Bulgarian squat: why introduce it into your training routine
The Bulgarian squat is a unilateral exercise focused on the activation of knee extenders, which involves the quadriceps considerably and emphasizes the work of stability and proprioception against bilateral exercises.
It is true that the load displaced in this exercise will be less since we are only working one limb and since the instability is relatively high, but we should not worry because the strength and power achieved through unilateral training are similar to those provided bilateral training.
Therefore, it is not an exercise that we should underestimate, just as we should not underestimate its potential for hypertrophy as it is a multiarticular exercise (it involves the work of the extensor musculature of the ankle, knee, and hip) that also greatly involves core when extra stabilization is necessary during movement.
How to perform Bulgarian squats
They can be done both with a bar, (located at the height of the trapeze ), and with dumbbells (held with the hands on the sides of the body), although it is advisable to do it with a bar since in this way the grip strength will not be the limiting factor of the exercise , and the balancing of the dumbbells during the movement will be eliminated.
To carry them out, in addition to the external load you will need a raised surface on which to support the leg that will be less exercised so that it is behind our body during the movement.
In stride position, with the raised back leg, we will inspire while we perform the eccentric phase and we will descend by flexing the knee, hip, and ankle.
Once we have reached a considerable depth (without our back knee touching the ground), we will begin to rise again to the starting position.
It is very common to lean your back forward in this movement. There is no problem in leaning forward as long as we do not arch and as long as we do not round the column. A more inclined posture will increase the work of the knee extensors, and a more vertical posture will displace the work on the buttock.
In the same way, as the distance between our feet increases, the involvement of the quadriceps will also increase and that of the buttocks will be reduced. There is no better or worse technique; They are simply different and we must choose one or the other according to our needs in each particular case.