High KB step ups with Explosive Bulgarian Split Squats

High Box Step ups with Explosive Bulgarian Split Squats

Traditionally the back squat has been considered the king of leg training exercises, but sometimes it’s important to mix up your training to a) keep yourself from getting bored and b) work the leg muscles in a completely different way.

The STEP-UP is a very versatile exercise and hits the GLUTES, HAMSTRING S AND QUADS. It can be used for a whole host of different training methods:

· For those that have structural inbalances on one side of the body it’s great for leveling things out and ensuring one side of the body is equal to the other. This is a perfect exercise for those that have had a leg injury and are working back to full strength.
· It’s also a handy tool for athletes looking to get more explosive, and the exercise can be progressed to feature the rear leg driving up to the sky at the top of the exercise.
· But it’s also a very good all round exercise for those looking to generally build strength as well as work on some aesthetics (namely dat ass!).

In this video firstly you’ll see Rob performing a high step up, the key points to note are:

1. Let the top leg (on the box) do all the work; try not to ‘push off’ with the rear leg.
2. Keep the rear leg as straight as possible.
3. Keep the top leg pointed out ever so slightly.

Start with a low box and no weights. Then gradually build up the height of the box, progressing on to some light dumbbells/kettle bells and eventually a barbell.

The second exercise we’ve included (2 for the price of 1 this week!) is a slight variation on the BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT.

This is a really good option for developing leg strength and explosive power in people who struggle with traditional back squats either due to technique issues or lower back pain. The exercise takes much of the stress off the lower back but still works the quads, hamstrings and glutes loads! It’s an awesome alternative to the squat or look to add it in as an addition to your current routine.

You’ll see Rob ‘pulsing’ his front leg in the first part of the video which is a good primer to the later progression which show’s Mark starting to drive that front knee up into the air.

Top learning tips:

Standing in front of a bench or box reach one leg back behind you and rest the top of your foot on the bench.
Descend under control until your back knee is a few inches off the ground, making sure to keep the torso upright.
Master the exercise without any weights to begin with, and then slowly some weights in.
The most important thing is determining how far you need to stand from the bench, which is somewhat individual and will take some trial and error to figure out. A general rule of thumb though is the closer you stand to the bench the more it will work your quads, the further away it’s more of a glute exercise.

Give them a go this week!

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