We all know that squats are one of the most powerful lower-body exercises, and the rfe split squat might be the best exercise if you want to target the back thigh muscles.
The Bulgarian split squat is more challenging than the regular squat because it puts more pressure on the thigh muscles and focuses more on the lower part of the body, so if you aspire to build the back muscles of the thigh, you are undoubtedly in the right place.
Stay with me to learn about some magical ways to do the Bulgarian split squat correctly and get the most benefit. We will also learn about some mistakes that may stand in the way of your progress and we will work to avoid them, and we will also learn about some reliable variables.
What is a RFE (Rear Foot Elevated) Split Squat?
The Bulgarian squat or the rear foot elevated squat exercise, starting from a normal squat position but with one of your feet on the bench, and the different thing about the Bulgarian split squat is that it puts more pressure on your thighs and keeps your back neutral.
The Bulgarian squat is more challenging for the quadriceps muscles so that the foot on the floor benefits as you do a regular squat, i.e. bending the knee creates tension for the quadriceps, hip flexion creates tension for the glutes, the other foot is on the bench and your knee is in a flexed-down position It also poses a greater challenge to the thigh muscles.
Rfe Split Squat Muscles Worked
The rfe split squat is a compound exercise for the muscles of the lower body, so that it engages multiple joints as well as some of the muscles associated with them. Among the muscles targeted by the split squat are:
Quadriceps: The quadriceps ( Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis, Vastus medialis, Vastus intermedius), is mainly targeted throughout the exercise due to the flexion at the knee.
The glutes: The glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius) muscles are also targeted mainly while bending the hips and can put more pressure on them if you make some changes in the movement.
Secondarily muscle worked:
Other muscles are targeted secondarily, meaning that the effect of exercise on them is less than the main target muscles. We are talking here about the hamstrings, adductors, and calves (soleus), and the degrees of pressure on these muscles vary according to the variables.
How to Perform RFE Split Squat?
Well, the split squat is not a difficult exercise and does not require much experience and so on, so it is easy to do it professionally after doing a few attempts and you will be ready, also it can be done only at home because it does not require equipment that you can do only with body weight, But in this post we will add dumbbells for some challenge.
How to do rfe split squat professionally:
- First you will need something to put your foot on, a bench, a chair, a box or anything that is much closer to the height of your knees.
- Second, you must determine the position of the foot that makes you comfortable, especially if you have problems with bending the hips and so on.
- So bring a band or something that you can use when determining the point of the foot position so that you know which position you will go with each time.
- Stand a step away from the bench, carry dumbbells at a weight in line with your fitness level, keep your arms straight at your sides, raise your back foot, place the surface of your toes on the bench, stay balanced and focus well with your movement and posture.
- Begin to squat slowly, it would be good to go as deep as you can reach, try to get your knee down well, try to make your knee at a 90 degree angle, and your knees in a split position perpendicular to the ground.
- Squeeze your muscles well and return to the previous position slowly.
Pro tip :
Balance is one of the important things that you must adjust with this exercise, that is, you must improve your posture well, and find a point to put your foot on the ground in a way that allows you to maintain your balance and do the exercise well.
Some people also tend to put their fingers on the bench rather than the surface of the fingers. This may generate more tension for the muscles of the hips and thighs, but it may not help you stay balanced and does not allow you to get more range to extend your knee down.
Keep the upper body neutral throughout the exercise but this does not mean leaving your muscles loose, although it is an exercise for the muscles of the lower body you should keep the abdominal muscles and the core attentive.
Focus on stretching the muscles well with each repetition.
The slower the movement, the more tense the muscles. Isn’t that what we want? So try to keep your speed at least moderate.
How to Target The Glutes With RFE Squat?
If you want to target the glutes pore, then you need to get more space and provide more range of hip extension.
Put your foot a step and a half from the bench, the secret is to stretch the muscles of the hips as much as possible during the squat and go as deep as you can reach, so the farther your foot is on the ground from the bench, the more you target the glutes.
Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat Mistakes
Making mistakes is what makes it more difficult, because mistakes can stand a real obstacle in front of you, and there is no doubt that they may prevent you from getting good results or you may not get them at all.
Also, making mistakes while doing split squats can be harsh at times and may put you at risk of injury and this happened with many beginners, and as we all know that injuries that occur at the joint level are difficult and require longer time to recover.
So in order to avoid all this from happening, there are some mistakes that you should pay attention to and not make during the split squat exercise:
1- Getting too close to the bench:
This may not be a mistake if you want to tire the quadriceps muscles, but it may not be a suitable option to benefit from this exercise well, as your knee is excessively forward during
squatting and this makes your leg almost tilted forward and this may expose your knee to injury if not You are not familiar with this exercise.
So in order to improve it, your leg should be straight and perpendicular to the floor while descending into a squat position, and this does not mean that you should do this necessarily,
I have already mentioned that if you want to put more pressure on the thigh muscles more you can do So.
2- Putting excessive pressure on your back foot:
This is also a very common mistake. This falls under the category of maldistribution of body weight because the pressure that we seek to put on the thigh muscles is placed on the ankle.
This does not benefit the main target muscles in any way, because the pressure is not on the muscles. The thigh and the rest of the muscles stay relaxed throughout the exercise and complete the repetitions and think that you just did a split squat, this is not true.
Also, this mistake can damage your ankle because the weight of your entire body rests on it.
So in order to improve it, you should start from the position of your back. You should not be pushed back too much.
Also, you should focus more on pressing the feet above the ground and drawing strength from the thigh muscles and hamstrings. You should feel the tension of these muscles.
3- Too upright
Also, this is another common mistake, especially when targeting the glutes, i.e. when placing a far step on the bench.
What happens is that the frontal area of the pelvis or the muscles at the top of the thigh tense sharply as a result of the thigh stretching back and when you remain too upright, this increases the pressure on the This area, and staying excessively erect is not beneficial as it reduces the range of extension of the hips as well.
To make things right, when you push your foot forward to target the glutes, try to bend your back straight forward about 30 or 40 degrees, as this will reduce the tension of the upper thigh muscles, and also give more room to extend the hips.
4- lazy knee:
This is not a mistake to be worried about, but it hinders your progress and slows down your results. Your knee should not be lazy like a stick in the exercise and All you do is stretch and contract it.
The knee has a key role in changing the course of the whole exercise and making it stronger and better. Especially if you want to target the glutes, you can turn the knee to the side for each repetition.
So you can do the following in order to improve movement, with each repetition try to drive your thigh and knee muscles to the outward a little, this causes the glutes muscles to go in the opposite direction and thus become more engaged.
5- Inline Feet:
This is also a mistake that many make, so that it is completely difficult for you to remain balanced while you put your feet in one line, this increases the difficulty of the exercise alot, and as we have already mentioned that this exercise is based on balance and mastery of movement.
It is easy to get rid of the problem, so you should leave a distance between your knees such as the width of your pelvis, you will discover that you are more balanced and more in control of the path of movement.
6- Traveling far with knee:
This is not an exercise to extend the knee to that extent and excessively, this error is related to the error of stepping close to the bench excessively, but this mistake can be made even if your position is correct because you focus on driving your knee forward while squatting.
So in order to correct this, instead of driving the knee forward you should be controlling the path of your hips. You should be driving your hips back toward the point where your knee falls, your knee should be almost at a right angle and your thigh parallel to the ground.
RFE Split Squat Benefits
An exercise like the split squat, we do not expect any negatives from it, because it is 100% positive and this has been proven by specialists, so that the split squat exercise in general helps improve morale and athletic performance, and is also effective in training the lower temporal muscles at all levels.
It is a compound and not very expensive exercise, which means you can get a great workout for the thigh muscles and glutes at home.
- Improve body balance.
- Helps build lower body strength.
- Helps increase muscle size and muscle endurance.
- Reduce the possibility of injury.
- It does not require a heavy load.
- It also improves the density and strength of the bones.
How to Increase Hypertrophy?
Muscle hypertrophy is not an easy goal because you will need to do a lot because muscle hypertrophy is not only associated with exercise, there are other factors that play a role in it, but split squats will help greatly because it is a compound exercise that ignites more than one joint and activates the muscles well and With the addition of some load and commitment to the exercises and giving the muscles enough time to recover, I think this will work.
Try to gradually increase the load, so that the weight is resistant to causing muscle failure. When repetitions 8 or 9, do 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions at least twice a week.
Also pay attention to your diet, the muscles should benefit from large nutrients as much as possible.
RFE Split Squat vs Regular Squat Which One is Better For You?
Well if you want to work the lower back muscles you can go with the regular squats, and if your goal is to focus on the muscles of the lower body then the split squat is the best option because it keeps the upper body neutral.
Studies have already been done on the effectiveness of both split squats and regular squats, and the results were that split squats showed higher levels than regular squats in terms of activating the long rectus and increasing muscle strength, and showed much better results.
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