10 December, 2007
Ask the coach: Split Squat front foot elevated
During the holiday season, it is important to keep up the habit of training regularly. The problem you will face is a limit on your time, so it becomes vital that you choose exercises that give you the most impact. This means picking exercises that recruit many muscles and burn off more calories during training.
One such exercise suitable for beginners – and those with more experience – is a split squat with front foot elevated. It has the benefit of stretching the hips, which are made tight from sitting on a chair all day. This exercise can strengthen one leg as much as the other, so you achieve muscle balance between the limbs. This will help prevent long-term injuries and overcompensation of certain joints during exercise and general day-to-day activities.
Here are some tips to perform this exercise:
1. Place a step aerobics step on the floor. It can be supported against a wall. The less experienced the exerciser, the greater the height of the step should be and vice versa. Use a height of up to around eight inches.
2. Place your weaker leg on the step initially. With your feet hip distance apart, extend your back leg behind you until your heel leaves the floor.
3. With your hands on hips, or h o l d i n g dumbells by your side, keep an upright posture and slowly let your hips and knee travel forward.
4. Travel forward like an escalator until the calf on your front leg is squashed and you have a complete knee bend. Push back with your front leg.
5. Alternate the exercise between sides, matching the weaker leg’s repetitions with the stronger leg’s.
- Repetitions: build up to 10-12 repetitions on each leg, starting with two sets of the repetitions and then working up to four.
- Pace: lower down in four seconds, then push back to the starting position in two seconds.
- Rest: break for 60 seconds between sets, then repeat the exercise.