Lunge and single leg exercise
Rear-Foot-Elevated Split Squat
Build heavy single-leg strength with almost no spinal load.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells, bench
- Sides
- One leg at a time
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- 30X1
Setup
Rear foot on a bench roughly knee height, front foot far enough forward that your shin stays near-vertical at the bottom. Dumbbells or a barbell.
How to do it
- Keep your hips square and your torso tall, then descend under control with pressure through the whole front foot.
- Drive back up without pushing off the back foot.
- Do 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps per leg.
- If the bench is too high your lower back will extend to compensate - lower it rather than fighting it.
Coaching cues
- Hips square, torso tall
- Pressure through the whole front foot
- Control the descent
Common mistakes
- Bench set too high, forcing lumbar extension
- The hip drifting into rotation as you fatigue
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Heavy dumbbells | 3 to 4 | 5 to 8 | 2.5 min |
| Size | Moderate dumbbells | 3 to 4 | 8 to 12 | 90 sec |
Tempo 30X1: Take 3 seconds to lower it, no pause, lift it as fast as you can, hold for 1 second at the end of the lift.
Related exercises
- Split SquatLearn the single-leg pattern and expose side-to-side differences.
- Walking LungeLoad the legs eccentrically while moving, which is closer to how rugby actually loads them.
- Step-UpBuild concentric single-leg drive for the first step off a standing start.
- Lateral LungeLoad the frontal plane: strength moving side to side, not just forwards and back.
- Copenhagen AdductionBuild eccentric adductor strength to protect the groin.
- Back SquatBuild maximal bilateral lower-body strength, the foundation of scrum drive and contact.