My Favourite Boot Camp Lower Body Exercise
As a Sydney boot camp trainer I get asked many questions about what exercises are good for certain muscle groups, but by far the most common question is the butt and thighs. I’m going to share with you today my favourite lower body exercises and some killer variations. It’s called the Bulgarian split squat, this exercise is so effective that it’ll make your lower body bullet proof in no time at all.
Before we get started I’d just like to make clear that I do not believe in spot reduction or single body part training. All my boot camp workouts are based around total body training, meaning that we train the lower body, upper body and core all in one workout. By training the whole body we maximize lean muscle gain, increase the metabolism and promote total body fat burning which will burn fat in all those trouble areas.
Furthermore, a diet that is high in lean protein, fiber and fruit and veg, low in refined sugars and starches is a must if you want to maximize your fat burning potential. Something you need to know is that you lose body fat in a genetically pre-determined way, it doesn’t matter how many crunches you do but without total body training and a healthy diet you’ll never trim up those problem areas.
Ok, so without delay here is one killer exercise you need to know. My favourite exercises for my boot camp clients are any sort of single leg type exercise. I prefer these type of exercises for a few reasons, firstly for people with back problems a single leg exercise allows them to safely perform lower body exercises without putting their lower back in jeopardy. Plus, I often see such strength and flexibility imbalances with my boot camp clients that it’s important to address one leg at a time to really shore up any weak links from the beginning.
My favourite lunge exercise is the Bulgarian split squat. We basically elevate the rear leg on a chair or bench usually 12-18 inches from the floor. Then place your front leg in front of you far enough forward to ensure the front knee is almost slightly behind the ankle which will take some pressure off your knees.
Begin the exercise by loading the front heel and dropping your hips down as low as possible (without feeling any pain) whilst keeping your chest up and staying tall with a straight back and shoulders down. Complete the rep by explosively driving through your front heel to return to the top of the movement. Start this exercise with bodyweight until you can comfortably get low enough where your front thigh is parallel with the floor, then progress the exercise by adding dumbbells. Once you have mastered the extra weight you can make the exercise even more effective by adding some extra movements into the exercise such as a shoulder press, bicep curl, or a bicep curl and shoulder press.
This is by far one of the most effective exercises for hitting the legs, plus it will give your hip flexors a great stretch which is the source of lower back pain for many people. Any exercise that simultaneously strengthens while stretches is one worth doing often. Now, leave those useless adductor and leg curl machines alone and get lunging for a bullet proof lower body!
Train Hard!
Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Personal Training
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