Maybe you no longer see the reason for squatting with a barbell on your back. Maybe you have no interest in jumping in on the squat day bandwagon that seems to infiltrate social media.
That’s fine. But this doesn’t give you a valid excuse to skip out on training your legs.
Strength and Conditioning Coach, Mike Boyle stated, “Single-leg training results in less back stress due to the reduced loads,” and asked this important question, “What if you could get more stress to your legs, build more useable strength, and potentially add more size by working around your back, which is often the weak link in bilateral exercises like squats?”
Do I have your attention now?
Lately, I’ve been throwing out a bunch of exercise videos because maybe somewhere in there you can find a new tip or even a new exercise you’d like to try.
Enter RFESS
RFESS stands for Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat, also known as Bulgarian Squats. Here are a couple benefits of RFESS.
- Beginners will be able to build proper flexibility, stability, and strength.
- Advanced trainees can apply large amounts of weight to their leg training with limited spinal compression
To Perform the exercise:
- Elevate your rear foot on a bench. If there is too much stretch on the quad and hip flexor, then switch to a lower box or step.
- As shown in the video above there are many load variations but to begin, lift one foot and place it on the bench behind you. Rest the top of your foot on the bench. It may feel uncomfortable at first but you don’t want to have your toes pointed on the bench. Break the habit fast.
- Depth will depend on strength. You want to work your way to your knee nearly touching the floor. A good progression is to start from the bottom position, with knee on the ground, and stand up. Or you can lower your body with proper form as low as your body allows before you stand back up.
- Make sure to keep you core tight, chest up. Core control is key to stabilizing this movement.
