One of the exercises that we really like with our training to help develop good unilateral strength is the rear foot elevated split squat. A few of the different ways we load this exercise is by holding onto dumbbells in a suitcase position or in a goblet position, you can have a bar on your back and you can even hold a barbell in the front rack position, there are many different ways to load this exercises and each way challenges the movement slightly different. 

One of the other benefits of performing this exercise along with other unilateral lower body exercises is that it strengthens one leg at a time. When loading the body this way you don’t need as much weight to gain great strength which makes it safer on the joints and more applicable to hockey because each leg works independently while skating. 

With this article, I’m going to point out a few issues I see with this exercise and then I highly suggest watching the video below to get an in-depth explanation of each of these issues.

The first issue I see with the exercise is the setup. The biggest thing that we try and get across to our athletes is that you should not feel a stretch on the back hip. If that is the case then you need to make sure you’re front foot is close enough to the stand so when you lower down your back knee is under your back hip.

The second thing we notice with this exercise is that athletes will drop straight down and they’ll have what we call a vertical shin. Developing strength with a vertical shin doesn’t allow that strength to transfer as well athletically, so we do not want to have a vertical shin during this movement. You want to make sure that you’re leaning forward and that you don’t have too much weight on the back leg. The back leg acts as a kickstand and is only there for balance.

The third major fault with this exercise is not standing up into full extension. You’ll hear a lot of skating coaches preach full extension on the ice making sure the player is driving the ice away. Well, it’s pretty hard to get full extension on the ice if you’re not developing that strength in the gym. When performing any lower body exercise you want to make sure you’re going through full extension and that leg is getting straight. With our rear foot elevated split squat you want to make sure that as you start to stand you’re flexing that front quad muscle as this will help you get into a full extension on that leg. Doing this in the gym over and over again will make it easier to do it on the ice and it will allow you to be a little faster and more powerful with each stride.

Watch the video below to understand in greater detail how to perform the rear foot elevated split squat!

Summary

The video tutorial focuses on the rear foot elevated split squat exercise, highlighting its benefits for unilateral strength development in athletes and emphasizing the correct setup to avoid common faults.

Highlights

Benefits of rear foot elevated split squat for unilateral strength development 💪
Importance of proper foot placement to avoid overstretching the back hip 🦵
Emphasis on maintaining a forward knee position to engage the correct muscles during the exercise 🦵
Need for a full extension at the top of the movement to maximize strength gains and transfer to on-ice performance ⛸️
Common faults include overextending the back leg, having a vertical shin, and not achieving full extension at the top 🚫

Key Insights

Proper setup is crucial to prevent overstretching and ensure effective muscle engagement during the rear foot elevated split squat exercise. 🏋️
Maintaining a forward knee position helps target the desired muscles and avoid compensatory movements that limit strength gains. 🦾
Achieving full extension at the top of the movement is essential for developing power and speed on the ice, translating to improved performance in skating. ⛸️