The deadlift and Romanian deadlift are both highly effective hip hinges that will get you strong and build plenty muscle. While this might sound oversimplified, it’s not entirely wrong to think of the deadlift as a “high leverage lift that cuts range of motion to move big weights” while the Romanian deadlift is a “more controlled, long range of motion muscle-builder for the glutes and hamstrings.” You can’t go wrong with either, but one might edge forward depending on your specific needs.

References

1. Martín-Fuentes, I., Oliva-Lozano, J. M., & Muyor, J. M. (2020). Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PloS one, 15(2), e0229507. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229507
2. Nunes, J. P., Schoenfeld, B. J., Nakamura, M., Ribeiro, A. S., Cunha, P. M., & Cyrino, E. S. (2020). Does stretch training induce muscle hypertrophy in humans? A review of the literature. Clinical physiology and functional imaging, 40(3), 148–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpf.12622
3. Tataryn, N., Simas, V., Catterall, T., Furness, J., & Keogh, J. W. L. (2021). Posterior-Chain Resistance Training Compared to General Exercise and Walking Programmes for the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine – open, 7(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-021-00306-w

Featured Image: 4 PM production / Shutterstock

The post Deadlift vs. Romanian Deadlift: Learn the Best Way to Hit Your Posterior Chain appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Bumstead has been open about his training, as shown in a recent YouTube video documenting a leg workout he took on with Christian Guzman, Bumstead’s business partner and occasional training partner.

The title of the video — “This Leg Day Really Sucked” — apparently expressed Bumstead’s feelings about the workout but, in strength sports, if a workout “sucks,” it can be a good thing in the long-run.

The intense training session took place at the Revive Gym in Stuart, FL, and it kicked off with Bumstead walking on a stepmill while facing backward, to warm-up. Walking backward can help target everything in the upper thighs, especially the glutes, while reducing knee strain.

Leg Extension

Bumstead began the lifting session with leg extensions, which are an effective way to isolate the quadriceps and warm-up the knees. You can also see that he isn’t wearing shoes, which is typical for the four-time champion. He has previously said that the unconventional habit helps him feel more stable on leg day and improves his mind-muscle connection.

At one point, the machine was loaded with a total of 134 kilograms (295 pounds) and Bumstead can be seen powering through 10 repetitions. Throughout the workout, Guzman followed Bumstead with his own sets.

How to Do It: Sit on a leg extension machine and place your legs behind the pad. Sit back on the seat and hold on to the handles. Lift the pad with your legs and flex your quads once your knees are close to the locked out position. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

Hack Squat

The second movement of the day was the hack squat. Bumstead performed a long range of motion, dropping deep into the hole with each rep. This technique places even more stress on the quadriceps muscles. The bodybuilder worked in the 10 to 15-rep range, ending with 245 kilograms (540 pounds) for six repetitions before quickly reducing the weight to 163 kilograms (360 pounds) for a drop set and completing seven additional reps.

How to Do It: Place your feet evenly on the foot platform and place your shoulders underneath the support pads. Once you feel solid and stable in position, lift the sled by straightening your knees and unlock the safety handles. Go as deep as you safely can into the bottom position — ideally achieve your hips below your knees. Drive your feet into the footplate and push yourself back to the starting position. Repeat for the desired reps and return the handles to their original location to lock the machine back into place.

Leg Press

The third quad-focused movement was the leg press. Bumstead explained that he has shifting his focus to use a relatively wider stance than in the past, to target his adductors (inner thighs) and outer quadriceps muscles. Bumstead worked up to a top set with 367 kilograms (810 pounds) and performed 10 reps, followed by a drop set down to 285 kilograms (630 pounds) where he did 15 more reps. He then has more weight removed, down to 204 kilograms (450 pounds) and he goes to failure with 20 agonizing repetitions.

How to Do It: Sit with your back firmly against the pad. Place your feet evenly on the footplate and push it forward to release the safety handles and take control of the sled. Bend your knees and lower the footplate as deep as you comfortably can. Keep you feet flat and press the sled back to the starting position. Repeat for the desired reps. Lock he sled into place with the safety handles.

Walking Lunge

The next movement of the workout was the dumbbell walking lunge. Bumstead was on marked turf with a pair of dumbbells. He focused on taking large steps forward and lunged down as close to the floor as possible. He then returned to a standing position and took his next step with the opposite foot. Only one set is performed on camera, but Bumstead later said they did two. As a spectator might expect, he was showing clear signs of exhaustion at this point in the workout.

How to Do It: Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand tall. Take a step forward and lower your rear knee toward the floor, getting as low as you can. Push through your lead foot to return to a standing position and bring your back foot forward. Take your next step with the opposite foot and perform a repetition the same way. You’ve now done one rep for each leg. Repeat for the desired reps or distance you wish to complete.

Seated Calf Raise and Adductor Machine

The tail-end of the workout shifted the focus to the calves, specifically the soleus muscle. Bumstead performs a set of seated calf raises with one 20-kilogram (45-pound) plate. He then finishes the session on the adductor machine, to give even more attention to building his inner thighs, before calling it a day.

How to Do the Seated Calf Raise: Sit with your knees under the pads. Position your feet with your toes on the footplate and your heels hanging off. Push through your toes to contract your calves and lift the weight up to release the safety handle. Lower your heels as far as you safely can to stretch your calves. Drive through your toes to lift the weight as high as possible and maximally contract your calves. Briefly hold the top position. Repeat for the desired reps, but finish with a contraction so you can return the handle and lock the machine into place.

How to Do the Adductor Machine: Sit on the machine with the pads on your inner thighs. Release the weight so you have control of it. Squeeze your thighs together to bring the pads in as close as possible, ideally touching the pads together. Slowly release tension to allow your legs to spread out. Once you feel a stretch, repeat for the desired reps.

The full details of Bumstead’s intense leg workout weren’t shared in the video, but you can try a sample version of this workout by following the guide below:

Classic Physique Olympia-Style Leg Workout

• Leg Extension — 3 x12
• Hack Squat — 3 x 12-15
• Leg Press — 2 x 12-15, 1 x 12-15 followed by a double drop set to failure
• Walking Lunge — 2 x 12 per leg
• Seated Calf Raise — 2 sets to failure (20 or more repetitions)
• Adductors — 2 sets to failure (15 or more repetitions)

Featured Image: Chris Bumstead on YouTube

The post Chris Bumstead Endures Brutal Leg Session in the Offseason appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you’re in either of these categories, you’re in luck. Sometimes it helps to consider similar alternatives to the basic squat, so you can get all the benefits of the exercise using a variation that better suits your individual needs.

Plus, it can break up the monotony of a potentially stale workout program if you’ve hit a plateau. Changing things up to find what works for you is half the battle for long-term results and one or more of these may be the game changer you need.

Best Squat Variations

• Front Squat
• Zercher Squat
• Overhead Squat
• Kang Squat
• Heels-Elevated Dumbbell Squat
• Goblet Squat
• Box Squat
• Hatfield Squat
• Skater Squat

Front Squat

The front squat is a classic alternative to the more common and ubiquitous back squat. As a whole, the front squat can allow similar loading, as long as your mobility is on point. It can also promote a longer range of motion with less potential for lumbar spine injury.

Because the front squat is a more “athletic” variation compared to many other squats, it relies on coordinating strength from both your upper and lower body. In certain fitness worlds, like Olympic lifting or CrossFit, it’s considered the go-to squat variation. 

When to Do it 

If you’re looking to hit the quads a bit harder or achieve a deeper squat with a long range of motion (either by choice or due to immobility in your back squat), the front squat is for you.  Many lifters’ anthropometry and leverages don’t suit the back squat, but are better suited to the front squat due to its counterbalancing attributes. If you’ve got very long femurs or long legs overall, you owe it to your lower body development to give these a shot.  

How to Do it

There are two classic grips to hold the barbell on the front of the body while squatting. The relatively easier way is to use a cross-armed grip, also known also as the “California” style. Set a barbell in a squat rack and step up with your throat close to the bar. Cross your arms over one another — place the fingers of each hand on top of the bar near the opposite shoulder.

Keep your elbows high and hold the bar place with the thumb and first finger of each hand. This will also help to block the bar from rolling forward down the shoulders. Step out of the rack with your upper body in a strong position, set a comfortable-width stance, and proceed to squat. 

The second option is using a clean-grip rack position — holding the barbell across the fronts of your shoulders with a fully closed grip. This is a more stable and relatively safer variation but requires a lot more mobility and flexibility, especially in your thoracic region (upper back), wrists, and shoulders.

To determine if you can comfortably use the clean-grip, try to touch each shoulder with the same-side hand while standing. If you can, you likely have the mobility to do these, maybe with some practice mixed in. When using a clean-grip, aim to keep your elbows high at all times, especially during the lowering phase.

Zercher Squat

The Zercher squat moves the barbell from being supported via an axial load (on your spine) and places the onus on your arms instead. That means huge accountability for your core —  both from the front (your abs) and the back (particularly your lower back) — to brace and stabilize your spine as the movement progresses.

The Zercher squat isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a challenging squat movement that can even be simply uncomfortable to perform. It’s best done early in the workout when you’re fresh, compared to later on when your shoulders, arms, and core are fatigued.

When to Do it 

Because the Zercher squat uses an appendicular load (supporting the weight with your arms), the movement is a great way to begin a core-focused workout. Moreover, lifters who have issues getting their arms and shoulders into position for standard barbell squats  — think about how some shoulder injuries can prevent holding the bar during a back squat — the Zercher squat can be a suitable alternative. Aside from these stipulations, these can be added to any training session as a worthy challenge for any lifter up for the task. 

How to Do it 

Performing Zercher squats requires placing the barbell in the crook of your arms, so it’s being carried and supported by your elbows. Set up a barbell at waist-level. When placing your elbows under the bar to unrack it, avoid an arm width that’s too narrow. That will lead to limited stability, likely causing the bar to tip one way or the other. Aim to keep your knuckles facing the ceiling at all times. This way, the bar will be positioned squarely between your upper and lower arm, rather than falling toward your forearms. 

Holding your hands together while performing the movement may be helpful to fulfill the above cues. As you squat, keep the weight relatively close to your body. In the bottom position, let your elbows rest between your thighs and maintain as vertical a torso as possible. Drive up to the top, and repeat.

For added comfort, try using “fat grips” or thick padding on the bar where your forearms will go. The added surface area will disperse some of the loading, which should take some pressure off your elbow joint. 

Overhead Squat

Of all the squat variations of this list, the overhead squat requires the most prerequisite mobility and stability. The movement simply cannot be done without proper joint integrity at your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. You also need good extension through your thoracic and lumbar spine.

Doing this exercise forces a lifter to be highly accountable to factors like tempo and technique, while respecting physics, the weight lifted, and the multitude of muscles involved. There’s no arguing with the laws of the universe. Anything out of sorts will cause the barbell to come down. With all of this said, this movement should be reserved for those who have uninhibited ranges of motion in their load bearing joints.

When to Do it

Especially if you’re an Olympic weightlifter performing the snatch or the clean & jerk, the overhead squat can improve strength in the catch or push jerk phases of those lifts. The overhead squat should be done without the presence of any muscular fatigue, so programming it first in the daily order of exercises is a wise choice. 

How to Do it

An overhead squat requires a snatch-grip to secure the bar. To find your snatch grip, stand tall while holding the barbell with a palms-down grip. Gradually adjust your grip wider and wider until the bar naturally sits in your hip fold. Next, raise the bar overhead to full extension, maintaining that hand width.

Get into your ideal squat stance and squeeze “outward” on the bar with both hands to create tension through your entire back. As you descend into a squat, aim to never let the bar fall outside of your footprint — either forward or backward. The bar should descend and ascend in a generally straight line. Move slowly and keep reps on the lower end.

Kang Squat 

The Kang squat can be used as its own exercise or as a premier mobilization drill, warm-up, and pattern developer. Its biggest benefit is that it uniquely segments the squat into a more posterior chain-biased movement pattern. This emphasizes a good range of motion and bottom-end stability.

Another great thing about the Kang squat is the fact that it places the hamstrings in a loaded stretch, which can allow them to release tension in the pelvis due to eccentric lengthening. That can mean a deeper and more comfortable squat that also helps cranky knees, due to improved activation of the hamstrings.

When to Do it

Use the Kang squat in the first half of a squat-focused workout. This approach will torch your posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes) and make those muscles more available for activation during squats later in the session. Starting your leg workout with Kang squats can also act as a good CNS primer for any larger compound (multi-joint) movement.

How to Do it

The Kang squat begins similar to a good morning — performing a deep hip hinge with slightly bent legs, holding the bar on your upper traps. It’s essential to place tension across the bar by “pulling it apart” to keep the barbell in place.

After your hinge reaches its limit, it’s time for the knees to enter the picture by allowing a full knee bend, enabling your glutes to descend into a deep squat. Next, come out of the hole by raising your hips back into the good morning position. Your glutes and lower back extend your body back to its upright starting point. Try to pause in each phase to make the movement concise and segmented. Focus on sets of four to six reps.  

Heels-Elevated Dumbbell Squat 

Whenever mobility is lacking, or if your goal is to really hammer your quads, it may not be in the cards to simply rely on dorsiflexion (ankle mobility) or a front-positioned load to get the job done.

If you’re a lifter with stiff ankles, or if you have great mobility but want to really make your knees and quads bionically super-strong, elevating your heels and holding dumbbells at your sides is the squat variation for you.

When to Do it

This movement is less of a “big lift” compared to other large movements like barbell-loaded exercises, leg presses, or deadlifts, so it can actually happen second or later in your workout. Doing so will also make your quadriceps more targeted, especially if other leg muscles are fatigued. Using dumbbells rather than a barbell also keeps the movement more focused on your lower body with relatively less involvement from your upper body. 

How to Do it

If possible, use a dedicated slant board rather than simply elevating your heels on the edges of weight plates. Having your entire foot on a slope makes a major difference due to the angle of your metatarsals, which affect your arches and weight distribution.

This movement will definitely promote a rock-bottom range of motion, which means maximal knee flexion for a massive hit to your quads. The quads generally respond well to high reps, so that should be the aim for this movement. Pump out sets of 10-15 reps and try to enjoy the burn. Make sure not to rush the tempo — more time under tension can mean more muscle growth. (1)

Goblet Squat 

Goblet squats are a go-to movement for anyone, especially beginners, looking to improve their squatting technique. Not only is the exercise accessible for every lifter, but it’s front loaded, making counterbalancing and stability easier. Since your elbows are positioned downward and the weight’s position near your torso is slightly adjustable, it usually promotes a great depth with minimal modifications necessary.

In general, lifters should aim to become competent enough to perform relatively heavy goblet squats to start out and build a foundation, and then transition to a barbell back squat.

When to Do it

Novice lifters can use this as their bread and butter squat to really nail down the patterning and get a great lower body hit. Using this exercise on its own, or as part of a superset with another leg exercise, is effective.

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to use maximum weights, as most gyms don’t have extremely heavy dumbbells (and your strength will eventually exceed the limit). For that reason, using the goblet squat as a muscle-building tool for moderate to higher repetitions is the right call.

How to Do it

Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in front of you at shoulder-height using both hands. Keep the weight in this position, set your feet for your ideal squat stance, and sit down.

To get deep and feel comfortable, you may feel better pushing the weight a couple of inches away from your torso as you descend. This is especially useful if you’re lacking mobility at the ankle or hip joints. Focus on using a slower speed on the way down and a stronger, powerful speed coming up. Focus on sets of eight to 10 reps.

Box Squat 

Squatting to a box does a few unique things. First, it keeps you accountable to a consistent target so there’s no margin for error or questionable depth. Secondly, it encourages a dead stop for no transfer of energy or use of the stretch reflex to “sling” your way out of the bottom position using momentum or elastic forces rather than muscular control.

Lastly, the box squat can hit your posterior chain a bit harder and salvage your knees from unwanted joint pain. Using the box helps to eliminate forward migration of the shin and prevents you from reaching too deep a position which could require more knee extension.

When to Do it 

The box squat is typically treated as strength-focused movement. Perform them heavy, with standard principles of progressive overload applying — adding repetitions or increasing the weight each workout. Box squats can also occupy a high-volume role in your workout, using relatively low rep ranges, plenty of sets, and focusing on hip drive and overall technique. In either case, perform the box squat as the first movement of the workout.

How to Do it

When box squatting, it’s typical to use a sturdy box that puts your upper thigh parallel to the ground, not lower, when you’re in the bottom of the squat. This becomes even more important since your body’s geometry needs to slightly change from that of a typical back squat.

Use a low-bar squat position, to accommodate for keeping your shins much more vertical, which will force your torso to lean forward more than usual. Your foot width will be a bit wider — at least one extra step to the side — to allow for the low-bar position and to suit the box width.

Focus on remaining tight while gently, but fully, sitting down on the box. After sitting down, drive hard with your hips — upward and then forward— to create the posterior chain tension necessary to get out of the hole. Sets of three to five reps is ideal for this exercise. 

Hatfield Squat 

The Hatfield squat makes use of a safety bar and the squat cage in a unique way.  The squat is actually performed “hands free” while using the rack itself as a guide to encourage more repetitions with heavier weights.

The support of the rack will also take some of the focus away from your upper body to shift attention to your lower body. The results is better technique, a stronger pump, and deep range of motion. Note: You cannot perform this exercise with a standard barbell.

When to Do it 

This is more of a hypertrophy training tool and they can be added to a lower body workout geared toward building muscle. This movement is most conducive to higher reps, while giving your muscles a chance to push themselves a bit further than normal with heavier weight. 

How to Do it 

The one non-negotiable piece of equipment needed for a Hatfield squat is a safety bar. Place the loaded bar on the rack, get into the pads, and carefully step out from the rack. Place both hands on either support beam around waist height. The safety bar will be balancing on your upper back, but it should be secure due to its handles and offset center of gravity.

Squat down using the support beams for assistance. Keep your torso upright, but really use your hands to guide your way up and down. It’s okay if you don’t come to an absolute full extension — the name of the game is getting a few more reps in. You can use a slightly faster pace as long as you remain in control of the weight. Focus on sets of 10-15 reps, and don’t shy away from heavier than normal weight for said rep range. You should be able to do it with the hand-supported assistance. 

Skater Squat 

A list of squat variations wouldn’t be complete without highlighting a unilateral exercise, and one of the most important ones that doesn’t lend itself to cheating is the skater squat. This enforces stability through your hip and knee joint and makes your glutes, quads, and ankles work overtime to stabilize the leg, making this exercise possible.

Especially if you’re suffering from bilateral imbalances or joint issues in your hips, knees, or ankles, this variation belongs in your program. It likely won’t take much more than bodyweight to get a major training effect from them, so they can be performed nearly anywhere or anytime.

When to Do it 

Positioning this exercise as an accessory movement in a squat workout, as a primer and warm-up before a lower body workout, or as its own prioritized exercise on a “weak link” training day is all fair game. What matters the most is that it gets done. A good skater squat is an indicator of lower body health and strength. 

How to Do it 

Stand with on one foot planted on the ground and the opposite leg bent roughly 90-degrees with the foot in the air. Lean forward slightly and extend your arms in front of you as a natural counterbalance. Making fists can also help with stability. Descend slowly, aiming to gently touch the back knee to the ground. On contact, drive with your front leg — don’t push off with the knee, shin, or foot of the back leg — and return to a standing position.

You can adjust the depth of movement by placing a short platform or stacked mats where your back knee contacts the ground. This will create a shorter range of motion so you can build strength and stability. Focus on sets of anywhere from six to 12 reps per leg, depending on your lower body health, strength, and conditioning.

Back Squat Form Tips 

Of course, it’s worthwhile to go over the old classic. As far as squats go, the barbell back squat is the most ubiquitous “squat” you’ll ever see, but it’s also the most butchered. Let’s go over the checklist for an exercise that’s effective at training your quads, glutes, core, and total body mobility.

Let’s break things down step by step. 

• Set the loaded bar in the rack at shoulder level and step underneath it. Position your hands just outside shoulder-width.
• Pull your shoulder blades back and bring your elbows slightly behind your body to create a perfect “shelf” to rest the bar on. Stand up under the bar so it’s comfortably positioned on that muscular shelf.
• Unrack the bark, take two steps backward, and even out your stance. You should be far enough away from the rack supports that you don’t crash into them on your descent or ascent. 
• Try to pull the barbell apart. This will help you brace your entire upper body. Maintain this tension for the duration of your set. Get your feet ready in a comfortable, stable width and turn feet slightly out. 
• Take a big breath in and brace your core — if your six-pack looks selfie-ready when you’re squatting, you’re doing it wrong. Get a big belly full of air and hold it for most of the repetition. Try to only let the breath out near the top of each rep.
• Descend slowly and under control. This will allow you to focus on tension, bracing, and alignment. Your knees should not cave inward. Instead, ensure they track in the same direction as your toes (slightly outward).
• Once you’ve descended with your thighs just below parallel, drive up strongly by squeezing your glutes. Aim for your shoulders to lead the way up, not your hips. The bar should travel in a straight line up and down, and your heels should remain planted.

Plenty of Squats, Plenty of Gains

Some lifters think a leg workout is incomplete without squats. That may or may not be true, but the bottomline is that some type of squat — whether it’s the classic back squat or any of the unique variations listed above — can be just the answer when you’re looking for a stronger lower body, more muscular legs, or improved mobility. Time to get some wheels.

References

1. Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200

Featured Image: Photology1971 / Shutterstock

The post The 9 Best Squat Variations for Size, Strength, and More appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

When lifters talk about squats, they’re generally referring to the barbell back squat, even though there are many different ways to perform “a squat.” But there are even two primary types of back squats — the low-bar squat and the high-bar squat. In the high-bar squat, the barbell is resting on your upper traps, while the low-bar position nestles the bar across your posterior deltoids or even lower in some extreme cases.

Even though the two exercises might look similar from a distance, they have their own benefits and one or the other might better suit your specific goals. To figure out which squat setup is best for you, let’s compare them.

Low-Bar Squat and High-Bar Squat

• Exercise Differences
• Exercise Similarities
• How to Do the Low-Bar Squat
• How to Do the High-Bar Squat
• How to Program the Best Squat for You

Exercise Differences

At first glance, there are only a few inches of difference in bar placement. Surely that can’t make a dramatic difference, can it? It can. Here’s how each squat best serves a different purpose.

Strength Potential

Setting the barbell in a lower position decreases the moment arm between the bar and your hips. As such, you can use heavier loads with the low-bar squat. The lever is shorter, which means the same amount of force generated by your hips and back muscles, you can move more weight.

Your core is also more compact and resilient, and your upper back is stronger in a low-bar position. You face less risk of bending forward or having your upper back collapse with the low-bar squat.

This is why this variation is favored by powerlifters and most strength athletes. Some of them even put the barbell as low on their back as it can be without sliding down — to decrease the moment arm as much as possible, improve their leverage, and lift as much weight as possible. If you’re concerned with lifting as much weight as possible, then you should probably make the low-bar squat your primary choice. (1)

Muscle Recruitment

One consequence of having the barbell lower is that you have to adopt a more forward-leaning torso position. This increases your hip angle and, the greater it is, the more you’ll recruit your hip muscles: glutes, lower back, and hamstrings.

On the other hand, with the high-bar squat, you can maintain a more upright posture, but it increases knee flexion. You’ll put more stress on your quadriceps and it will be easier to feel them working. You also target the abs more because they’re more strongly recruited in an upright position.

This makes the low-bar squat more of a “posterior chain”-dominant movement (emphasizing your glutes, lower back, and hamstrings) while the high-bar squat also recruits your “anterior chain” (emphasizing your quadriceps and abdominals).

This is why the high-bar squat is the more common choice for bodybuilders and physique-focused lifters.The exercise suits those interested in building more muscular legs, particularly the relatively larger quadriceps.

Go with the high-bar squat if you want to emphasize your quads, but use low-bar squats if you’re more concerned with targeting your glutes and hamstrings.

Technique and Mobility

It can be difficult to find your ”groove” and adapt to low-bar squatting. You have to find your own ideal torso angle, decide an optimal barbell position, determine how much to sit back, etc. And this is emphasized because mobility requirements in your shoulders and hips will dictate the limits of your form.

Indeed, the barbell position in a low-bar squat requires a good deal of shoulder mobility to hold the bar in position, as well as external rotation and wrist stability. Low-bar squats are notorious for putting a relatively high degree of stress on your wrists and shoulders. This is why some powerlifters wear wrist wraps when squatting, or avoid the low-bar squat to save shoulder strain for their bench press.

If you have no mobility issues or old injuries nagging you, you’re good to go. But if you’re a battered gym veteran, or if your shoulders and elbows are tender, stick to the high-bar squat — at least until the pain and issues are gone and you have developed adequate mobility to squat pain-free.

Exercise Similarities

With both exercises being squats, they do share many similarities and overlapping benefits.

Bilateral Development

Both types of squats are multi-joint leg exercises that involve hip, knee, and ankle joints to work many muscle groups including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and even your back and core. (2) Squats will mainly grow your legs, but they can actually contribute to making your whole body bigger and stronger. (3)

Because these squats work both lower body limbs at the same time, you’re more stable, and can generate more strength, lift more weight, and potentially stimulate more hypertrophy. They also help save time since you don’t have to switch legs with every set you perform.

Posterior Loading

Compared to other squats variations, both the low-bar and the high-bar squat are back squats, meaning that the loading is focused on your posterior chain because the bar is resting on your upper back muscles. This isn’t the case, for instance, with the Zercher squat or front squat which load the front half of your body and emphasize your anterior chain.

As such, both the low-bar squat and high-bar squat have the potential to load relatively heavy weight and they are effective for building strength. Compared to front-loaded squat movements, your torso is less upright and you undergo more hip flexion and less knee flexion.

The back-focused bar position, whether it’s low-bar or high-bar, implies more recruitment in the posterior chain — hamstring, glutes, and lower back — and less recruitment in the anterior chain — quadriceps and abs. (4) If you’re interested in developing your posterior chain and lifting plenty of weight, then one of these back squat variations are your go-to.

How to Do the Low-Bar Squat

With the low-bar squat, the barbell is not placed on the traps. Get under a barbell and position it even lower, on your posterior deltoid (the rear of your shoulders) above the top of your armpits. Squeeze your shoulder blades as much as possible to create a “shelf” needed to hold the barbell in place. Bend forward slightly at the waist to prevent the bar from moving around or possibly falling.

Once the barbell is secure, step back and adopt a shoulder-width (or slightly wider) stance. Bend at your hips and knees until your thighs break parallel with the floor. Aim to keep the barbell over your midfoot at all times. This keeps you in a powerful position of leverage.. Push back up until your legs are straight.

Form tip: To help create the cushion of arm, shoulder, and upper back muscles necessary to hold the barbell in position, bring your hands slightly closer. This will help you squeeze your shoulder blades even more. It might prove uncomfortable at first, so make sure to properly warm-up your shoulders and back before low-bar squatting.

Benefits of the Low-Bar Squat

• The low-bar squat puts you in a position to lift the most weight of any squat variation. This is the one you want to prioritize if you want to compete in strength sports like powerlifting or strongman/strongwoman contests, or if you’re simply interested in lifting really heavy weights for fun.
• Low-bar squats deliver more posterior chain recruitment. Your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back will be activated more than with other squat variations.

Low-Bar Squat Variations

If you want to give your shoulders a break, or want to attack the squat from another angle, here are some variations you might want to try.

Safety Bar Squat

If you have access to a safety bar, it can be an excellent piece of gym equipment. Its main purpose is to make the exercise less stressful on your shoulders, elbows, and neck. In summary, it’s a very accessible squat for people who have joint mobility issues. You can mimic the low-bar squat torso angle and general technique, while sitting back farther and bending forward with less trouble.

The safety bar squat also has the benefits of overloading your traps, upper back, and abs. (5) If the low-bar squat irritates your shoulders or if you want to improve your upper back strength, give this variation a go. 

Box Squat

Technically, you could do box squats with a high-bar position, but the overall mechanics and purpose of box squats are better suited with the low-bar position. For this variation, you use a box or a bench, sit back, and squat down. Pause for a second on the bench or box, then contract your glutes and hamstrings to explode upwards. Don’t allow yourself to crash down uncontrolled onto the box.

This movement is a favorite among powerlifters because it’s a great way to teach proper squatting mechanics and consistent depth. The box squat also recruits your posterior chain more efficiently and teaches you to improve explosive power out of the bottom position.

How to Do the High-Bar Squat

Position yourself in front of a barbell in a rack, then duck under and position the bar to sit in the “shelf” of your upper back and traps. Do not rest the bar on your neck or cervical spine. When you have a somewhat comfortable position, grip the bar tightly and unrack it.

Take one step back, then another small step to adjust your position. Your feet should be around shoulder-width, but your exact stance will vary slightly depending on your individual morphology. If you have longer legs, you may be more comfortable with a slightly wider stance.

Take a deep breath and brace your core. Bend your knees and hips simultaneously until the crease of your hips is lower than your knees. Stand up with the weight, exhaling as you pass the midpoint of the repetition.

Form tip: Make sure that your big toes, little toes, and heels are always in contact with the ground. It will help you engage your glutes and should prevent bending forward during the ascent.

Benefits of the High Bar Squat

• This is one of the best exercises to develop muscle throughout your lower body, especially your quadriceps. The powerful stimulus of this total-body exercise is an incredible trigger for overall size and strength.
• High-bar squats are a relatively simple and beginner-friendly barbell squatting variation.
• This movement will put relatively low stress on your joints, particularly sparing your hips from excessive strain.

High-Bar Squat Variations

If you want to take things to the next level and go beyond the traditional high-bar squat, try these variations. Each has its own benefits and could be a better suit for your training goal once you master the initial exercise. 

Smith Machine Squat

The Smith machine has the advantage of being more stable since the bar is on a guided rail. As such, this variation will require less stability and coordination, and you can push yourself harder with reduced risk of injury (from dropping the bar of fatiguing your core and upper body). This is a useful variation if you want to turn up the intensity and approach or reach muscular failure.

It also allows you to focus on the mind-muscle connection and really feel your legs working. This is an ideal exercise if you prioritize hypertrophy or overall safety above strength and heavy weights.

Front Squat

With the high-bar squat, you’re standing quite upright, but the front squat takes things to the next level by demanding super-strict form — if you bend forward, the bar will roll away. This is a useful exercise for teaching good general squat mechanics. The front squat also prevents the lifter from bending too far forward, which would turn the squat into a lower-back focused good morning exercise.

The front-loaded position of the front squat will also emphasize your quadriceps and core even more than other squat variations. It’s a prime choice to boost your Olympic lifts and has direct carryover to the clean & jerk. However, a proper front squat requires a degree of thoracic (upper back), shoulder, and wrist mobility, so it may not be an immediate option for all lifters without doing some mobility work. Choose the front squat if you want to grow your quadriceps as much as possible, improve your core strength, or support your Olympic lifts.

How to Program the Best Squat For You

Both of these lifts are bilateral multi-joint exercises, recruiting a ton of muscles. As such, they can be an effective fit in many training programs for a variety of purposes.

Building Strength

To get as strong as possible, your best bet is to use three to five sets of one to five repetitions with a heavy weight. Both variations are suited for this kind of programming. Which one you employ will depend on your goals. If you’re a powerlifter or a strongman/strongwoman, stick to the low-bar squat, as it is the one with which you lift the most overall weight.

If you’re an Olympic weightlifter or a CrossFitter, the high-bar squat will be your variation of choice, as it has more carryover to the Olympic lifts and the movements you’ll find in competition. If you’re a general gym-goer, pick the variation that feels most natural.

Growing Muscle

For maximal muscle growth, use a classic repetition scheme of three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions. The lower rep range will deliver a moderately heavy stress on the body, while the longer duration sets create a burning sensation for muscle growth.

If your goal is to build muscle, either squat setup could be useful, but most experienced bodybuilders and physique-focused lifters stick with the high-bar squat. Why? They’re not concerned with putting the biggest weights on the bar, but with getting the biggest muscles.

The high-bar squat will target your quadriceps, which are among the biggest muscles on the human body. High-bar squats also put relatively less stress on your shoulders and elbows, which sometimes take a beating from various presses, extensions, and assorted upper body training.

Explosive Power

If you’re an athlete trying to run faster or jump higher, it’s a good idea to add some explosive, power-based squats to your training regimen. Five to 10 sets of two to five reps, using a moderately heavy weight that you can still accelerate, will be your best bet. Stick to the high-bar squat. The general technique and muscle recruitment will have the most carryover to improving jumping and running.

Don’t End Up With Diddly Squat

Squats are dubbed the king of exercises for a reason. Don’t miss out on back squats. Use the bar position best suited to your body and goals, whether you want to build an impressive set of wheels, lift a pile of weight, become a better athlete, or boost your overall fitness.

References

1. Glassbrook, Daniel J.1; Brown, Scott R.1; Helms, Eric R.1; Duncan, Scott1; Storey, Adam G.1,2. The High-Bar and Low-Bar Back-Squats: A Biomechanical Analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 33():p S1-S18, July 2019. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001836
2. Ribeiro, Alex S. PhD1,2; Santos, Erick D. MSc1,2; Nunes, João Pedro MSc2; Nascimento, Matheus A. PhD2,3; Graça, Ágatha MSc3; Bezerra, Ewertton S. PhD4; Mayhew, Jerry L. PhD5. A Brief Review on the Effects of the Squat Exercise on Lower-Limb Muscle Hypertrophy. Strength and Conditioning Journal 45(1):p 58-66, February 2023. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000709
3. Myer GD, Kushner AM, Brent JL, Schoenfeld BJ, Hugentobler J, Lloyd RS, Vermeil A, Chu DA, Harbin J, McGill SM. The back squat: A proposed assessment of functional deficits and technical factors that limit performance. Strength Cond J. 2014 Dec 1;36(6):4-27. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000103. PMID: 25506270; PMCID: PMC4262933.
4. Yavuz HU, Erdağ D, Amca AM, Aritan S. Kinematic and EMG activities during front and back squat variations in maximum loads. J Sports Sci. 2015;33(10):1058-66. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2014.984240. Epub 2015 Jan 29. PMID: 25630691.
5. Hecker KA, Carlson LA, Lawrence MA. Effects of the Safety Squat Bar on Trunk and Lower-Body Mechanics During a Back Squat. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Jul;33 Suppl 1:S45-S51. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002912. PMID: 30363042.

Featured Image: Dusan Petkovic / Shutterstock

The post Low-Bar vs. High-Bar Squats: What’s the Best Lower-Body Builder for You? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Just a few problems there. The high intensity, high volume programs used by the pros do not tend to be sustainable for the rest of us due to some physiological (and often pharmaceutical) reasons. Most people also aren’t ready to trust their potential gains to an algorithm-fueled robot, so that leaves you creating a program for yourself.

Consider a time-tested axiom before diving in: It’s not hard to create a good bodybuilding workout program, but it’s also not hard to create a bad one. Fortunately, we’ve got your back. And your chest, shoulders, arms, and legs.

Here you will find evidence-based workouts to build every major area of an aesthetic physique. These workouts assume you’re a relatively healthy lifter with at least some experience in the gym (i.e. not a true beginner who could benefit from a more generalized approach). These plans work best with a body part split across the week.

Bookmark these workouts for your next hypertrophy training block and support the workouts with enough food to fuel performance, recovery, and growth so you can get started adding size. 

Best Bodybuilding Workouts for Each Body Part

• Chest Workout
• Back Workout
• Shoulder Workout
• Arm Workout
• Leg Workout

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Chest

The chest muscles play a prominent role in our physique. They are most often trained by multi-joint, upper body pushing exercises. The angle the “push” can be used to bias certain portions of the chest, allowing us to fully develop this region. In addition to pushing exercises, single joint exercises can also be used to target the chest. Single-joint exercise serves as “icing on the cake,” providing a touch of additional training stimulus. 

The Complete Chest Workout

Just about any repetition range can build muscle. (1)(2) This engaging workout begins with the heaviest exercise. As the workout progresses, moderate repetition, moderate weight exercises are introduced as compound sets — a time-efficient superset technique that pairs movements targeting the same muscles back-to-back without rest. The workout ends with high repetition “pump work,” leaning into the metabolic mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy. (3) This general format is repeated for workouts for all body parts. 

This chest workout is designed to be performed once per week. Select weights that allow completion of repetitions is near the lower end of the repetition range. Sets need not be taken to failure but should flirt with it. Meaning, sets must reach a high level of effort. (4)(5) When you end the set, you should feel like you have three or fewer repetitions remaining “in the tank.”

When you’re able to complete sets at the top end of the repetition range, add five to 10 pounds. This progression method “resets” your sets back toward the lower bound of the repetition range, allowing your to progress repetition volume once again in subsequent weeks. 

Barbell Bench Press

• How to Do it: Lie on a bench with your back arched and shoulder blades pulled down and together (“in your back pockets”). Unrack the bar and lower it to your chest. Press the bar upward until your elbows are straight but not locked.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: Rest three minutes seconds between sets.

Dip

• How to Do it: Support your body from a dip bar and lean slightly forward. Lower yourself until you feel a stretch across the front of your chest and shoulders or until your upper arms break parallel. Add weight or assistance as needed to achieve the target repetition range.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Incline Dumbbell Flye Press

• How to Do it: Lie on a 30- to-45-degree incline bench and begin with the dumbbells pressed locked out above your chest. Face your palms together and lower the weights in a flye, keeping a slight bend in your arms. From the bottom position, pull the weights in toward your shoulders and press the weights up to lockout.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Machine Incline Press

• How to Do it: Sit with your back and buttocks supported on an incline press machine. Push the handles along the arc of the machine’s path until your elbows are straight but not locked. Control back to the start position.
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 16-20
• Rest time: Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Muscles Trained on Chest Day

Chest day often draws added attention because the pecs are featured so prominently when you check the mirror, even more so once you get an awesome pump going mid-session. The majority of chest movements will also recruit “the pressing muscles” — your shoulders and triceps — for assistance.

Pectorals

When viewed from the front, the upper bodies of modern bodybuilders are dominated by well-developed chest muscles. The pectoralis major is the largest and most superficial chest muscle. All parts of the pectoralis major act to draw the arms toward the body, pull the arms together in front of the body, and internally rotate the arms. The upper portion of the pectoralis major also raises the arm. Therefore, a wide variety of exercises target the pecs. 

Anterior Deltoids

The anterior deltoids, or “front delts,” share the same actions as the pectoralis major. Conveniently, this means that anterior deltoids are trained during chest workouts, such as the one above, and during direct shoulder workouts. 

Triceps

The triceps brachii primarily serve to extend your elbows (straighten your arms). Because of this, compound movements such as pressing and dips can be counted toward total triceps training volume. This aesthetic “three-headed” muscle fills t-shirt sleeves more readily than any other arm muscle.

How to Warm-Up Your Chest

A traditional warm-up has two components: 1) the “general warm-up” and 2) the “specific warm-up.” The general warm-up elevates body temperature, improves oxygen delivery to muscle and other body tissues, and improves joint freedom of motion. It typically consists of short duration, low-to-moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise (e.g. air bike, rowing, jogging, or jumping rope).  

The specific warm-up primes areas of the body and movement patterns to be used in the subsequent workout for improved technique and performance. It is also a good time for dedicated mobility exercises and/or exercises intended to reduce risk of injury.

A specific warm-up for the chest may consist of exercises to prepare the upper body and spine for proper positions during pressing, stimulate muscle contractions of the muscles to be trained, and reinforce shoulder stability. It is wise to include lower intensity sets of the workout’s first exercise at the tail end of the specific warm-up.  

Chest Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Band Pull-Apart: 2 x 15 
• Foam Roller Thoracic (Upper Back) Extensions: 2 x 10
• Push-Up: 2 x 10
• Bench Press: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. approximately 40%, 60%, and 80% of the weight to be used for the first set of the workout’s first exercise).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Back

A muscular back supports a confident posture, adds width to your upper body, and provides visual interest for those who happen to be walking behind your statuesque physique. That visual interest will come from the various muscles of the back, which converge on the shoulder blades and shoulders.

To create desirable definition and size, training the back from multiple angles using a variety of exercises may be useful. each exercise variation biases certain areas of the back and may result in distinct patterns of muscular development. (6)(7)

Back Width and Thickness Workout

Complete this full back workout once per week. Select weights that allow you to complete repetitions on the lower end of the repetition range. Sets to failure are not necessary to build muscle. (8) However, each set should reach a high level of effort. (4) When you’re able to complete all sets at the top end of the repetition range, add five to 10 pounds. 

Three-Point Dumbbell Row

• How to Do it: Perform the three-point dumbbell row with the knee and hand of your non-working side on a flat bench. Initiate the movement by pulling your shoulder blade toward your spine, and row toward the outside of your hip. Lower to a full stretch without rotating or sinking your hips
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: No rest between sides. Rest three minutes between sets.

Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

• How to Do it: As the name implies, the neutral-grip lat pulldown is performing using a handles attachment that faces your palms toward each other. Begin in a full overhead position and pull your elbows down to the midline of your ribcage — don’t force the bar to reach your chin or chest.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest two and a half minutes between sets.

Machine Wide Row

• How to Do it: Set up on a machine with a chest support, grasping the handles with a wide, overhand grip. Initiate movement with your shoulder blades and pull toward your chest. Return to a fully stretched position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Cable Flexion Row

• How to Do it: Perform this seated row variation on a low cable machine. Allow resistance to pull your trunk and shoulder blades toward the machine — your spine should round forward, promoting a massive stretch through your back muscles. Begin by pulling the shoulder blades together and down. As you row the bar toward your torso, extend your spine but do not use momentum from the trunk to drive the movement. Reverse the movement and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 16-20
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Muscles Trained on Back Day

Your back is one of the largest muscle groups on your body because a number of various individual muscles coordinate during each movement. This comprehensive workout will address and train a large number of muscles on your posterior torso including the lats, rear shoulders, and upper and mid-back. Your biceps and gripping muscles are also recruited during most exercises.

Mid-Back and Lats

Mid-back muscles, which act on the shoulder blades, create the appearance of a raised, central diamond-shape. Your latissimus dorsi (lats) sweep from the small of the back toward the outsides of your armpits and enhances the appearance of a “V-shaped” torso. These muscles comprise the bulk of the back musculature and are trained by upper-body pulling exercises. 

Rear Deltoids

While your rear deltoids are traditionally trained via shoulder-specific exercises (e.g. reverse flyes and cable external rotations), wide and narrow-grip pulling movements also hit the rear deltoids. When considering total weekly training volume for the rear deltoids, it is appropriate to include pulldowns, pullovers, and rows. 

Biceps and Other Elbow Flexors

Drawing a resistance toward your body, as performed during pulldowns, trains your elbow flexors. As the most visible elbow flexor, the biceps brachii gets all the glory; however, the brachialis is a deep elbow flexor that boosts the appearance of the biceps by pushing it up — kind of like the supportive parent or friend whom you should probably call and thank (after your workout, of course). 

How to Warm-Up Your Back

Once again, it’s a good policy to raise the body’s temperature with some general movement and prime the areas of the body to be trained before jumping into the workout. On top of that, “back day” is a great time to incorporate some direct exercise for the midsection, as many workout splits don’t allocate ab training to one specific day. 

Back Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Abdominal Crunches: 3 x 15-20 
• Medicine Ball or Landmine Rotations: 3 x 10-12
• Band Over and Backs: 2 x 10-12
• Three-Point Dumbbell Row: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. approximately 40%, 60%, and 80% of the weight to be used for the first set of the workout’s first exercise).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Shoulders

The deltoids are the muscles that envelop your shoulders. Well-developed deltoids appear full and rounded, “capping” the shoulders. The deltoid has three functional parts — anterior, middle, and posterior.

The anterior deltoid is primarily responsible for raising the arms in front of the body (e.g. pressing), pulling the raised arms in toward your midline, and internally rotating the arms. The middle deltoid raises the arms out the sides (e.g. lateral raises and overhead presses) and assists with pulling the raised arms away from your midline (e.g. reverse flye). The posterior deltoid assists with the reverse flye movement in addition to external rotation and driving your arms behind your body (e.g. rows).

While your shoulders clearly get some work on chest day and back day, a dedicated shoulder workout helps to ensure each part receives adequate training. The diverse actions of the deltoids open the door for efficient use of supersets on shoulder day. 

The 3D Delt Workout

Perform once per week using weights that allow repetitions at or near the lower boundary of the stated repetition range. Once again, the majority of working sets should be high level of effort with three or fewer repetitions remaining before failure. Machine-based overhead pressing is included to allow lifters to safely approach or achieve failure without a spotter.

Once you reach the top of any repetition range, add five to 10 pounds to the exercise. Be vigilant for stagnating progress or drops in performance, as these features might indicate that it’s time for a deload. 

Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press

• How to Do it: Sit on a bench with a vertical back support. Rest a dumbbell on each thigh before “kicking” each weight into position at shoulder-level with your palms facing forward or angled slightly in. Press both weights overhead to full lockout before returning to shoulder-level.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Dumbbell Reverse Flye

• How to Do it: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand at arm’s length by your sides. Hinge forward at the waist and slightly bend your legs. Slightly bend your elbows and maintain the arm angle throughout the set. Draw your upper arms toward the ceiling, stopping the your elbows are roughly in line with your shoulders. Lower under control — don’t allow the weights to build momentum in the bottom position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest three minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Machine Shoulder Press

• How to Do it: Sit in an shoulder press machine and adjust the seat height to allow you hands to reach shoulder-height in the bottom position. Take a palms-forward grip and drive the weight up to near-lockout before lowering with control. Aim to move at a steady pace and maintain continuous tension through each repetition.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest two minutes between sets.

Face Pull

• How to Do it: Set a resistance band or cable pulley at roughly eye-level. Take a palm-down grip and step back to create tension in the stretched position. Begin the face pull by driving your elbows back in line with your shoulders while pulling your hands in line with your eyes or ears. From the contracted position, reach forward until full lockout.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Lateral Raise

• How to Do it: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand at arm’s length, resting the weights on the front of your thighs. Keep a slight bend in your arms and raise the weights “up and out” until your hands are slightly above shoulder-height. Maintain a tight core and stable torso — don’t allow your hips or back to swing. Lower to the starting position with your hands in front of your thighs.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Dumbbell Shrug

• How to Do it: Stand with a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length by your sides. Drive your shoulders toward the ceiling as high as possible — move vertically without “rolling” your shoulders or pulling your shoulder blades together. Lower to a full stretch.
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Muscles Trained on Shoulder Day

The shoulder joint is arguably one of the most precarious joints in the body, responsible for a long range of motion in a variety of directions. The deltoids may be your primary “shoulder muscle,” but several muscle groups play a role in completing most shoulder-focused movements.

Shoulders

The middle deltoids widen the appearance of the shoulders, so they are an important target for physique-focused bodybuilding training. Your middle and anterior deltoids are trained by the presses in this workout. Middle deltoids get direct, high-repetition work during the lateral raises.

As previously discussed, it is fair to consider rows, pulldowns, and pullovers as rear deltoid exercises; however, these exercises alone may not result in adequate stimulation of this relatively small part of the shoulder — reverse flyes can be superior in that regard. (9) As a bonus for shoulder health, face pulls hit the rear deltoids, middle deltoids, rotator cuff, and some of the muscles acting on the scapula. 

Trapezius

The traps are a diamond-shaped muscle of your mid- and upper back. The upper and lower fibers of trapezius (e.g. the top and bottom portions of the “diamond”) are trained during presses, as they act to upwardly rotate your shoulder blades. Shrugs are included in the shoulder workout to further develop the upper trapezius. 

Triceps

Your triceps brachii receive additional training volume during the shoulder workout, owing to the muscle’s role as an elbow extensor. These extra sets are beneficial, especially if you’re reasonably well-trained. Recent research suggests the triceps brachii are among the muscles that grow more rapidly with higher training volumes. (10)

How to Warm-Up Your Shoulders

Prepare your shoulders for peak performance by increasing your body temperature with a small dose of rhythmic cardiovascular exercise, such as rowing, jumping rope (ideally with a heavy rope to further activate your upper body), or riding an air bike. Then, perform exercises to mobilize your shoulder joints, shoulder blades, and spine through essential ranges of motion. Wrap up the warm-up with light sets of the first exercise of the workout.

Shoulder Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Band Pull-Apart: 2 x 15 
• Foam Roller Thoracic (Upper Back) Extensions: 2 x 10
• Band Over and Backs: 2 x 10-12
• Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. approximately 40%, 60%, and 80% of the weight to be used for the first set of the workout’s first exercise).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Arms

Although your arms undoubtedly receive training during chest, back, and shoulder workouts, a dedicated arm day may help to accelerate muscle gain. But arm day need not be exclusively single-joint (isolation) exercises. In this workout, a pull-up variation is used as the first exercise, because it targets your biceps with the bonus of additional training volume for your lats and rear deltoids. (11)

Single-joint exercises for your biceps and triceps come next in the workout. These are performed back-to-back on the same incline bench to promote a searing stretch and enhanced growth. (12)(13) The workout concludes with training for lesser-appreciated muscles for arm thickness.

Gun Day Isn’t Only Sunday

Complete the arm workout once per week. Use weights that allow you to complete of repetitions on the lower end of the repetition range. When you’re able to complete all sets with repetitions at or exceeding the repetition range, add five pounds.

Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

• How to Do it: Hang from a neutral-grip pull-up bar or freely moving handles with palms facing each other. Pull your chest toward the bar by driving your shoulders back and flexing your elbows. Lower with control.  
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 6-8
• Rest time: Rest three minutes between sets.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

• How to Do it: Perform incline dumbbell curls on a bench set at an approximately 45-degree angle. With underhanded grips on the dumbbells, allow your arms to hang vertically beneath your shoulders. Without swinging your upper arms forward, curl the dumbbells. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Incline Skull Crusher

• How to Do it: Take a palms-down grip on the inner handles of an EZ-bar and lie on a 45-degree incline bench. Point your elbows toward the ceiling and allow the bar to lower just behind your head without moving your upper arms. Feel your triceps stretch and then straighten your arms to return to the start position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 16-20
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Reverse Biceps Curl

• How to Do it: Perform the standing reverse biceps curl with an overhand grip on an EZ-bar or straight bar. Keeping your arms at your sides, curl the weight by bringing your knuckles toward your shoulders. Return to the start position. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Gripper

• How to Do it: Hold grip trainers, or the handles of a grip machine, using a power grip with the fingers and thumb of each hand wrapped fully around each handle. Close your hands against the resistance, then slowly control the opening of the grip trainers or machine as far as possible without losing control of the implements.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest 90 second before repeating the previous exercise.

Muscles Trained on Arm Day

Arm training has a misconception of being only for vanity and appearance, but well-developed biceps and triceps can contribute to overall strength as well as shoulder and elbow joint health.

Biceps and Elbow Flexors

Your biceps brachii and brachialis add upper arm size, while the brachioradialis adds dimension to the forearm. All three of these muscles are trained via elbow flexion (bending your arms against resistance), whether in single-joint fashion as in the curl variations, or within compound pulling movements like the neutral-grip pull-up. 

Triceps

The three heads of your triceps brachii can be trained via resisted elbow extension (arm straightening). Since the long head of the triceps crosses behind the shoulder, triceps exercises that place the shoulder in flexion (e.g. overhead movements including incline skull crushers) may expose the triceps to more mechanical tension. Ultimately, this can result in enhanced growth. (12)(13)

Forearms

When you train your grip, forearm muscles that flex the fingers contract forcefully. These muscles tend to bend your wrists as well. To counteract wrist flexion, the muscles on the opposite side of the forearm (i.e. wrist extensors along the top of your forearm) contract. The result is a robust forearm-training stimulus. 

How to Warm-Up Your Arms

Your arm day warm-up can be straightforward: Simply get your body moving. Special attention is given to the wrists, forearms, and elbows. The exercises should be non-fatiguing. 

Arm Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Push-Up: 2 x 8-12
• Zottman Curl: 2 x 8-12
• Dumbbell Wrist Flexion (Wrist Curl): 1 x 8-12
• Dumbbell Wrist Extension (Reverse Wrist Curl): 1 x 8-12
• Neutral-Grip Pull-Up: 2 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate difficulty (e.g. on an assisted pull-up machine if necessary, using a greater amount of assistance than you’d use for your working sets).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Legs

Leg day is a longer, often more grueling workout compared to other body parts, and rightfully so. If you’re only going to train lower body once per week, you’d better make it count.

While there is debate regarding whether deadlifts belong with back day or leg day, the hamstring-dominant Romanian deadlift (RDL) is programmed in this leg workout, as this variation reduces the overall load required by reducing leg drive without sacrificing training stimulus to the target muscles. Supersets and compound sets are used extensively during this 24-set workout to save time. 

The Ultimate Leg Day

Complete once per week. Select weights that allow you to complete repetitions on the lower end of the repetition range. Each set should reach a high level of effort. If you are accustomed to high-volume leg training (e.g. 25+ sets), you may consider adding a set or two to front squats, the squat machine exercise, or leg extensions, as the quadriceps have been shown to respond favorably to higher training volume among well-trained lifters. (10) When you’re able to complete all sets at the top end of the repetition range, add 10 to 20 pounds. 

Front Squat

• How to Do it: Support a barbell across the front of your shoulders with a palms-up or cross-arm grip. Keep your trunk as upright as possible as you squat to a comfortable depth. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Prone Hamstring Curl

• How to Do it: Lie on a prone hamstring machine with the roller pad contacting just above your heels. Flex your knees through the longest range of motion you can achieve, then control back to the stretched starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest three minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Romanian Deadlift

• How to Do it: Hold a barbell in front of your thighs. Begin by lowering from the hips, keeping your knees slightly bent throughout the exercise. Aim to feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings before returning to standing upright.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Leg Extension

• How to Do it: Sit in a leg extension machine with your knee joint aligned with the pivot point of the moving part of the machine. Straighten your knees, pause very briefly at lockout and then lower slowly with control. Keeping your feet pulled up toward your shins (ankle dorsiflexion) may help you feel a stronger quadriceps contraction. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest two and a half minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Machine Squat

• How to Do it: Pendulum or lever-style squat machines are becoming more popular in gyms; however, if your gym does not have one, a hack squat or leg press machine is an acceptable substitute. Set up under the padded “yoke” of the squat machine, keep your feet flat as you lower into a deep squat. Use a controlled motion at your hips, knees, and ankles. Push back to a nearly locked out position. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise without rest.

Calf Machine

• How to Do it: Locate a calf machine that allows a relatively straight knee position during operation (e.g. standing calf machine or leg press). Lower slowly through your entire ankle range of motion. Without bouncing out of the bottom position, push through the ball of your foot and big toe until you’ve reached the top of your available ankle range of motion. Pause briefly in both the fully stretched and fully contracted positions.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 16–20
• Rest time: Rest two and a half minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Back Extension

• How to Do it: Hit your lower back, hamstrings, and glutes by setting up in a glute-ham developer (GHD), as shown, or in a 45-degree Roman chair (back extension) with the top of the pad set just below your hip joints. Lower and raise your trunk primarily from the hips; however, it is acceptable to permit some low back movement as well. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the next exercise.

Seated Calf Machine

• How to Do it: Set the pads atop your thighs with your knees bent approximately 90-degrees. Lower to the bottom position by allowing your ankles to full dorsiflex. Without bouncing out of the bottom position, raise to the top position of full plantar flexion (rising onto the ball of your foot).
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest 90 seconds before repeating the previous exercise.

Muscles Trained on Leg Day

Working entire lower body, leg day involves a significant number of separate body parts working in unison for many movements. Targeted isolation exercises will emphasize your quadriceps, hamstrings, or calves for further muscle-building stimulus.

Quadriceps

The quadriceps femoris, or “quads,” refers to the four muscles on the front of your thigh. All four act to extend your knee, and the centermost quadriceps muscle also contributes to hip flexion. You can train these muscles with squats, squat-type movements, and isolated knee extension exercises. For safety and confidence, machine-based exercises may be helpful, especially toward the end of the workout as fatigue sets in.

Glutes

Few muscle groups enhance the image of athleticism like the glutes. Therefore, the glutes are a common target for physique-based training. Although the glutes have various actions at the hip, all three “glutes” — gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus — act to extend your hips.  

Hamstrings

While your quadriceps are prominent when the legs are viewed from the front, well-developed hamstrings steal the show when the legs are viewed from the side. Composed of four muscles, the hamstrings act to flex the knee, and three of them act to extend the hip. Leg curls train the hamstrings as knee flexors, while the Romanian deadlift and back extension are the primary exercises in the workout for training hamstrings as hip extensors.  

Calves

Even if you favor baggy cargo shorts as your go-to warm weather attire, your calves are likely to be the most readily visible lower body muscle group. Although they may receive a modest training stimulus during squats and other squat-like movements, direct calf exercises are typically needed to stimulate meaningful growth.  

How to Warm-Up Your Legs

Prepare your lower body for this leg workout with a warm-up that mobilizes stiff hips and lengthens tight muscles. Use front squat warm-up sets to hone technique and dial-in a strong squat stance. 

Leg Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Walking Lunge: 2 x 10 per leg 
• Hamstring Sweep: 2 x 10 per leg
• Deep Squat plus Trunk Rotations: 2 x 10
• Front Squat: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. approximately 40%, 60%, and 80% of the weight to be used for the first set of the workout’s first exercise).

On the Road to Ripped

You’ve probably heard of the “Stairway to Heaven” and the “Highway to Hell,” but the roadmap provided here gets you on the Road to Ripped. When all five workouts are performed once per week, total training per major muscle group is consistent with current best practice recommendations for building muscle. (1)(14) Those accustomed to lengthy or convoluted training sessions will find this program to be refreshingly simple. Simple, but not easy.

References

1. Schoenfeld, B., et al. (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximize muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: Position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 1(1).
2. Lacio, M., et al. (2021). Effects of resistance training performed with different loads in untrained and trained male adult individuals on maximal strength and muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11237.
3. Schoenfeld, B. J. (2013). Potential mechanisms for a role of metabolic stress in hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training. Sports Medicine, 43, 179-194.
4. Helms, E. R., et al. (2016). Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 38(4), 42-49.
5. Refalo, M. C., et al. (2022). Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 1-17.
6. Lehman, G. J., et al. (2004). Variations in muscle activation levels during traditional latissimus dorsi weight training exercises: An experimental study. Dynamic Medicine, 3, 1-5.
7. Wakahara, T., et al. (2012). Association between regional differences in muscle activation in one session of resistance exercise and in muscle hypertrophy after resistance training. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 112, 1569-1576.
8. Grgic, J., et al. (2022). Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 11(2), 202-211.
9. Franke, A. R., et al. (2015). Analysis of anterior, middle and posterior deltoid activation during single and multijoint exercises. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 55, 714-721.
10. Brigatto, F. A., et al. (2022). High resistance-training volume enhances muscle thickness in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 36(1), 22-30.
11. Youdas, J. W., et al. (2010). Surface electromyographic activation patterns and elbow joint motion during a pull-up, chin-up, or perfect-pullup rotational exercise. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(12), 3404-3414.
12. Wackerhage, H., et al. (2019). Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 126(1):30-43.
13. Maeo, S., et al. (2022). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. European Journal of Sport Science, 1-11.
14. Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2019). Calculating set-volume for the limb muscles with the performance of multi-joint exercises: implications for resistance training prescription. Sports, 7(7), 177.

Featured Image: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock

The post The Best Bodybuilding Workout for Each Body Part appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This challenging squat variation can even be awkward for some lifters because it demands more mobility and relatively more technique compared to some other movements. But, once mastered, it will build your legs, core, and upper back like no other. It’s also a must if you want to dabble in Olympic weightlifting or CrossFit, or you want to drive your back squat numbers up.

Check this list of the best cues and tips to help you master the front squat. Whether you’ve never performed the movement or if you need to fine-tune details to take your performance to the next level, here’s what you need to know.

Perfect Your Front Squat Form

• Upper Body Tips
• Lower Body Tips
• How to Do the Front Squat

Front Squat Upper Body Cues

While the front squat is primarily a “leg exercise,” your upper body is thoroughly involved in the movement. Your shoulders, arms, and back must coordinate to support the barbell and stabilize the weight during each repetition. A misstep with any of these key body parts will lead to an inefficient, and potentially dangerous, performance. Here’s what to watch for.

Position The Barbell Properly

Even when placed correctly on the fronts of your shoulders, the barbell can be in a potentially uncomfortable position, so it’s easy to imagine the risks of trying to front squat with the bar in the wrong place. It should rest between your anterior deltoids (front shoulder muscles) and your clavicles (collarbones).

What often happens is that it is placed directly on the shoulder muscles — this is not only painful as the weight will compress down into your muscle belly, but the bar will be more likely to roll as you move through the repetition, decreasing stability while acting like a rolling pin on your soft shoulder muscles.

With a poor position, the bar could also potentially roll into your throat if you don’t elevate your shoulders by “shrugging” them up and forward to support the weight.

Find Your Best Grip

There are several ways to “rack” the barbell for a good front squat bar position. The standard front rack position — commonly seen in Olympic weightlifting with your palms toward the ceiling — is the most effective because it provides more stability with the most control over the bar. However, it requires a high degree of mobility throughout your arms and can be painful on your wrists.

If you’re a competitive weightlifter or CrossFit athlete, you should strive to master the front rack position and use a full grip (all the fingers around the bar). If you’re not participating in either of those sports, you can take off one or two fingers to alleviate the wrist pressure and reduce the wrist and elbow mobility requirement.

If you’re still unable to achieve a rack position, switch to a “California grip” — cross your arms in front of you with the barbell between your fingers and the fronts of your shoulders. It’s a relatively easier position with much less mobility demands, but the bar won’t be as stable and might slip around, especially if your elbows point down to any degree.

A third option would be to secure a pair of lifting straps around the bar and use the ends as handles, simply referred to as performing the “front squat with straps.” This places your arms similar to the classic rack position, with the straps allowing a neutral-grip with your palms facing each other, which reduces wrist strain. The length of the straps also brings your hands farther from your shoulders, which also decreases any mobility concerns.

In any case, don’t force yourself into an arm position you can’t maintain comfortably throughout the set. It will compromise the stability of the entire lift and could potentially stress your shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints. Introducing a mobility routine for your thoracic spine (upper back) and wrists before every lifting session will benefit you greatly in the long run. Even something as simple as getting into the rack position without any weight added to the bar could be a good first step.

Lead With Your Elbows

From the moment you unrack the back, through the squat descent, and as you drive the weight up to a standing position, keep your elbows as high as possible. The strain of the weight will make you want to drop your arms down, and that’s normal, but fight it. Stay tight and focused.

Keeping your elbows up will ensure your upper back remains in a strong position and helps to prevent your back from rounding forward. A good back position, led by your elbows and upper arms, provides a stronger bracing position which encourages a stronger and more stable upper body.

Additionally, keeping your elbows high will help to prevent the barbell from falling forward out of your front rack position. Ditching the bar forward is one of the most common causes of failure on a front squat repetition and could be potentially dangerous, especially if your instinct is to try to recover the bar rather than letting it fall safely to the squat rack or floor.

Don’t Let Your Upper Back Round

The front squat requires tremendous core and back strength to keep your torso upright and drive the barbell up. Yes, you read that right, you need serious back strength to perform this squat.

Because the weight is positioned on the front of your torso, the anterior loading will greatly recruit your erector spinae (lower back) and upper back muscles. (1) As such, your upper back will typically be one of the first muscles to give out, because it’s relatively smaller than larger muscles involved in the movement, like your legs. This upper back fatigue can result in back rounding.

To prevent any injury and to better target your legs, avoid letting your upper back round forward. Drive your elbows up during the entire movement. Your elbows lead the way for your upper arms which, through your shoulders and shoulder blades, dictate your upper back position.

You can support your front squat performance by including direct ab training and upper back exercises as part of your overall training program. These accessory exercises will help to develop the type of support strength needed to maintain a strong torso position.

Front Squat Lower Body Cues

To maximize leg recruitment for the most muscle-stimulating, strength-building benefits, it’s essential to use your lower body efficiently during the front squat. These are the key points you want to follow to ensure a perfect form and avoid the most common blunders.

Don’t Let Your Heels Raise

Because the weight is located on the front of your body, the front squat will slightly shift the workload towards the anterior chain (including your quadriceps and abdominals), making it a great quad-focused muscle builder. (2)

But this anterior loading isn’t just a benefit. The position of load might cause a generally forward shift in your center of gravity, which can be amplified by poor mobility in your upper back or ankles. This all combines to make your heels want to rise off the ground in an attempt to stay “under” the weight.

Doing so will reduce your stability, put pressure on your back, and prevent yourself from fully using your legs. Make sure that your heels always stay in contact with the floor. If needed, use weightlifting shoes, sit a bit more backward, and focus on driving through your heels — if your heels are up, you’ll quickly realize they’re not in place and you can make an immediate correction.

Work on Your Mobility

The front squat is notorious for its mobility demands, particularly from the hips and ankles. As some lifers lack a high degree of mobility in these areas, the front squat can become an awkward, uncomfortable, or even seemingly impossible exercise to perform.

Because the front squat allows a relatively deeper squat position and involves more knee flexion compared to the back squat, a greater ankle angle is required to achieve the bottom position.

Work on your ankle joints and stretch your calves to gradually improve your ankle health and mobility. This will pay off by being able to more easily squat into “the hole” at the bottom of each rep with more power and control.

You can also circumvent the issue by putting a five-pound weight plate under each heel or wearing weightlifting shoes with built-in elevated heels. Both of these solutions will help you achieve a deeper squat position with less strain on your ankles and hips. (3)

Beware of Knee Caving

It’s usually easier to squat deeper with the barbell loaded in the front rack position, but this longer range of motion can also increase the chances of your knees “caving in” toward each other as you transition into, and out from, the bottom position.

Your knees should remain in line with your toes during the exercise, but excessive valgus (when your knees come toward each other) can happen, especially as you go deeper. This results in your knees caving inwards and stress shifting away from your legs muscles and onto your knee stabilizers.

This will create shift in tension causes a strength leak, which reduces your potential power output. More importantly, it also put your knee joints in a vulnerable position with an increased risk of injury.

You can help to avoid knee cave by checking that you have good ankle mobility to reach the bottom position. Ingrain proper squat mechanics and apply sound technique for every individual repetition — use a lighter weight, if necessary, to maintain good form. Cue yourself to abduct your legs, actively driving them outward, as you rise out of the squat. This will also help to recruit your glutes for strength, coordination, and stability.

How to Perform the Front Squat

The front squat is a multi-joint exercise that can improve size and strength in your lower body, core, and upper back, as well as build total-body stability. It might be relatively more challenging to master than the standard back squat but, don’t worry, it’s not that complicated when you focus on a few key steps.

Step One — Rack the Bar on Your “Shelf”

The first step is to get the barbell into a front rack position. Grab it using a wider-than-shoulder-width grip. Reach your shoulders forward and shrug them up to create a solid “shelf” of muscles for the bar to rest, then get under the weight.

The barbell should set firmly between your deltoids (shoulder muscles) and your clavicles. Keep your elbows up. Unrack the bar and take a step backward.

Step Two — Lower With Control

Settle your feet at a comfortable width, generally between your hips and shoulders. Take a deep breath and brace your core as hard as you can. Fix your eyes on a spot in front of you and look at it throughout the entire repetition.

Bend simultaneously at your hips and knees to squat down with control until your upper thighs are parallel to the ground, or slightly below.

Step Three — Drive Up the Weight

Keep both feet flat on the ground and push through your heels to extend your legs and drive the weight up forcefully. Keep your elbows high and aimed in front of you the whole time. Don’t let the weight pull you elbows to the ground.

Keep your core and upper back fully engaged. Relaxing either muscle group with reduce your power and lead to a dangerous and inefficient rounded back position. Once you’re standing fully upright, repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.

A front row exercise for size and strength

The front squat is a prime exercise to build lower body size and strength and a core of steel. It’s also easier on your joints than other squat variations. (4) Don’t be put off by the potential awkwardness or mobility requirements. Get to work applying these cues and you can bring your physique to the next level. Adding the front squat to your workout repertoire will pay off with total-body strength, more muscular legs, and improved mobility that carries over to better performance in and out of the gym.

References

1. Comfort, Paul; Pearson, Stephen J; Mather, David. An Electromyographical Comparison of Trunk Muscle Activity During Isometric Trunk and Dynamic Strengthening Exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 25(1):p 149-154, January 2011. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181fb412f
2. Hasan Ulas Yavuz, Deniz Erdağ, Arif Mithat Amca & Serdar Aritan (2015) Kinematic and EMG activities during front and back squat variations in maximum loads, Journal of Sports Sciences, 33:10, 1058-1066, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2014.984240
3. Charlton, Jesse M.; Hammond, Connor A.; Cochrane, Christopher K.; Hatfield, Gillian L.; Hunt, Michael A.. The Effects of a Heel Wedge on Hip, Pelvis and Trunk Biomechanics During Squatting in Resistance Trained Individuals. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 31(6):p 1678-1687, June 2017. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001655
4. Gullett, Jonathan C; Tillman, Mark D; Gutierrez, Gregory M; Chow, John W. A Biomechanical Comparison of Back and Front Squats in Healthy Trained Individuals. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23(1):p 284-292, January 2009. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31818546bb

Featured Image: Tyler Olson / Shutterstock

The post 7 Tips to Perfect Your Front Squat Form appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The unfairly overlooked front foot elevated split squat is gaining quite the popularity surge, especially from its use in rehab and athletic settings. This upgraded split squat variation is typically a little more comfortable to set up than the rear foot elevated option and it can skyrocket your lower body muscle, strength, and athleticism. Here’s a closer look at this unique exercise.

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

• How to Do the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
• Front Foot Elevated Split Squat Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Progress the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
• Benefits of the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
• Muscles Worked by the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
• How to Program the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
• Front Foot Elevated Split Squat Variations
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to Perform the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

The front foot elevated split squat, or FFESS, requires a high-level of stability across a long range of motion, which can make the exercise difficult to master. Follow these technique cues to tackle this single-leg exercise.

Step 1 — Set Up Your Platform

You will notice a massive benefit from even the slightest elevation. Any platform that is at least two to four inches high will be sufficient. A small aerobic step or one or two weight plates work nicely. Use bumper plates, if possible, to prevent sliding. If your gym has an Olympic lifting platform with a raised edge, that can work too.

Form Tip: A staircase might seem like a convenient option, but it’s likely too high to start with and can make the movement too awkward. It will end up feeling more like an indecisive hybrid between a split squat and a step-up while delivering the results of neither.

Step 2 — Elevate Your Front Foot

Having a strong and stable front foot is, obviously, key to the front foot elevated split squat. Stand upright and set one foot flat on the platform. Keep your entire foot in contact throughout each repetition. Don’t raise up onto your toes or heel.

Form Tip: Supportive shoes can play a surprisingly significant role in your mobility, stability, and force production. (1) Old school Chuck Taylor sneakers, dedicated weightlifting shoes, or any stable-soled shoe is preferable. Super-floppy, extremely cushioned running shoes are not ideal because stability will be compromised as your foot compresses into the cushioning.

Step 3 — Set Your Back Foot

Your back foot should be as secure and stable as your front foot. Keep your front foot in place and step back a comfortable distance for you, depending on your leg length and general mobility.

Depending on your ankle mobility, your back foot will likely be on the ball rather than flat on the ground. This is acceptable because this foot is primarily for support and balance, and will not be producing much force into the floor.

Form Tip: For maximum balance and stability, make sure your back foot is in its own “lane,” not directly in line with your front foot. You shouldn’t feel like you’re perched on a thin balance beam. You should feel stable and grounded.

Step 4 — Lower Yourself With Control

Take a deep breath and feel both feet securely in place before descending into the rep. Feel your lower body and your core being still before descending. Keep your upper body upright with your shoulders pulled back.

Bend your front leg and lower yourself with control. Descend as low as possible, ideally reaching your back knee to the ground.

Form Tip: Depending on your mobility, your back knee should gently graze the ground — with an emphasis on gently. Some lifters fail to pay attention during the descent and quickly smash their back knee into the ground. Don’t do that.

Step 5 — Drive Up to the Starting Position

When you’ve reached the deepest position your hip and leg mobility allows, push through your front leg to drive up to a standing position

Keep your upper body close to vertical as you drive up. Don’t allow yourself to bend forward at the waist. Repeat all repetitions with one leg before switching sides.

Form Tip: It can be tempting to bounce out of the bottom by leveraging the stretch reflex — a muscle’s ability to “rebound” during the transition from a stretched position to a full contraction for increased momentum and power. (2) Avoid it to allow your glutes and quads to do all the work. This will build more muscle by increasing the time under tension, while keeping you safer by reducing ballistic forces.

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat Mistakes to Avoid

This exercise can feel tricky, especially when you’re awkwardly setting up for the first time. Here are some common mistakes to avoid.

Not Being Mobile Enough

While this exercise can be great for building mobility, if your hip and ankle mobility resemble the Tin Man, you will struggle to go deep enough to reap the muscle- and strength-building benefits. (3)

If you’re unable to descend near full-depth, the exercise won’t be any different for building size or strength than a standard split squat, but it can still be beneficial as a mobility drill if you focus on improving your depth instead of adding reps or weight.

Avoid it: To perform the exercise efficiently, do a dynamic warm-up prior to your leg workout to ensure your hips and ankles are thoroughly mobilized and prepared for training. Over time, this should help to get into the deeper positions of knee flexion and hip flexion needed to reach the bottom position.

Not Going Low Enough

The purpose of the platform elevation is to increase the range of motion. It lets you get into degrees of knee and hip flexion that you couldn’t access with other exercises.

However, it’s common to see people do the first few reps with a perfect deep reps but, when the pump sets in, they start to compromise the range of motion. Soon enough, the “front foot elevated split squats” appear to be using less range than traditional split squats with both feet on the ground.

Avoid it: Choose an elevation level that works for you and keep every rep consistent. Try to lightly touch your back knee to the ground each rep, or at least get close. Using a folded towel or padded mat under your back knee can serve as a reliable target as long as it allows your back knee to reach lower than your front foot.

Being Too Wobbly

The elevated front foot-position will make balance more challenging. The more wobbly you are, the less muscle-building force you can generate. Not to mention, you’ll feel self-conscious if you topple over while holding a pair of light dumbbells.

If you’re focused on maintaining balance more than you’re focused on actually training your legs, the overall stimulus will be reduced and you’ll waste energy.

Avoid it: Take your time to secure your foot position before doing a couple of warm-up sets. Even if your working weight will be relatively light, a warm-up set or two with only your body weight can be a game changer in preparing your nervous system and core musculature to stabilize the load effectively. 

How to Progress the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

Consider including the FFESS in your program because it’s simple to progress. It also never runs out of progression because, if you do manage to run out of weights, your legs will be beyond elite status at that point.

Begin with Bodyweight

The bodyweight-only FFESS can be quite humbling. Even for some advanced lifters, the exercise can be challenging especially when done toward the latter part of a workout. Performing the exercise as a “finisher” when your legs are pre-fatigued from heavy training can be an eye-opening, leg-burning experience.

The bodyweight FFESS is also an excellent go-to exercise when you have limited equipment, like when you’re training at home or on the road.

Loading with Dumbbells

Once you master bodyweight FFESS, consider adding load via dumbbells. This is the easiest and most common setup for loading — simply hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides.

Using a narrow platform helps prevent the dumbbells from clashing with the platform, especially if you have longer arms and reach maximum depth. Controlling the weight and not allowing the dumbbells to hit the platform works fine, as well.

As the weights get heavier, and as you’re able to do more reps per set, your grip will likely fatigue quite a bit over the course of multiple sets. Once you feel it kick in, you should use lifting straps or some sort of assistance to eliminate your grip as a weak link.

Barbell Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

Barbells allow for the most loading, but they are also the most time consuming to set up along with adding more instability. However, this is a necessary compromise once you get strong.

Make sure you have a strong, stable platform to support the added weight. Set up in a rack with safety pins, similar to performing squats. Progress like most barbell exercises, adding a little more weight and a few more reps from week to week.

Benefits of the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

This exercise has some unique ways of delivering its benefits. Here’s why you should incorporate the FFESS as soon as possible.

Hypertrophy and Strength

The front foot elevated split squat will produce single-leg strength and hypertrophy thanks to a long range of motion and unique positioning compared to other exercise options. The front foot elevation allows you to push your center of mass forward, bringing your hamstring against your calf without compromising torso position.

This stretches the muscles of the quads and glutes under load and increases mechanical tension compared to bilateral squat variations. The unilateral (single-leg) nature helps with addressing potential imbalances and also maximizes range of motion, which increases hypertrophy. (3)

The strength you gain from this exercise translates efficiently to many other exercises. You’ll notice your single-leg and bilateral (two-leg) lower body exercises getting stronger after focusing on the FFESS as an accessory movement. 

Pain-Free Training

One of the main benefits people explore this exercise in the first place is to find pain-free alternatives to barbell squatting. If your joints are achy, this exercise can be a perfect option.

It allows you to lighten the load while achieving ranges of motions you likely didn’t have access to. Over time, you achieve pain-free muscle building. In addition, the FFESS reinforces new degrees of hip, knee, and ankle mobility. 

Muscles Worked by the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

The FFESS prioritizes your lower body muscles — perfect for your favorite leg day. Some core stability and upper body stability is trained as well, especially when using added load.

Quadriceps 

The front foot elevated split squat primarily trains your quads. The front thigh muscle gets worked through a long range of motion as you get into deep angles of knee flexion (bending). With your front foot elevated, you have the opportunity to drive your knee forward for a deep weighted stretch in the quads. 

Glutes

Similar to many squat variations, your glutes are also going to get a significant stimulus during the FFESS, especially in the bottom stretched position.

You’ll likely feel more glute soreness, especially if you’re used to a relatively shortener range of motion from traditional squats and split squats.

Adductors

The FFESS will also nail your inner thighs (adductors), particularly in your front leg. This muscle gets a high degree of stabilizing action during the exercise, along with some dynamic contraction to extend your hips at the top of the movement.

How to Program The Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

Generally speaking, it’s best to do unilateral exercises after heavier bilateral exercises to avoid fatiguing important stabilizers. You can program the FFESS after your heavy sets of squats, possibly as the second or third exercise of a lower body day.

However, the stimulus from the FFESS is effective and comprehensive for the quads, glutes, and adductors, so it’s can also be valid to program them as your first exercise. This is ideal, for example, for lifters with achy knees who don’t do well with heavy bilateral movements early in the workout. Prioritizing the front foot elevated split squat allows your hips, knees, and ankles to be more thoroughly warmed up before proceeding to relatively heavier lifting.

Moderate to Light Weight, High Reps

This exercise is best suited for moderate to light weight. This allows for less joint strain and connective tissue stress, and allows you to better control the weight which can give you a better mind-muscle connection.

Most people will prefer to do these with relatively light weight and higher reps to create a strong pump and an even stronger mind-muscle connection. With this approach, some lifters may even be able skip any warm-up sets, depending on how they feel and how their body responds. Pick a load you can do for at least 12 reps, and crank out two or three sets of 10 to 20 per leg.

Heavy Weight, Low Reps

If you do FFESS early in the workout, you can go heavier. Your nervous system will be fresh and you can stabilize heavier loads. Three or four sets of five to 10 reps (per leg) is already pretty heavy for this exercise. You will still need one or two warm-up sets, especially if you’re strong and plan on approaching your limits.

Using extremely heavy weights for very low reps is not advisable because the stability required for them may not be worth it. It’s not the type of exercise to test your one-rep max because the risk:reward just isn’t worth it.

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat Variations

There’s a couple of effective variations of the front foot elevated split squat for those that are more adventurous or want to progress beyond the standard movement.

Heel-Elevated Split Squat 

Instead of just elevating your front foot, add an additional plate or ramp to elevate your heel even higher. This puts your foot into a steep angle, creating even more knee flexion and makes an already quad-dominant split squat even more quad-dominant.

This is great for those in need of serious quad growth or for athletes who want to get used to deeper ranges of knee flexion, including combat sports athletes, strength sports athletes, football players, or sprinters.

Double-Elevated Split Squat

If you want to maximize your mobility and range of motion, you can elevate both the front and back foot. Essentially, you are combining the FFESS with a Bulgarian split squat. More range of motion for both the front leg and the back leg can help to skyrocket your quad and glute gains.

Setting this up can be cumbersome and requires some extra space, but once you’ve determined a good set up and know an effective distance to set each platform, it should be pretty smooth each time you’re in the gym.

Frequently Asked Questions

Put Your Best Foot Forward

Single-leg training is often overlooked in many training routines. Performing exercises with an increased range of motion, even moreso. The FFESS is a straightforward solution to both of these deficiencies. This comprehensive exercise will payoff with more size, more strength, better mobility, and improved all-around performance. You just need to step up to the challenge.

References

1. Legg, H. S., Glaister, M., Cleather, D. J., & Goodwin, J. E. (2017). The effect of weightlifting shoes on the kinetics and kinematics of the back squat. Journal of sports sciences, 35(5), 508–515. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1175652
2. Seiberl, W., Hahn, D., Power, G. A., Fletcher, J. R., & Siebert, T. (2021). Editorial: The Stretch-Shortening Cycle of Active Muscle and Muscle-Tendon Complex: What, Why and How It Increases Muscle Performance?. Frontiers in physiology, 12, 693141. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.693141
3. Schoenfeld, B. J., & Grgic, J. (2020). Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A systematic review. SAGE open medicine, 8, 2050312120901559. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312120901559

Featured Image: Balance in Motion / YouTube

The post How to Do the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat for Size, Strength, and Athleticism appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Among the best single-leg exercises are lunges, notorious for building pain tolerance along with well-developed legs. But should you perform the lunge dynamically, taking a step forward, or should it be done statically, also called a split squat? What are the differences and similarities between these exercises? Is there an even better way of doing lunges?

Let’s compare the split squat and the basic forward lunge, and figure out which could be the right choice for your plan.

• Exercise Differences
• Exercise Similarities
• How to Do the Split Squat
• How to Do the Lunge
• How to Program The Best Single-Leg Exercise for You

Exercise Differences

At first glance, you might think there are no big differences between the forward lunge and the split squat, but you would be mistaken. One simple step forward changes several things.

Balance and Coordination

Unilateral exercises (working one limb at a time) have been shown to increase balance, agility, and coordination, as well as carrying over to injury prevention. (1) But you’re taking things a step forward with the lunge. Because your foot is not fixed in place and any added weights is moving as you step, typically dangling in your hands at arms length, the forward lunge is harder from a stability perspective because more total-body control is needed. 

This makes the lunge a more effective variation if you want to improve these qualities, for instance, if you’re an athlete. (2) On the other hand, if you are prioritizing sheer strength and muscle-building, the static squat will be the superior choice. Relatively less motor control requirement means that you can use heavier weight, apply better control on the eccentric (lowering phase), and focus more on the mind-muscle connection which is critical for muscle gains. (3)

Muscle Recruitment

The instability of the lunge will shift the focus towards stabilizing muscles, which makes sense. If you’re doing lunges for firmer glutes, then you’ll be happy to hear that the three gluteal muscles will be recruited more significantly because they stabilize the hips and the upper leg. Indeed, they externally rotate and abduct the femur. On the other hand, the adductors stabilize the leg internally, and will also be more recruited.

The abs, the lower back, and the other core muscles will have to work extra to compensate for the weight dangling around during the stepping process. Finally, the calves will have to be involved for when the lunge is done, they are used to propel yourself up back to the initial position. On the other hand, the static squat reducing the involvement of these muscles, it will be a better choice to scorch your quadriceps. 

Exercise Similarities

The split squat, also called the static lunge, shares some clear similarities with the forward lunge. 

Unilateral Leg Training

Both exercises involve knee extension and hip extension. As such, they target the same leg muscles — your quadriceps, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings. Your core will also be challenged to support the weight and balance your upper body.

As unilateral exercises, only one leg is working at a time. To be more precise, one leg is primarily working due to the staggered stance. Your rear leg is used for support and will still contribute to the movement in a small degree, but the bulk of the weight has to be supported and driven by the front leg.

Both of these exercises will contribute to improved balance, stability, and coordination. Emphasizing each leg on its own will also be helpful to balance your any potential developmental weaknesses between sides. (4)

How to Do the Split Squat

With the split squat being generally more stable than the forward lunge, you can capitalize on the opportunity to safely use barbells to add resistance. Position yourself in front of a rack, place the barbell on the “shelf” of your upper back and unrack it. Take a few small steps back to make room to perform the exercise. Take a shallow step forward with one leg, and one small step backward with the other leg, ending up in a half-lunge position with a hip-width stance.

Brace your core and bend your legs until your rear knee grazes the floor. Press the weight up by driving through your front foot. Make sure most of your weight is on your front leg. Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions before racking the bar and switching legs.

Form tip: Keep your front foot flat on the ground during the exercise. Focus on pushing through your heel to ensure maximal glute engagement and leg stability. 

Benefits of the Split Squat

• The split squat is the unilateral “squatting motion” exercise that will allow you to use the most weight, making it a great choice for building strength.
• This stable exercise allows you to focus on time under tension, mind-muscle connection, and going to failure relatively safely for an excellent hypertrophy stimulus.

Split Squat Variations

There are several ways to perform a split squat in order to better suit your specific goals. Add them, if needed, once you’ve mastered the basic split squat.

Bulgarian Split Squat

This infamous exercise, often known for creating post-workout soreness, is also one of the best lower-body builders there is. To do the Bulgarian split squat, you elevate your rear leg on a box or a bench, and then perform a traditional split squat. The elevated foot allows you to potentially reach a much deeper stretch and a longer range of motion. This can help focus even more on your glutes and build hip mobility in a new way for deeper squats and better lower body function.

This exercise is better done later in a workout for moderate to high repetitions. If you want to challenge your glutes and core even more, hold a single dumbbell or kettlebell in the hand opposed to the front leg. 

Smith Machine Split Squat

The split squat has the advantage of being more stable, but why not take things a step further and use the Smith machine to provide maximal stability? This way, you can safely scale up the intensity, reach closer to muscular failure, and focus on the mind-muscle connection ensuring maximal hypertrophy.

Position yourself in the middle of the Smith machine, assume a half-lunge position, and unrack the bar before performing the exercise. Complete all reps with one leg before switching sides.

Front Rack Split Squat

The front rack split squat requires more upper body mobility to assume the front rack position with a barbell, similar to performing a front squat. Any potential awkwardness in learning the bar position is compensated by increased efficiency and greater total-body muscle.

Holding the bar this way will target more your quadriceps as well as your upper back and core. If the front rack position is too hard for you, either try the “California grip” variation with your arms crossed over the bar or switch the barbell for a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells.

How to Do the Lunge

Stand tall with a pair of dumbbells in your hands and your arms straight down by your sides. Take a breath and brace your core before stepping forward with one foot. Keep your shoulders back and your torso upright. Bend your legs with control until they both form a nearly 90-degree angle and your rear knee barely grazes the floor. Keep your front foot flat with most of your weight on your front leg.

Drive through your front heel to raise yourself back up, and push through your toe to get back in the initial position. Repeat with the other leg. Finding your forward footing is an added challenge to your stability and balance, so make sure you start with relatively lighter weights.

Form tip: Beware not to use too narrow a step forward, which will compromise your balance and stability. Stepping too far, however, will not allow a significant range of motion and will decrease muscle recruitment.

Benefits of the Lunge

• Improved neuromuscular control, stabilization, and balance, because of the challenge created by the dynamic motion.
• Promotes core and a complete lower-body development — quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Lunge Variations

When the forward lunge is no longer a secret to you, try these variations to spice up your training or to focus more on certain benefits of the lift.

Walking Lunge

The lunge is dynamic in nature, so why not make it even more dynamic? The walking lunge will challenge your motor control and body awareness even more, as well as provide a robust stimulus for muscle growth because of the constant time under tension.

You can also use these to challenge your heart rate, and add a strength training element to your cardio routine.

Reverse Lunge

It might not seem like there’s a difference between stepping backward or stepping forward, but there actually is. The reverse lunge is a relatively safer and more stable exercise that can decrease knee stress.

It’s easier to control the eccentric and maintain your balance, making it an effective choice for size and strength.

Pendulum Lunge

This advanced variation will challenge your neuromuscular control like no other. It essentially combines a forward lunge and a reverse lunge into a single repetition. To perform it, step forward into a lunge, descend, and return to the initial position. Without letting your foot rest on the ground, immediately step back and transition into a reverse lunge.

This exercise challenges your whole body stability, making it a highly effective choice to reinforce your stabilizer muscles or jack up your heart rate because so many muscles are involved during each repetition.

How to Program the Right Movement

The split squat and lunge are both multi-joint free-weight exercises. As such, you can include these in any training program for a variety of goals, be it strength, size, or cardiovascular capacities.

Building Strength

Technically, experienced lifters could perform the split squat for sets of three, or even heavy single repetitions as long as form is maintained. However, the vast majority of lifters should stick to three to five sets of five to eight repetitions. This will ensure the best blend of size and strength to your wheels with a reduced risk of injuries, which can be increased during exercises with high stability requirements.

The forward lunge is not well-suited to very heavy weights because knee strain and impact can be increased during the stepping portion of the movement.

Building Muscle

If you’re more concerned with maximal size and a burning sensation in your legs, two to four sets of 10 to 15 repetitions of either the split squat or the lunge will scorch your lower body and core. Both exercises will provide an excellent hypertrophy stimulus, particularly when performed after your main heavy exercises.

Bodyweight-Only Cardio Training

Adding a strength training element to your cardio routine is a great way to develop multiple qualities at the same time — size, cardio, athleticism, strength. In fact, science has shown that bodyweight circuits can be as effective as any other form of cardio (treadmill, biking, etc.) to build endurance and shed body fat. (5)

Including these in your circuits is a great way to build your heart and your lower body at the same time. If you want to test your mettle, you can try performing walking lunges for distance, or for very high reps, one or two days per week. Aim to increase the distance or total repetitions each week.

• Week One: 50 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Two: 75 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Three: 100 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Four: 125 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Five: 150 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Six: 200 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Seven: 225 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Eight: 250 lunges total reps per leg

Battle for Better Legs

There are many possible ways to lunge, but as long as your working includes either the split squat or lunge, you’re on the right path to bigger, stronger legs. Now that the differences and advantages of each variation are laid out, include the movement best suited to your specific goals and needs, and take a step toward stronger, more muscular, more powerful legs.

References

1. Speirs, Derrick E.1,2; Bennett, Mark A.3; Finn, Charlotte V.4; Turner, Anthony P.2. Unilateral vs. Bilateral Squat Training for Strength, Sprints, and Agility in Academy Rugby Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 30(2):p 386-392, February 2016. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001096
2. Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo & Burgos, Carlos & Henríquez-Olguín, Carlos & Andrade, David & Martínez, Cristian & Álvarez, Cristian & Castro-Sepulveda, Mauricio & Marques, Mário & Izquierdo, Mikel. (2015). Effect of Unilateral, Bilateral, and Combined Plyometric Training on Explosive and Endurance Performance of Young Soccer Players. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29. 1317–1328. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000762.
3. Calatayud J, Vinstrup J, Jakobsen MD, Sundstrup E, Brandt M, Jay K, Colado JC, Andersen LL. Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016 Mar;116(3):527-33. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7. Epub 2015 Dec 23. PMID: 26700744.
4. Núñez FJ, Santalla A, Carrasquila I, Asian JA, Reina JI, Suarez-Arrones LJ. The effects of unilateral and bilateral eccentric overload training on hypertrophy, muscle power and COD performance, and its determinants, in team sport players. PLoS One. 2018 Mar 28;13(3):e0193841. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193841. PMID: 29590139; PMCID: PMC5874004.
5. Kim JW, Ko YC, Seo TB, Kim YP. Effect of circuit training on body composition, physical fitness, and metabolic syndrome risk factors in obese female college students. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018 Jun 30;14(3):460-465. doi: 10.12965/jer.1836194.097. PMID: 30018934; PMCID: PMC6028228.

Featured Image: Serhii Bobyk / Shutterstock

The post Split Squat vs. Lunge: Upgrade Your Single-Leg Training appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

While there are plenty of potential exercises to target your posterior chain — lower back, glutes, and hamstrings — one of the most popular exercises in recent years is the barbell hip thrust.

This movement, supporting a weighted barbell across your hips while suspending your upper back on a platform, can be highly effective but it can also be awkward, physically uncomfortable, and difficult to master. To achieve the same end result (and the same result on your end), there are a few equally effective hip thrust alternatives that provide backside size and strength with fewer obstacles.

Best Hip Thrust Alternatives

• Sumo Deadlift
• Split-Stance Romanian Deadlift
• Walking Romanian Deadlift
• Kettlebell Swing
• Reverse Hyperextension
• SHELC
• Single-Leg Glute Bridge
• Single-Leg Landmine Hip Thrust

Sumo Deadlift

The conventional deadlift, with its hip-width stance and significant back involvement, is a staple for many lifters focused on muscle-building and strength gains. The sumo deadlift, however, uses a much wider stance to alter leverage and shift muscle recruitment.

The wide-set foot position increases leg drive, allowing the inner thighs (adductors), hamstrings, and glutes to be worked through a long range of motion, which can contribute to muscle growth. (1) The sumo deadlift also allows a more upright torso, which can reduce strain on the lower back, making the exercise ideal for anyone with recurring lower back pain or mobility issues.

When to Use It

As a “big ‘n basic” compound (multi-joint) movement, the sumo deadlift is a heavy hitter in the weight training world and should get top billing in a workout. Perform the exercise as early in the session as possible, as either the first or second exercise after a general warm-up. 

Giving the exercise a high priority helps to reap the greatest strength and muscle gains, compared to performing it toward the end of the workout. (2)

How to Do It

Place a barbell on the floor and take a wider than shoulder-width stance. Angle your toes slightly outward and reach down with straight arms. Keep your upper body mostly vertical and bend your legs to grab the bar. Set your hands roughly hip-width apart. Take a breath and flex your abs to create tension.

Squeeze the bar tightly and pull your shoulder blades together. Drive your feet through the ground and apply constant tension to lift the weight — don’t try to abruptly yank the bar off the ground. Keep the bar close to your body as you lift up to full lockout. Reverse direction to replace the bar on the ground.

Split-Stance Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is a commonly used deadlift variation to zero-in on the glutes and  hamstrings. You can amp up that focus by adopting a split stance, or staggered stance, to emphasize each leg individually. Rather than a pure single-leg movement with your non-working leg entirely off the ground, you can maintain balance while also shifting the majority of muscular stress to the front leg.

Single-leg training, or using a single-leg emphasis, can be as beneficial as bilateral (two-legged) training when it comes to building muscle, strength, and power, while requiring relatively lower loads overall. (3) Getting comparable results with less weight can be especially beneficial for lifters dealing with joint pain.

When to Use It

Even though the split stance provides some balance support, it’s best not to perform the split-stance Romanian deadlift when extremely fatigued (at the end of a training session). Coordination, strength, and stability could be compromised which would make the exercise excessively challenging. Train the split-stance Romanian deadlift relatively earlier in the workout on a dedicated leg day, or as one of the only leg exercises performed in a full-body workout.

How to Do It

Stand upright, holding a barbell with an overhand grip. Take a small step back with your right leg, keeping the toes of your right foot generally in line with the heel of your left foot. Set your feet at least shoulder-width apart until you feel stable. Brace your core, keep your back neutral, and bend forward at your hips. Keep the bar close to your front leg.

Lower the weight until you feel a significant stretch in the hamstrings and glutes of your front leg. Raise the weight without moving your feet. Perform all reps on one side before switching your stance.

Walking Romanian Deadlift

The walking lunge has a well-earned reputation as an intense cardio exercise and a great leg-builder. Both of those benefits can be amplified by swapping the lunge for this deadlift variation. The walking Romanian deadlift cranks up the glute and hamstring activity without compromising any of the conditioning benefits.

When to Use It

The walking Romanian deadlift (or walking RDL) can be performed as an intense finisher at the very end of any workout, not just a leg session, or it can be performed on its own and programmed similar to a cardio/conditioning workout. Don’t feel like jumping on the treadmill? Grab a pair of dumbbells and do some walking RDLs. Rather than specific repetitions, the walking RDL can be performed for a duration (one or two minutes is a good start) or for a total distance (begin with 50 to 100 feet).

How to Do It

Stand with a dumbbell in each hand by your sides. Take a step forward with your left foot. When your foot is fully planted on the ground, slightly bend your left leg and hinge forward at your hips. Keep your back in neutral, not rounded.

Reach the weights toward your front foot as far as is comfortable. Pull your shoulders back to stand upright again. Take a step forward with your right foot. Repeat the hinge forward and reach down. Continue alternating feet with step forward.

Kettlebell Swing

The swing might be the most frequently performed kettlebell exercise because it delivers a great bang for the training buck. It allows you to build explosive power, top-notch conditioning and endurance, and a muscular posterior chain. If you have access to a kettlebell in your gym or at home, swings should be on the short list of “must-learn exercises.”

When to Use It

The kettlebell swing relies on explosive power, so it’s ideally performed early in a training session or in a workout by itself. If you’ve fine-tuned the technique and can control the movement, you may be able to use it as a finisher toward the end of a workout as long as your grip and lower back (two critical safety elements) aren’t pre-fatigued.

How to Do It

Stand in front of a kettlebell in a relatively wide stance. Hinge forward at your hips, push your glutes back, and grab the top handle with both hands in a palms-down grip. Forcefully drive your hips forward to lift the weight in a fast, powerful snap. Keep your arms mostly straight. Squeeze the handle tightly without actively using your arms to move the weight. Your arms are just for control, the force of movement should come from the initial hip drive.

Flex your core when the weight is at the top position (roughly chest level) and allow the kettlebell to reverse direction as it “falls.” Repeat the hinge with your upper body. As the kettlebell passes just behind your knees, snap your hips forward to begin the next repetition smoothly.

Reverse Hyperextension

If one exercise is repeatedly touted by veteran powerlifters as a way to build the lower back, glute, and hamstring strength needed to squat hundreds upon hundreds of pounds, it’s probably worth considering even for those not interested in lifting a half-ton. The reverse hyperextension has long been advocated in the strength sports world as a way to “injury-proof” the posterior chain.

That’s a large claim that depends on the individual and plenty of factors, but the reverse hyperextension has been shown to work your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings without needing to throw around heavy weights. (4) This makes it an ideal way to work the target muscles without wearing down your body.

When to Use It

This movement is an efficient way to wrap up any leg workout after your lower body is fatigued and fully warmed up. However, performing the reverse hyperextension with light weight for moderate to higher repetition can also be a good addition to your general warm-up routine. The muscle activation and significant stretch can help to prepare your posterior chain for any heavier work to follow.

How to Do It

Some commercial gyms have dedicated reverse hyperextension machines, but the exercise can be performed on a “standard” back hyperextension machine (while facing backwards, holding the leg pads with your hands) or using a exercise ball placed on top of a flat bench, but the ball will be unstable and will require much more core control.

Get into position with your hips and abdominals supported on the pad. Lean forward at your waist and allow your feet to hang freely in the air. Your upper and lower body should form a general L-shape. Contract your glutes to raise your straight legs until they’re roughly parallel to the ground. Pause at the top for one or two seconds. Lower your legs under control. Pause in the stretched position for one or two seconds before repeating.

SHELC

The supine hip extension leg curl, or SHELC, requires an exercise ball and some space to lie on the floor. It’s an efficient way to perform a hip thrust alternative at home with limited equipment. This bodyweight-only exercise is one of the few movements to significantly recruit your hamstrings nearly in isolation, without the help of your larger quadriceps muscles and without adding weight.

When to Use It

The SHELC is versatile enough to be performed at any point in a training routine. Because it’s a bodyweight movement, you may want to pre-fatigue your target muscles with exercises and use the SHELC to finish them or, if the exercise is sufficiently challenging for your legs, perform it earlier in the workout.

How to Do It

Lie on the floor with your legs extended and both heels on top of an exercise ball. Brace your upper body by keeping your arms on the ground. Dig your heels into the ball to raise your hips off the ground — your body should be in a straight line from your feet to your chest.

Curl your feet toward your glutes, pressing down to keep both feet in contact with the ball. Straighten your legs to return to the starting position. Don’t drop your hips until the entire set is completed — perform the leg curl while maintaining the bridged position. If your feet are close to falling off the ball when your legs are curled in, move your heels closer to the top/center of the ball in the starting position.

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is very similar to the basic hip thrust, minus a bench to elevate your shoulders, so you can get the benefits of a hip thrust without equipment. The single-leg glute bridge can be an efficient exercise choice, especially because the basic (two-legged) glute bridge is often not challenging enough for many lifters.

When to Use It

The single-leg glute bridge only requires some space on the ground, so it can be very easily superset with nearly any exercise to sneak in extra glute and hamstring training at any time. Try pairing them with push-ups for a quick and simple, ground-based, bodyweight-only workout. Or perform a set of single-leg glute bridges before each set of deadlifts to boost glute activation.

How to Do It

Lie flat on the ground with your legs straight. Bend your left leg and place your foot on the ground near your right knee. Keep your right leg straight and raise it until your knees are next to each other. Hold this straight leg position for the duration of the set.

Keep your foot flat on the ground and drive through the floor while raising your hips. You should feel a strong contraction through the back of your left leg. Pause for one to two seconds before lowering your glutes to the floor. Perform all reps with one leg before switching sides.

Single-Leg Landmine Hip Thrust

One highly effective hip thrust alternative is actually a simple hip thrust variation. The landmine allows you to shift the load to a single hip, instead of bearing a long barbell across your entire hip area. This modified hip thrust can be more comfortable for the lifter, while the landmine’s pivoting base offers a unique training angle.

When to Use It

The single-leg landmine hip thrust can be programmed like any hip thrust movement, simply adjust the load as needed. Single-leg training is often overlooked in many training programs, so if your current leg workout doesn’t involve any unilateral movements, consider making the single-leg landmine hip thrust a key player.

How to Do It

Sit on the floor perpendicular to a flat bench with your legs extended straight. Position the end of a landmine above your left hip. Place your left foot flat on the ground near your right knee. Rest your upper back and arms across the bench.

Raise your hips by driving through the floor with your left foot. Brace your core and pivot your upper body around the bench. Pause briefly in the top position — when you’ve reached a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Lower to the ground under control, being careful not to bounce the weight off the floor. Perform all reps with one leg before switching sides.

Benefits of Hip Thrust Alternatives

You’re not sacrificing results if you’ve opted out of the classic barbell hip thrust. In fact, there are a few specific reasons why a barbell hip thrust alternative could be the preferred choice as a barbell hip thrust replacement.

Avoids Hip Discomfort

Many lifters find the bar’s position during hip thrusts to be too uncomfortable and not worth the trouble. Because the hip thrust requires a barbell to be laid across your hip region, it’s not uncommon for your hip bones to come into contact with the weight, especially if the bar shifts or slides during repetitions. Even on specially designed hip thrust machines, the load is supported directly across your hips via a belt or pad, which can still cause extreme discomfort as the weight pulls down through your pelvis.

The majority of hip thrust alternatives don’t require weight to be loaded on your hips at all. The single-leg landmine hip thrust, in particular, supports the weight on a single side and the angle of the landmine helps to offset the stress.

Increased Muscle Recruitment

The barbell hip thrust can require some technique, between setting your upper body on the bench, positioning your feet correctly, and maintaining a neutral body position as your hips rise. Any errors in those steps can drastically reduce activation on the target muscles, making the exercise less effective.

These barbell hip thrust alternatives are relatively more simple to master, while targeting the glutes and hamstrings more directly either by using a single-leg emphasis or by reducing contributing muscles and working the target muscles in isolation.

Decreased Lower Back Stress

Some lifters feel lower back strain during the barbell hip thrust, as there can be some mobility requirements to safely and effectively perform the movement. Many of the alternative hip thrust exercises reduce compressive strain on the lower back and don’t require as much hip mobility to perform, which can make the exercises more joint-friendly.

More Ways to Work the Posterior

The hip thrust is a relatively popular exercise, but despite the hashtags, it’s not a mandatory movement for building a powerful, muscular set of glutes and hams. The effective alternatives laid out above can be plugged into any training plan whether your goal is lower body strength, total-body muscle, or the kind of glute and hamstring development that gets trending.

References

1. Schoenfeld, B. J., & Grgic, J. (2020). Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A systematic review. SAGE open medicine, 8, 2050312120901559. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312120901559
2. Nunes, J. P., Grgic, J., Cunha, P. M., Ribeiro, A. S., Schoenfeld, B. J., de Salles, B. F., & Cyrino, E. S. (2021). What influence does resistance exercise order have on muscular strength gains and muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. European journal of sport science, 21(2), 149–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1733672
3. Speirs, Derrick E.1,2; Bennett, Mark A.3; Finn, Charlotte V.4; Turner, Anthony P.2. Unilateral vs. Bilateral Squat Training for Strength, Sprints, and Agility in Academy Rugby Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 30(2):p 386-392, February 2016. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001096
4. Lawrence, M. A., Somma, M. J., & Swanson, B. T. (2022). Effect of Load on Muscle Activity, Kinematics, and Force Production During the Reverse Hyperextension Exercise. Journal of applied biomechanics, 38(5), 336–345. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.2022-0046

Featured Image: Viewfoto studio / Shutterstock

The post 8 Hip Thrust Alternatives to Build Your Glutes and Hamstrings appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

But how about doubling up on big lifts in the same workout with deadlifts after squats? Or maybe deadlifts before rows?  The question of whether to put the deadlift on “leg day” or “back day” is a contentious programming issue.

Put deadlifts on leg day, and you’re likely combining squats and deadlifts in the same workout. Not exactly a walk in the park, especially considering the heavy loads typically used with these big lifts. Instead, you could slip deadlifts alongside upper body exercises like barbell rows, but now you’ve created a daunting “pull” session with the potential to fry your back.

Before you double-down on any program design biases, consider the potential pros and cons. Explore the root of this question, delve into scientific evidence, and find practical recommendations to solve this lifting conundrum. 

Deadlift on Back Day or Leg Day?

• Overview of Training Splits
• Muscles Worked by the Deadlift
• Effects of Intra-Workout Fatigue
• Strategies to Manage Intra-Workout Fatigue
• Recovery Between Workouts
• Programming the Deadlift for Strength 
• Programming the Deadlift for Hypertrophy

Overview of Training Splits

Most lifters, particularly those training three more times per week, commonly organize their routine using some type of training split. I wrote extensively about the most popular training splits. In brief, a “split” assigns a specific focus to each session of the week. Two of the most common training split routines are Push/Pull/Legs (PPL) and body part (BP) split.  

In PPL split routines, lifters hit the gym three or more times per week. The first session (“push day”) is traditionally dedicated to upper body pushing exercises (e.g. overhead press, triceps extensions, or dips). The next session (“pull day”) is reserved primarily for upper body pulling exercises (e.g. rows, pull-ups, or curls). In essence, “pull day” is a “back day.” Lower body exercises are typically assigned to the third session (“leg day”). 

In BP split routines, lifters hit the gym at least five days per week. As the name suggests, each workout in a BP split is assigned its own muscular region of focus. An example of a common BP follows: “Chest day,” which invariably falls on Monday for typical gym-goers, includes exercises targeting the pectoral muscles (e.g. bench press, incline bench, or pec flye). “back day” includes exercises targeting the muscles on the back of the torso (e.g. lat pulldowns, rows, or back extensions).

“Leg day,” often the most (or least) favorite session of the week, is reserved for lower body exercises such as squats, leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, and calf raises. Direct training for the arms (e.g. plenty of biceps curls and triceps pushdowns) occurs on “arm day.” Finally, “shoulder day” includes overhead pressing variations, lateral raises, upright rows, and other exercises focused on the deltoids. 

The Deadlift Dilemma

So, where does the deadlift fit in? 

At face value, the deadlift appears to primarily train the hips and lower body. Therefore, the deadlift belongs in “leg day” of PPL and BP split routines. Done and dusted, right? 

Better loosen your lifting belt, because it’s not that simple. Categorizing deadlifts in a split routine is a complex question. Its implications may affect the productivity of your training. We need to consider functional anatomy, the potential effects of fatigue, implications for recovery, individual fitness goals, and more. 

Muscles Worked by the Deadlift

The deadlift involves lifting a weight, typically a loaded barbell, using a hip-dominant lower body extension pattern. Although many variations of the deadlift exist, all deadlifts require resisted hip extension, which trains the glutes, most of the hamstrings, and some of the inner thigh muscles. Primary muscles include: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, biceps femoris (long head), and adductor magnus.

Above the hips, the trunk muscles must keep the body ridged and transfer forces generated by the hips to the upper body. “Spinal erectors” refers to muscles on the backside of the trunk that act to extend the spine — The erector spinae muscle group, quadratus lumborum, the semispinalis group, and many smaller muscles fall into this category.  Mechanically, the spinal erectors are the most significant trunk muscles during the deadlift. Albeit, the abdominal muscles are also essential, as they contract along with the spinal erectors to increase pressure in the abdomen, which further increases the rigidity of the trunk.

Depending on the deadlift variation employed (e.g. conventional versus Romanian), the quadriceps may be more or less involved. Finally, the forearm muscles involved in grip are also active in the deadlift.

The deadlift works the entire posterior chain, including muscles in the legs and back. Clearly, the deadlift does not fit cleanly into either “leg day” or “back day.” But organizing your training split was never about goose-stepping to rules about which body parts can be trained on which day. Your splits should promote the desired training adaptation, such as strength or muscle size. If you want to experience ongoing increases in strength and size, you’ll need to manage fatigue within each workout then recover for the next one.   

Effects of Intra-Workout Fatigue

Fatigue, technically, describes the reduction in a muscle’s ability to contract or produce force. Two types of fatigue occur in response to exercise: peripheral fatigue and central fatigue. Peripheral fatigue occurs at the working muscles, while central fatigue occurs because of processes at the brain and spinal cord. (1) 

To be clear, fatigue is an inextricable part of hard training. Peripheral and central fatigue amass simultaneously as we train. Put deadlifts on “leg day,” and fatigue from deadlifts may negatively affect other lower body exercises on “leg day,” and vice versa depending on your exercise order. Hit deadlifts on “back day,” and fatigue from deadlifts may negatively affect other back exercises (and again, vice versa). 

While no coach or study can definitively tell you which programming option will work best for you, we can explore the effects of fatigue on postural stability, the potential for injury, and exercise adaptations. 

Fatigue and Postural Muscle Stability

Deadlifts, squats, and rows, such as bent-over barbell rows and unsupported dumbbell row variations are considered structural exercises because they place load through the trunk. Structural exercises are typically compound, or multi-joint, movements and tend to be programmed toward the beginning of the workout.

A concern when programming multiple structural exercises in the same workout is the potential for trunk muscle fatigue. A lifter who exhausts the muscles that support the trunk may be less able to maintain stability during subsequent exercises. Moreover, it has been suggested that fatigue of the trunk muscles may predispose a lifter to injury during subsequent lifts. (2)(3)

So, how do trunk muscles respond to fatigue induced by deadlifts? 

Strang and Berg compared a well-rested control group to folks who performed deadlifts to failure. The researchers measured postural muscle activity and postural stability in response to a lateral raise. (4) Postural stability did not differ among the fresh- and fatigued participants. However, the fatigued participants demonstrated earlier onset of trunk extensor (lower back) and hamstring muscle activity. (4)

These findings illustrate the nervous system’s ability to compensate for fatigue by changing the timing of muscle contractions. Relative to the trunk-fatigue question, this study has several limitations. Although the study appears to support training deadlifts on “shoulder day,” it does not directly address our question of how deadlifts affect stability subsequent heavy “back day” or “leg day” performance. 

Another study may be more generalized, exploring scenarios when deadlifts are performed before other structural exercises (e.g. squats or bent-over rows). Healthy participants performing fatiguing deadlifts followed by structural loading via standing with 25% of bodyweight in a weight vest. (2) Trunk extensor muscle activity remained similar to unfatigued condition, but abdominal muscle activity decreased following deadlifts. (2) 

Altogether, it appears the body compensates for deadlift-induced fatigue by activating muscles earlier and maintaining activity of trunk extensors, but changes in coordination patterns between trunk extensors and abdominals may occur during subsequent exercises. 

To be clear, no definitive link between deadlift-induced fatigue and injury risk has been established. However, Breton and McGill have suggested random movement errors may result in injury. Fatigue may increase the rate of errors, albeit with a high degree of individual variability. (3)

Fatigue and Exercise Adaptations

Adaptations to exercise tend to be blunted when training is performed in a fatigued state. (1)(5) Peripheral fatigue and central fatigue reduce the force produced by working muscles. (1) Active muscle force is a component of mechanical tension, which is likely a key driver of muscle growth. (6) Ultimately, reduced force output due to fatigue could lead to less muscle gain. 

Fatigue might be an even greater enemy for those interested in building strength. According to a meta-analysis by Nunes and colleagues, the lifts performed last in the workout result in reduced strength improvements compared to those performed first. (7) The negative influence of fatigue is thought to underlie this phenomenon. (5) Fatigue cannot be avoided during hard training, but it can be managed. Managing fatigue is a priority in solving our “deadlift dilemma.”

Strategies to Manage Intra-Workout Fatigue

When programming the deadlift, it’s prudent to scrutinize your own fatigue response. Due to individual variations in fatigue and its effects, a bit of self-reflection may be in order. Here are some common scenarios and potential action plans to guide your decision-making.

Deadlifting Delivers a Massive Low Back “Pump” 

You might experience disproportionate peripheral fatigue in the spinal erectors (lower back). If you put deadlifts on “leg day,” you might be better off following them up with supported exercises, such as leg press or leg extensions instead of squats, and choosing hamstring curls rather than good mornings.

If you choose to put deadlifts on “back day,” bench-supported rows, pull-ups, and pulldowns are all great options that spare your spinal erectors.

Deadlifts Hammer Your Hamstrings More Than Anything

In this scenario, hamstrings experience the lion’s share of peripheral fatigue. You could embrace this and use the deadlift as your primary hamstrings exercise on “leg day.”

On the other hand, programming deadlifts on “back day” may be a great option for you. This provides an opportunity to train hamstrings with non-deadlift exercise of your choice on leg day and potentially increase your overall weekly hamstring-training volume. This strategy of adding volume may be effective if your recovery is on point.

Simply “Fried” After Deadlifts

If you notice big drops in your performance of other lifts after a few sets of deadlifts, central fatigue may be overriding. Central fatigue is the type that affects exercised and non-exercised muscles. (1) So, it is likely to affect subsequent back or leg exercises. 

Perhaps counterintuitively, central fatigue has been shown to be greater following lower load exercises to failure than higher load exercise to failure. (8) Therefore, adjusting deadlift intensity and volume might be useful. Favor fewer sets and repetitions with heavier loads. To address whether to pair deadlift with “back day” exercises or “leg day” exercises, consider placing deadlifts in the lower volume workout of the two — The one that tends to have fewer total sets and reps.

Recovery Between Workouts

The deadlift has a reputation for producing lingering fatigue, delayed onset muscle soreness, and general malaise after a hard session. But is this reputation justified?  

Contrary to popular lore, there is reason to believe the deadlift may be the most “recoverable” of the three powerlifts — Squat, deadlift, and bench press. Belcher and colleagues took athletes through workouts including four sets to failure of a single powerlift with 80% of one-repetition maximum. They showed reduced mean concentric (lifting) velocity, or bar speed, for the squat and bench press at 24-, 48-, and 72 hours postworkout; but the bar speed of the deadlift was not significantly slower than in the initial workout. (9)

Delayed onset soreness was present and similar at all three timepoints following each of the three powerlifts. However, cell-free DNA concentrations — an indicator of muscle damage in this context — increased for bench press and squat following the rigorous workout, but not for deadlift. (9) These data indicate deadlifts may be more recoverable, in some ways, than the squat or bench press. 

Although the deadlift may not be the full-on menace to recovery many may have thought, it has the potential to impose substantial recovery demands. One major limitation to the Belcher study is it did not measure low back soreness or range of motion. Anecdotally, high-intensity or high-volume deadlifts can result in low back soreness and stiffness. This may affect readiness to train, especially when subsequent workouts involve other structural exercises. Recall, these exercises load the low back, and include squats, good mornings, military press, unsupported rows, bent-over rows, and more. 

In the traditional PPL split, “pull day” may occur 24- to 48-hours before “leg day, ” depending on your training frequency and structure of “rest days.” Ostensibly, programming deadlifts on “pull day” may result in lingering fatigue on leg day. On the other hand, placing deadlifts on “leg day” may provide more recovery between the deadlift and the next workout heavy in structural exercises. 

In the BP split, the effects of residual fatigue from deadlift on other structural exercises may be mitigated by separating “back day” and “leg day the routine. Slide an “arm day,” a “chest day, and/or a “rest day” between “back day” and “leg day.” When planned in this fashion, it doesn’t likely matter whether you deadlift on “back day” or “leg day,” at least from the perspective of between-workout recovery.

But we haven’t fully considered the programming considerations related to your training goal. Lifters commonly deadlift for strength or for muscle-gain (“hypertrophy”) — Let’s examine how training goals affect deadlift programming. 

Programming the Deadlift for Strength

Lifters training for sheer strength tend to gravitate toward incorporating the deadlift. It’s one of the three competitive powerlifting movements, along with bench press and squat. And among the trio, the deadlift typically allows the lifter to move the greatest amount of weight. 

If your goal is to enhance your deadlift strength, you will need to prioritize this lift and your recovery between deadlift sessions. Whether you choose to perform deadlifts on leg day or back day, consider placing this lift early in the session. Recall, it is well-appreciated that strength adaptations are greater for exercises performed earlier in the workout compared to later. (7)  

Next, ensure your program allows for sufficient volume and intensity of deadlifts and deadlift assistance exercises. Deadlift assistance exercises are intended to support deadlift performance. Common assistance exercises for the deadlift include deficit deadlifts, which improve proficiency at the bottom of the lift; and deadlifts with bands or chains; or rack pulls, which may improve lockout ability at the top of the lift. (10)(13)

The optimal number of weekly sets and intensity for improving deadlift strength will likely vary between individuals and interacts with other programming variables, such as repetition volume and level of effort. (11)(12) Informed by Peterson and colleagues, shooting for eight hard weekly sets using 85% 1RM or greater is a nice “rule of thumb.” (12) But keep in mind, anywhere between four and 14 weekly sets may elicit strong improvements in strength among well-trained lifters. (12) And if you are a novice lifter, even fewer weekly sets may be just as effective.

More is not better. Consider limiting volume per exercise to a maximum of less than 15 sets per week. (12) Note: if deadlift assistance exercises are performed with high levels of effort, they should be included in the tally of total deadlift weekly volume. 

Finally, consider recovery between sessions. Per the typical course, 72-hours or greater between sessions may be required to fully recover from a demanding deadlift workout. (9) While “full recovery” between deadlift sessions may not be essential for ongoing strength gains, extremely high-effort sessions should be programmed in a well-recovered state for best results.  

Ultimately, these objectives can be accomplished by programming deadlifts on “leg day” or “back day.” However, if you are concurrently training to improve squat strength, you may wish to place deadlifts on “back day.” This way, deadlifts can be performed early in its respective session, which is likely to maximize strength outcomes per our discussion exercise order above. Just as important, deadlifts on “back day” avoids the potential negative effects of intra-workout fatigue on squat performance. 

What about hitting deadlifts both on “back day” and “leg day?” The strategy of performing deadlifts on multiple days per week may seem unorthodox, but it may be helpful. Especially for those who notice decreased output during their final sets. Hit a few high-quality sets on “back day,” a few more good sets on “leg day,” and watch your numbers improve. 

Programming the Deadlift for Hypertrophy

If your primary objective is to build muscle, your programming should reflect this goal. Plenty of muscle can be built through full-body workouts, but many lifters elect for a training split. And programming decisions within the training split could affect outcomes. 

Expert consensus for hypertrophy training recommends most individuals perform 10 to 20+ high-effort sets per week per major muscle group. (14) But clearly, not all high effort sets are equal. To help explain how some exercises are more taxing than others, practitioners commonly discuss a phenomenon called “stimulus-to-fatigue ratio.” Although the term “ratio” makes this concept sound measurable, the appropriate method for quantifying stimulus is a controversial topic. (1)

Therefore, most practitioners discuss this concept qualitatively — Exercises with a high stimulus-to-fatigue ratio are thought to subject the target muscle(s) to more training stress, while sparing the lifter from high levels of fatigue. On the other hand, exercise with a low stimulus-to-fatigue ratio still trains the target muscle(s), but the lifter tends to experience disproportionately greater fatigue as a consequence. 

The deadlift is notoriously claimed to have a low stimulus-to-fatigue ratio. While the deadlift undeniably allows for effective loading of the glutes and hamstrings, it also demands coordination throughout the body and hammers muscles of the trunk. Although findings from the Belcher study discussed in the “Recovery Between Workouts” section fail to support the claim of disproportionate fatigue from deadlifts, lifters know they can be downright exhausting. As such, the deadlift is typically programmed sparingly in bodybuilding-type programs.

If you wish to include the deadlift in your hypertrophy routine, consider it may affect your  training, and program it accordingly. Performing deadlifts close to failure with moderate to light loads characteristic of typical hypertrophy programs (e.g. 65 to 80% 1RM) is likely to produce appreciable peripheral- and central fatigue.

If you’re hitting deadlifts to build your glutes and hamstrings, peripheral fatigue local to muscles is expected and may be welcomed as part of the training process. But buildup of peripheral fatigue in non-target muscles, such as the spinal erectors, grip muscles, or lats may ultimately reduce performance in subsequent exercises targeting these muscles. Central fatigue may be an even greater concern because it reduces output of muscles throughout the entire body. (1)

Keep in mind that deadlifts aren’t the only exercise that produces central fatigue. All exercises result in some amount of central fatigue. High-repetition lifts involving multiple joints, large muscles, and high demands for coordination or stabilization are likely to result in substantial central fatigue — Squats, rows, and presses are guilty too. 

High-volume deadlifts have the potential to put a damper on your entire hypertrophy workout. So, it pays to be strategic. Reduce overall volume of deadlifts by substituting exercises with a more favorable stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, such as leg curls for hamstrings and hip thrusts for glutes.

If your body and brain are cooked after long leg days, shift deadlifts over to “back day.” Or, if you like to perform a lot of unsupported or bent-over rowing variations on “back day,” it might be best to leave deadlifts on “leg day.” 

A growing body of research indicates total weekly volume is a stronger determinant of hypertrophy than volume during individual workouts. (15)(16)(17)(18) This has two implications: First, lifters who experience undue fatigue with the deadlift may consider breaking up the sets across “back day” and “leg day.” Second, lifters struggling to reach adequate training volume for glutes and hamstrings might add additional sets of deadlifts when split across two sessions. Increasing the training frequency of an exercise such as the deadlift can be a potent strategy for muscle gain.

The Deadlift Decision

The deadlift is a high impact, high-fatigue exercise. It not only hammers the target muscles, but also affects the entire body. Fatigue from deadlifts appears to alter trunk muscle activity and may decrease performance in other lifts. Perhaps surprisingly, recovery from deadlifts tends to be similar, if not faster than other “big lifts.” Deadlifts are great for building strength, and despite claims by “stimulus-to-fatigue” naysayers, can be a productive exercise in a hypertrophy program.

To maximize their use, deadlifts must be programmed sensibly. For some, this may mean hitting deadlifts on “back day.” For others, it may mean keeping deadlifts on “leg day.” And for those who can resist the urge to classify the deadlift, there’s the option of splitting difference — Hit a few sets of deadlifts on “back day” and a few more sets on “leg day.” 

In any case, track your progress and see how you respond. Don’t hesitate to modify things if your plan doesn’t end up doubling your pleasure and only delivers a double whammy with too much stress and too few results.

References

1. Alix-Fages, C., et al. (2022). The role of the neural stimulus in regulating skeletal muscle hypertrophy. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 1-18.
2. Hoseinpoor, T. S., Kahrizi, S., & Mobini, B. (2015). Trunk extensor muscle fatigue influences trunk muscle activities. Work, 51(4), 793-797.
3. Brereton, L. C., & McGill, S. M. (1999). Effects of physical fatigue and cognitive challenges on the potential for low back injury. Human Movement Science, 18(6), 839-857.
4. Strang, A. J., & Berg, W. P. (2007). Fatigue-induced adaptive changes of anticipatory postural adjustments. Experimental Brain Research, 178(1), 49-61.
5. Spiering, B. A., et al. (2022). Maximizing strength: the stimuli and mediators of strength gains and their application to training and rehabilitation. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 10-1519.
6. Wackerhage, H., et al. (2019). Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 126(1):30-43.
7. Nunes, J. P., et al. (2021). What influence does resistance exercise order have on muscular strength gains and muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(2), 149-157.
8. Farrow, J., et al. (2021). Lighter-load exercise produces greater acute-and prolonged-fatigue in exercised and non-exercised limbs. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 92(3), 369-379.
9. Belcher, D. J., et al. (2019). Time course of recovery is similar for the back squat, bench press, and deadlift in well-trained males. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 44(10), 1033-1042.
10. Swinton, P. et al. (2009). Contemporary training practices in elite British powerlifters: survey results from an international competition. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(2), 380-384.
11. Mattocks, K. T., et al. (2017). Practicing the test produces strength equivalent to higher volume training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 49(9), 1945-1954.
12. Peterson, M. D., Rhea, M. R., & Alvar, B. A. (2004). Maximizing strength development in athletes: a meta-analysis to determine the dose-response relationship. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 18(2), 377-382.
13. Belcher, D. (2017). The sumo deadlift. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 39(4), 97-104.
14. Schoenfeld, B., Fisher, J., Grgic, J., et al. (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximize muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: Position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 1(1), 1-30
15. Colquhoun, R. J., et al. (2018). Training volume, not frequency, indicative of maximal strength adaptations to resistance training. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 32(5), 1207-1213.
16. Hamarsland, H., et al. (2022). Equal-volume strength training with different training frequencies induces similar muscle hypertrophy and strength improvement in trained participants. Frontiers in Physiology, 2374.
17. Franco, C. M., et al. (2021). Influence of high-and low-frequency resistance training on lean body mass and muscle strength gains in untrained men. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 35(8), 2089-2094.
18. Gomes, G. K., et al. (2019). High-frequency resistance training is not more effective than low-frequency resistance training in increasing muscle mass and strength in well-trained men. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 33, S130-S139.

Featured Image: DmitryStock/ Shutterstock

The post Should You Train the Deadlift on Back Day or Leg Day? What to Know for Results and Recovery appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The dumbbell split squat, sometimes referred to as a static lunge, is performed in a split (or staggered) stance similar to a lunge position. Unlike the lunge, your feet won’t leave the floor during a split squat. This provides a little stability during a relatively less stable exercise

Here are a few different ways to work on the dumbbell split squat, along with variations, tips, and cues to get stronger at this single-leg focused movement.

Dumbbell Split Squat

• How to Do the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Progress the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Benefits of the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Split Squat
• How to Program the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat Variations
• FAQs

Split Squat Demonstration Video

Coach Morit Summers demonstrates a bodyweight split squat. The overall technique is identical to the dumbbell split squat, with the exception of the added resistance from a dumbbell in each hand.

How to Do the Dumbbell Split Squat

The dumbbell split can serve as your introduction to single-leg training. But even if you’re experienced with squats, lunges, and everything in between, this movement can be a great way to focus on each leg for more size and strength.

Step 1 — Begin Kneeling

Get on the ground in a half-kneeling or “proposal” position. Set your front foot flat on the floor with your knee bent at 90-degrees. Rest your back knee on the ground with your toes curled under, aimed into the ground. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight by your sides.

Form Tip: You could start the exercise from the top, in a standing position, but the strength of a split squat comes from establishing a great half-kneeling position and initiating the movement with strong legs. The bottom position also helps to set up a powerful, stable stance by creating a good front knee angle.

Step 2 — Drive Up to Standing Position

Grip the weights and pull your shoulders back. Drive through the ground with both feet and reach a standing position at the top. Keep both of your feet connected to the ground. Your front leg should lock nearly straight. When standing upright, your rear leg may remain slightly bent depending on your leg length.

Form Tip: Be sure to keep your front foot flat on the ground and don’t allow your front heel to rise up. If your front leg doesn’t fully lock out straight, that’s okay. Your leg length and mobility will be influencing factors. Focus on raising your hips toward the ceiling, not pushing backward to “lockout” your leg.

Step 3 — Lower Under Control

Reverse the motion with focus and control. Think about driving your hips back to bend your front leg. Bring your back knee toward the ground. Allow your upper body to slightly lean forward at the waist while your arms remain aimed straight down.

Form Tip: Avoid resting your knee on the ground in the bottom position. Lightly graze the floor with your back knee to get a full range of motion.

Dumbbell Split Squat Mistakes to Avoid

Some single-leg exercises can be tricky for lifters to master, either due to balance and stability issues, or muscular differences between each leg, or other factors. Here are some of key issues to watch for.

Feet Placed Too Narrow

Starting with your feet too narrow, or nearly in line with each other, will make balance a major obstacle. Imagine trying to walk on a balance beam that’s three inches wide compared to one that’s a foot wide.

In the starting position, get your feet roughly hip-distance apart. This will help provide a more stable base, so you can focus on working your leg muscles instead of fighting to stay balanced.

Avoid it: One benefit of starting the exercise from the half-kneeling position is that you can test your balance before the lift begins. Find stability in a staggered position with your feet placed properly. When you feel balanced in the half-kneeling position, then you can begin the set.

Raising Your Front Heel

Another way some lifters sabotage their balance is letting their front heel come off the ground when lowering themselves into the bottom position. This makes the stability of your ankle joint much more of a weak point than the strength of your relatively larger leg muscles. In fact, heel-raised exercises are used specifically to target the smaller ankle stabilizers and achilles tendon. (1) It’s not an efficient way to target hips, glute, and thigh muscles.

Avoid it: Imagine the sole of your shoe glued to the floor. Drive your hips back when raising or lowering your body. Keep your whole foot grounded and focus on applying force through your full foot, not just the ball of your foot.

Torso Stays Too Upright

Any squat or lunge, as well as the dumbbell split squat, should still have a degree of hip hinge or bending at the waist. Keeping your upper body too vertical can limit muscle recruitment in your lower body by not allowing your hips and glutes to fully activate.

When you stay upright, you may also feel more pressure or weight distribution around your knees instead of in your hips. Over the long-term, this may cause unnecessary strain on your knee joints.

Avoid it: Don’t try to keep your shoulders squared over your hips throughout the exercise. Keep your spine neutral, not rounded, but lean your shoulders slightly over your front thigh. Allow your hips to drive back, which will encourage your torso to naturally lean forward as you go into the bottom of the movement.

How to Progress the Dumbbell Split Squat

Beyond the most common methods of adding weight and/or increasing repetitions, the dumbbell split squat can be modified by manipulating tempo (rep speed), altering the range of motion, or deliberately adding instability.

Tempo or Rep Speed

Altering tempo is a great first step to progressing the dumbbell split squat. Tempo is just another word for the speed of each repetition. By specifically decreasing the speed you lift and lower your body, you are spending more time under tension, which can trigger more muscle growth. (2). Taking three to five seconds to rise into the top position and another three to five seconds to reach the bottom can be a high intensity way to train.

Moving with slower, more controlled movements is also a great way to be connected to an exercise and really focus on technique. This can help you avoid momentum and zone-in on muscle recruitment.

Adjusted Range of Motion

By adding blocks, steps, or stacked weight plates, you can change the range of motion, which can increase or decrease the difficulty. Adding elevation under your front foot, your back foot, or both feet will increase the range of motion and make the dumbbell split squat harder. This will create a much larger stretch on your leg muscles while you are sitting into the bottom position and there will be more work in the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement.

Adding something under your back knee will limit the range of motion and make the exercise less challenging. This is an effective modification if you have limited hip mobility because it helps to restrict the amount of stretch needed throughout the exercise.

Added Instability

Adding an element of instability will also challenge your nervous system which has its benefits as well. You can place a foam pad or thick-folded towel under your front foot to provide more of a stability challenge.

If you don’t have that equipment, you can instead set up with a narrow stance. While that was previously listed as a potential mistake, it can be used intentionally — only after you’ve mastered the basic movement — to add variety and increase the challenge without using heavier weights.

Benefits of the Dumbbell Split Squat

Many people overlook the benefits of single-leg training, including the dumbbell split squat, and overfocus on bilateral (two legged) squat variations. Here’s why you should incorporate the dumbbell split squat into your training program.

Single-Leg Power, Strength, and Size

It’s important to do unilateral lower body training work, including the dumbbell split squat, to address each leg individually. Traditional squats are a well-respected classic for a reason, but they are bilateral movements working both legs simultaneously. This can make it easy to compensate with your stronger leg when you are squatting — and every body has one leg slightly stronger or more developed than the other. With two-legged squats, your hips are squared off and your feet are planted symmetrically with a much more even base of support.

When you do a dumbbell split squat, you are changing your base of support, which then challenges your center of gravity, core stabilizers, and it changes the way your hips will work together. Single-leg training is also shown to possibly help reduce the risk of lower body injuries and improve power output compared to two-legged squatting. (3)(4)

Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Split Squat

The dumbbell split squat prioritizes most of the lower body muscles while also recruiting your upper body to stabilize and control the weight.

Quadriceps

Your quadriceps, or quads, are your front thigh muscles. These work to extend and lockout your leg as you rise into the top position. Your quads are generally considered the primary muscle during the dumbbell split squat.

Glutes and Hamstrings

As hip extensors, your glute and hamstring muscles work together to bring your lower body into alignment with your upper body. These muscles are put into a significant stretch in the bottom position of the dumbbell split squat, and they are activated to initiate the rise upward.

Allowing your upper body to lean forward during the hip hinge motion will more significantly recruit your glutes during the exercise.

Abductors and Adductors

Your abductor (“outer thigh”) and adductor (“inner thigh”) muscles work to stabilize your legs and control any side-to-side knee movement during the dumbbell split squat. These muscles are constantly firing during the exercise to prevent your knees, particularly your front knee, from either caving in or shifting to the outside.

How to Program the Dumbbell Split Squat

Everyone’s individual goals and programming needs are different. The thing that matters most is getting the right exercises throughout a training program to help you feel as strong as possible. However, there are some “best practices” that can help to efficiently fit the dumbbell split squat into your current training plan.

After Bilateral Exercises

Generally, it’s more effective to do bilateral movements before unilateral movements because you can have more focus on the bigger lifts and you can potentially use more weight before fatiguing your muscles with unilateral training.

For example, do dumbbell split squats either during leg day or as a part of a full-body workout after doing several sets of front squats. Performing the exercises in the opposite order — with dumbbell split squats before front squats — will take energy away from the potentially heavier lifting which can affect progress in the long-term.

Light to Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetition

The dumbbell split squat isn’t an exercise that allows the use of very heavy weights because your grip, core, and upper back will be the weak link before you can target your relatively stronger leg muscles. So it’s best to use a weight that allows a moderate amount of repetitions. Aim for two to four sets of eight to 15 repetitions per leg.

Dumbbell Split Squat Variations 

Once you’ve learned the basic dumbbell split squat, or if you’re looking for a “similar but different” single-leg exercise, there are a few top choices to consider.

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat might be all the rage with influencers on TikTok, but this rear-foot elevated movement was around long before social media. Having your back leg at a higher elevation increases the focus and muscular stress on your front leg.

A bulgarian split squat is a great example of progressing the basic dumbbell split squat by increasing range of motion while also adding instability — having your rear leg perched on a bench is less stable than keeping it flat on the floor. If you want to get really cruel, you can adjust the tempo and take several seconds for each phase of the repetition.

Dumbbell Step-up

Step-ups are another great option for single-leg training. The can be performed alternating legs with each repetition, which can give more of a cardio-type training effect, or by performing all reps with one leg at a time, which increases the time under tension and can trigger more muscle growth.

The step-up still focuses on using a good hip hinge while performing single-leg work. It’s more dynamic than the dumbbell split squat and can even be performed almost explosively with power, exploding into the top position, for greater strength and athleticism.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Andrew Revak, Keith Diers, Thomas W. Kernozek, Naghmeh Gheidi, Christina Olbrantz; Achilles Tendon Loading During Heel-Raising and -Lowering Exercises. J Athl Train 1 February 2017; 52 (2): 89–96. doi: https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-52.1.04
2. Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
3. Speirs, Derrick E.1,2; Bennett, Mark A.3; Finn, Charlotte V.4; Turner, Anthony P.2. Unilateral vs. Bilateral Squat Training for Strength, Sprints, and Agility in Academy Rugby Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 30(2):p 386-392, February 2016. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001096
4. Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo & Burgos, Carlos & Henríquez-Olguín, Carlos & Andrade, David & Martínez, Cristian & Álvarez, Cristian & Castro-Sepulveda, Mauricio & Marques, Mário & Izquierdo, Mikel. (2015). Effect of Unilateral, Bilateral, and Combined Plyometric Training on Explosive and Endurance Performance of Young Soccer Players. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29. 1317–1328. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000762.

Feature Image: antoniodiaz / Shutterstock

The post How to Do the Dumbbell Split Squat for Single-Leg Size and Strength appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Consider the dumbbell front squat. It requires only a pair of dumbbells and minimal floor space. More importantly, it builds killer quadriceps, a strong upper back, and a solid core. This article teaches you how and why to perform and program the dumbbell front squat. 

Dumbbell Front Squat

• How to Do the Dumbbell Front Squat 
• Dumbbell Front Squat Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Progress the Dumbbell Front Squat
• Benefits of the Dumbbell Front Squat
• Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Front Squat
• How to Program the Dumbbell Front Squat
• Dumbbell Front Squat Variations 
• Frequently Asked Questions

Complete Dumbbell Front Squat Tutorial

See the detailed dumbbell front squat video instructions from Dr. Merrick Lincoln, then check out the step-by-step breakdown below. 

How to Do the Dumbbell Front Squat Step By Step

The dumbbell front squat is a front squat alternative performed with a dumbbell racked on each shoulder. Follow these step-by-step instructions to ensure proper form. 

Step 1 — Clean the Dumbbells

Before you squat, you must “front rack” the dumbbells. In the front rack position, the ends of the dumbbells rest atop your shoulders and your elbows point straight ahead at shoulder-height.

To set up the front rack, perform a dumbbell clean — Start with the dumbbells at your sides. Drop into a mini-squat and rapidly extend your legs by driving your feet into the ground. Transfer the leg push into a powerful shrug. At the top of the shrug, draw your arms along your sides. Drop underneath the dumbbells by re-bending your legs and receive the weights atop your shoulders with your elbows high and bent. (1) 

Form Tip: When cleaning heavy dumbbells, it may be helpful to think about “jumping” up with the dumbbells to propel them into the front rack. Although you should barely leave the ground, “jumping” the dumbbells into position can improve output and fluidity of the clean. 

Step 2 — Set Your Stance and Brace

With dumbbells racked, place your feet at your preferred squat width and orientation. Typically, the front squat stance is shoulder-width or slightly wider. Your feet should point straight ahead or slightly outward. Brace your midsection by contracting your abdominals and back muscles at the same time. 

Form Tip: Set up a strong foundation by achieving pressure through your heel, the ball of your foot, your big toe, and the base of your fifth toe. Basically, keep weight on your entire foot throughout the exercise without overemphasizing either your heels or the ball of your foot.

Step 3 — Lower to the Bottom Position

While keeping a straight or slightly arched back position, lower yourself toward the floor by allowing your knees, hips, and ankles to bend. Descend with control. Resist bouncing out of the bottom of the squat. Also, avoid “cutting depth” (i.e. ending the descent before you’ve reached maximum comfortable knee bend with good control).

Form Tip: Achieve proper dumbbell front squat form by squatting “down” not “back.” This is not a powerlifting-style back squat that calls for a forward lean to improve leverage and move heavy weights. Your upper body should remain more upright. 

Step 4 — Stand Up to Lockout

Reverse the movement of your knees, hips, and ankles by standing tall. Keep the dumbbells balanced on your front delts throughout the movement. At the top, take a breath and re-brace your core before repeating another repetition. Don’t lower the weight from your shoulder until you’ve completed all reps.

Form Tip: As you push back to the standing position with forceful intent, think about driving the dumbbells toward the ceiling or sky but don’t actually lift them off your shoulders. This external cue can promote a strong front rack and improve power output. (2)

Dumbbell Front Squat Mistakes to Avoid

Steering clear of several common errors may help to maintain effectiveness and safety of the dumbbell front squat. 

Allowing Your Elbows or Chest to Drop 

The common barbell front squat cue applies just as well to the dumbbell front squat — “Chest up, elbows up.” Failure to maintain a high elbows position and a proud chest result in the dumbbells traveling forward. Too much forward movement of the dumbbells may result in compromised training stimulus for the quadriceps and even repetition failure with a loss of balance.

Avoid it: Most of the dumbbells’ weight should rest on your shoulders, not your hands. Keep the weight in contact with your shoulders throughout the exercise. Don’t try to support the weight “freely” by holding your hands in the top of a biceps curl. 

Low Back or Trunk Leaning Excessively Forward

Losing form at your hips or low back can cause all sorts of problems during the dumbbell front squat. These include, but are not limited to, loss of stability, your heels coming off the floor, and needlessly failed repetitions.

Avoid it: To correct or prevent this, reminding yourself to brace and squat down rather than back is a good start, but it might not be enough. Among lifters without orthopedic limitations (i.e. lifters without stiff joints or obvious weaknesses), a coordination deficit can be to blame for excessive forward motion of the trunk or low back. (3) Check out the “overhead squat RNT” exercise in the FAQs section for a potent corrective exercise. 

Insufficient Depth

Squats lacking depth? You can’t rely on your good looks and charm to fix this problem. If you are consistently cutting depth in the dumbbell front squat, your muscle development may suffer. Deep squatting has been shown to result in greater quadriceps muscle growth than shallow squatting. (4)

Furthermore, Kubo and colleagues reported full squat training resulted in more than twice the glute and adductor hypertrophy compared to half squatting. (5) 

Avoid it: Many lifters without orthopedic limitations can improve their squat depth by repetitive practice focused on achieving “hamstrings touching calves.” If ankle flexibility is limiting your squat depth, consider the heels-elevated variation discussed below. 

How to Progress the Dumbbell Front Squat

Lifters new the dumbbell front squat should begin with light weights to hone technique. Once this honeymoon phase is over, it’s time to go heavier and higher rep to promote strength and hypertrophy. 

Increase the Weight

Once the exercise form is familiar and consistent, load progression to a “working weight” is in order. Establishing your working weight does not necessarily require repetition maximum testing.

A simple progression method is to determine a repetition range target based on your goals (explained in the Programming section). Then, work up to a weight that results in a challenging set that allows you to complete a number of repetitions near the bottom end of your target range. For example, if your repetition target for hypertrophy training is 8 to 12 repetitions, identify a weight that allows less than 10 repetitions. 

Increase the Repetition Volume

As you get stronger with a particular pair of dumbbells, perform additional repetitions per set. Using the weight you identified above, you might be able to perform additional repetitions within a few weeks. Once you reach the upper end of your repetition target (e.g. 12 reps in the above example), it is time to increase weight again. 

Benefits of the Dumbbell Front Squat

The dumbbell front squat is a unique squat variation that biases the thigh muscles while requiring only light to moderately heavy loads, which are comfortably supported atop the shoulders.

Quadriceps Muscular Growth

The placement of the load in front of the body during the dumbbell front squat promotes a “knee dominant” squat by facilitating greater forward knee travel and a more upright trunk position. (6) (7) “Knee dominant” means this variation loads the quadriceps to a relatively greater extent than variations where the load is held on the back, such as traditional back squats.

Consistently performing a squat variation that biases the quadriceps will build the “quad sweep” many aesthetic-focused lifters are seeking. The dumbbell front squat may be a particularly effective quadriceps-builder, because it trains the quadriceps through a large range of motion. (4)(8)

Spares the Low Back

The dumbbell front squat might be a friendly option for those dealing with low back pain or local muscle fatigue. The upright trunk angle diverts load from the low back and hips to the knees. (7) Reduced overall load used during the dumbbell front squat is also likely to reduce mechanical demand on the low back compared to other common squat variations that use heavier loads.

For example, compared to back squats, barbell front squats resulted in reduced spinal compression forces when performed at the same relative intensity. (9) The difference may be partly attributed to differences in overall load, since participants in this research squatted more than 25% more weight during back squats than front squats. (9) Naturally, the heavier squat imposed more overall stress.

Dumbbell front squats undoubtedly have a lower loading capacity than barbell front squats, so the demand on the low back is likely even lower. Give this squat variation a try when you low back feels “fried.” 

A Forgiving Front Rack

Compared to the traditional front squat, the front rack position of the dumbbell front squat requires less shoulder, wrist, and elbow flexibility. Holding the barbell for the traditional front squat requires considerable shoulder external rotation, elbow flexion, and wrist extension.

Albeit barbell front squat variations such as gripless (i.e. “zombie”) front squats and cross-arm front squats avoid the challenging upper body positions of the barbell front squat. (10) But these gripless and cross-arm variations tend to place uncomfortable pressure on the deltoids or collarbones and may feel awkward. 

Muscles Worked by Dumbbell Front Squat

Like any squat, the primary lower body actions resisted by the dumbbell front squat are knee extension, hip extension, and ankle plantar flexion. However, the unique setup and execution of the dumbbell front squat may make this variation more “knee dominant,” biasing the quadriceps. (6) Trunk muscles deserve an honorable mention for their involvement in the dumbbell front squat, as these muscles facilitate proper form. 

Quadriceps

For aesthetics and function, the four muscles comprising the quadriceps are undoubtedly the most important muscles of the thigh. Although rectus femoris may experience little to no hypertrophy with squat training, squats promote substantial hypertrophy of the other three quad muscles: vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius. (5)(11) Fortunately, these muscles form the “quad sweep” many aesthetics-focused lifters desire. 

Glutes and Other Hip Extensors

The “glutes” — gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus — are trained as hip extensors during the dumbbell front squat. The hamstrings are marginally active during the squat as hip extensors and also act to counteract shear forces at the knee. (8)(9) Research suggests the adductors, or inner thigh muscles, are also trained as hip extensors during the squat. (5) 

Postural Muscles and Core

The dumbbell front squat hits postural muscles such as the spinal erectors, trapezius, and soleus (a deep calf muscle). To maintain a “braced” midsection during the squat, co-contraction of the abdominal muscles is necessary, which promotes a strong core.

How to Program the Dumbbell Front Squat

While it’s true the setup and execution of the dumbbell front squat limits maximum loading relative to barbell-based squats, appropriate programming of this exercise can deliver results. Specifically, lifters can program the dumbbell front squat for muscle gain (“hypertrophy”), strength, or as part of a deload from heavier squat variations. 

Low to Moderate Weight, Moderate to High Repetitions

An exciting feature of training for muscular hypertrophy and muscular strength is that high effort sets, or those carried to- or close to- the point of muscular failure, are effective using practically any weight. (12)(13)(14) This is particularly relevant for an exercise like the dumbbell front squat.

Due to the constraints of setup (the initial dumbbell clean) and equipment (dumbbells), the dumbbell front squat cannot be loaded particularly heavy, at least not relative to the capacity of the leg muscles of experienced lifters. Whether you’re training for strength or size, select dumbbells that allow safe setup and proper form, and then take that set to within two or three repetitions of failure. Two to four sets of eight or more repetitions will promote strength and size, if each set is taken to close proximity to failure.

Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetitions

A deload refers to temporary reduction in training to promote recovery. The dumbbell front squat simply cannot be loaded as heavy as a barbell-based squats. This is due, in part, to the use of dumbbells which offer less stability and lower loading potential than a barbell. Note: the front-loaded nature of the exercise also limits loading potential relative to back squats. (9)

Therefore, even a somewhat challenging dumbbell front squat workout is likely to provide some degree of reprieve or recovery for intermediate and advanced lifters. Two or three sets of four to eight repetitions might serve as a nice deload week squat protocol. 

Dumbbell Front Squat Variations

The dumbbell front squat isn’t the only way to perform an anteriorly loaded squat with dumbbells. Depending on your goals, preferences, and equipment, you might choose one of the following: 

Heels-Elevated Dumbbell Front Squat

Performing squats on a wedge can be helpful to further bias the quadriceps or work around ankle dorsiflexion range of motion issues. (6)(7)(15) The wedge or heel lift projects your lower leg forward at the ankle’s resting position, reducing the need for additional dorsiflexion. (15)

When squatting with your heels elevated, your trunk tends to stay more upright and your knees travel further forward. Together, these features promote greater focus on the quadriceps (due to increased knee action). (6)(7) 

Dumbbell Goblet Squat

Goblet squat — not “goblin” (this isn’t Middle Earth). The traditional goblet squat uses a kettlebell to reinforce deep squatting mechanics with an upright torso. If you don’t train with kettlebells, a dumbbell works just as well.

Goblet squats are performed with the weight held under the chin, as if it were a large drinking glass (“Lord of the Rings” fans, think of a vessel Dwarves would drink from in the Mines of Moria). Keep your elbows tight to your ribcage and squat down between your legs. 

Dumbbell Zercher Squat

This unique variation was popularized by strength coach Nick Nilsson. The term “Zercher” refers to the carriage position of the dumbbell. It rests on your arms at, or just in front of, your elbows.

Hold the dumbbell vertically with your arms in front of your body. If you are unable to squat deep enough to retrieve the dumbbell from the floor during setup, simply place the dumbbell on a stable bench or box and retrieve it from there. Your arms must remain close to your trunk with your elbows flexed. Like the dumbbell front squat, keep your trunk upright as you squat with your feet flat on the floor.

Dumbbell Squat

The dumbbell squat uses two dumbbells held with your arms hanging alongside your body. (8) While this variation avoids cleaning or muscling dumbbells to the rack position, it may not promote as upright of a trunk position as other front-loaded variations.

The dumbbell squat feels a little like a trap bar squat, albeit with a lower loading potential. Altogether, the dumbbell squat may be a great option for those looking for a user-friendly variation that promotes hip-, thigh-, and grip development.

FAQs

Just Another Anteriorly Loaded Thigh-Thickener?

Like its barbell-based brother, the dumbbell front squat places weight in front of the body. But unlike the barbell front squat, it doesn’t require extreme positions of the shoulders or wrists. And it doesn’t even require waiting for a squat rack. User-friendly and convenient, the dumbbell front squat is in a class of its own. 

References

1. Hedrick, A. (2015). Dumbbell power clean, front squat, and power jerk. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 37(3), 84-88. 
2. Nadzalan, A. M., et al. (2020). The effects of focus attention Instructions on the movement kinetics, muscle activation and performance during resistance exercise. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1529(2), 022008.
3. Bishop, C., & Turner, A. (2017). Integrated approach to correcting the high-bar back squat from “excessive forward leaning”. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 39(6), 46-53.
4. Bloomquist, K., et al. (2013). Effect of range of motion in heavy load squatting on muscle and tendon adaptations. European journal of applied physiology, 113(8), 2133-2142.
5. Kubo, K., Ikebukuro, T., & Yata, H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(9), 1933-1942.
6. Barrack, A. J., et al. (2021). The relative orientation of the trunk and tibia can be used to estimate the demands on the hip and knee extensors during the barbell back squat. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(4), 1004-1010.
7. Fry, A. C., Smith, J. C., & Schilling, B. K. (2003). Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 17(4), 629-633.
8. Graham, J. F. (2011). Exercise Technique: Dumbbell Squat, Dumbbell Split Squat, and Barbell Box Step-up. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 33(5), 76-78.
9. Gullett, J. C., et al. (2009). A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(1), 284-292.
10. Ronai, P. (2022). The Front Squat Exercise. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, 26(2), 44-50.
11. Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(12), 3497-3506.
12. Schoenfeld, B., Fisher, J., Grgic, J., et al. (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximize muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: Position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 1(1), 1-30.
13. Lasevicius, T., et al. (2018). Effects of different intensities of resistance training with equated volume load on muscle strength and hypertrophy. European journal of sport science, 18(6), 772-780.
14. Spiering, B. A., et al. (2022). Maximizing Strength: The Stimuli and Mediators of Strength Gains and Their Application to Training and Rehabilitation. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 10-1519.
15. Charlton, J. M., et al. (2017). The effects of a heel wedge on hip, pelvis and trunk biomechanics during squatting in resistance trained individuals. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(6), 1678-1687.
16. Wu, H. W., et al. (2020). Effect of loading devices on muscle activation in squat and lunge. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 29(2), 200-205.
17. Guido Jr, J. A., & Stemm, J. (2007). Reactive neuromuscular training: a multi-level approach to rehabilitation of the unstable shoulder. North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy: NAJSPT, 2(2), 97-103.

Featured Image: Merrick Lincoln, DPT, CSCS / YouTube

The post How to Do the Dumbbell Front Squat for Leg Size and Strength appeared first on Breaking Muscle.