How often do you see a cool workout on Instagram and want to give it a try? Or see a booty you want so you do whatever workout that person is showing?
I’m going to assume we’ve all been there, and in most cases, I’m all for seeing what others do about adding variety into workouts. The only issue is that less often do we consider if our bodies are ready and able to do the movements we see. The split squat is a great example.
If you just started working out, have knee pain or struggle with balance, you should not be adding these to your routine (yet). It’s super easy to fall into the mindset that working out is all for physical appearance, but what really needs to be the focus is balance & stability, mobility of your body and correcting imbalances before going for the gains.
That’s like building a beautiful house without a foundation; it may look great but one wrong move and that thing is falling to the ground. Take the time to care for yourself, create a strong foundation, and your body will thank you in the long run.
Before I have anyone do a split squat, I start with the basics.
Single Leg Balance and Strength Work
• Step Ups (try lowering yourself down as slowly as you can for extra resistance / stability work)
Lunge Variations
• Reverse Lunges (first body weight...if these feel strong & stable go ahead and hold dumbbells)
• Split Squat with a lower but unstable surface aka bosu ball. I like to start these with the TRX straps as a little safety net and really focus on going slow and getting as deep as possible into the movement.
Once you feel confident in these movements you can upgrade to a more elevated surface and even add dumbbells or a barbell to shift the focus to building strength.
You don’t need to spend months or even weeks on these progressions, but allowing yourself the chance to build up to a movement like this will only create a stronger foundation moving forward!!
