Article

Technique, Variation, and Progression of the Rear-Foot-Elevated Split Squat

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Abstract

The rear-foot-elevated split squat is a multijoint exercise used to train the lower extremity musculature in all planes. the benefits include prevention of lower extremity injury, improved gait and sport performance, and increased muscle size and strength. with an anteriorposterior stance, the exercise is performed primarily unilaterally.

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... This exercise can impact the muscle activation of hip and knee extensors in both legs [1][2][3] , which in turn can indirectly improve the quality of life in a non-athletic population, sports performance in athletic populations [4][5][6][7] , and rehabilitation [8,9] . There are several variations of the lunge exercise such as bilateral/on the floor (In-line, Traditional, Partial lunge, Long lunge or Split squat), focusing on one leg (Bulgarian lunge), using a step (Step-up), with leg/torso movements (Forward step lunge, Walking lunge, Reverse lunge, Lateral lunge), and associated with jump tasks (Jump lunge) [6,[10][11][12][13][14][15] , however, research comparing different techniques is scarce. Additionally, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no study has verified the force distribution between legs with different lunge techniques (on the floor or using a step) or with different body positions (upper and lower). ...
... e). Rear-Foot-Elevated Lunge at 50% (RFEL50): RFEL50 was performed with lower limbs in a stride stance.For the RFE technique, the posterior limb was positioned at 50% of the knee height, with all other characteristics similar to the RFEL[15] (Figure Ie). ...
Article
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Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Imaging_The lunge exercise is considered a bilateral and multi-joint exercise; in this way, each lower limb presents different force distributions in different techniques and body positions. The purpose of this study was to measure the vertical force distribution between lower limbs in different lunge exercises. Thirty-two young, resistance-trained (male=27, 27±6 years, 174.6±9.6 cm, 79.1±14.2 kg; female=7, 24±4 years, 165.2±2.6 cm, 67.1±13.5 kg) performed 3 different lunge techniques on the floor [traditional (TL), partial (PL), and long (LL)] and two on the step [Rear-Foot-Elevated Lunge (RFEL) and RFEL at 50% (RFEL50)] in two static positions (upper and lower) in a randomized, counterbalanced fashion. For the assessment of the vertical force, two portable force plates were positioned under the anterior and posterior lower limb for all lunge techniques. Factorial ANOVA was used to test differences between exercises (TL, PL, LL, RFEL, and RFEL50), limbs and moments. An alpha of 5% was used. In conclusion, lunge techniques as the TL, PL, and LL presented differences in force between legs and positions, however similarities between techniques, and might be applied for different sports under unilateral conditions. Lunges with step (RFEL or RFEL50) presented high asymmetry between lower limbs and emphasis on the anterior leg.
... Alt ekstremite UNI egzersiz modeli olarak belirlenen MTBS hareketinde sporcuların çömelme derinliğini standart bir pozisyonda yapmaları sağlanmış ve arkada kalan yükseltilmiş bacağın patellasının öndeki bacağın ayak bileği medial malleol hizasına kadar alçalması istenmiştir. Bu ve buna benzer UNI hareket modelleri; ağırlıklı olarak sagital düzlemde fleksiyon ve ekstansiyon içerse de bu egzersizlerde ortak nokta, dar taban yüzeyinin frontal düzlem kontrolü ve ön-arka duruş pozisyonunda, transvers düzlemde kalçalarda meydana gelen rotasyon taleplerini ortaya çıkarmasıdır (McCurdy, 2017). Bu durumun MTBS hareketi içinde, önde kalan ayağın destek bacağının temas yüzeyinin dar olmasına bağlı olarak stabilite kontrolünde azalmaların olabileceğini düşündürmektedir. ...
Article
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Bu çalışmanın amacı, farklı yüklerde modifiye edilmiş unilateral squat performansında çömelme derinliği ile bar hızı arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesidir. Çalışmanın örneklem grubunu, Haliç Üniversitesi Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Yüksekokulu’nda okuyan, en az üç yıl boyunca aktif egzersiz yapan, unilateral (tek taraflı) ve bilateral (iki taraflı) egzersiz modellerine hâkim; yaş 22,90±1,28yıl; boy 175,90±5,36cm ve vücut ağırlığı 75,38±7,78kg olan 10 gönüllü erkek sporcu oluşturmuştur. Verilerin toplanmasında, bar hızının tespit edilmesi için doğrusal hız ölçer olarak PUSH Band™ Pro v2.0 ve squat performansı esnasında çömelme derinliği için üç boyutlu hareket analizi sistemi olan Qualisys Track Manager (QTM) 2020.3 Versiyon (AB, İsveç) kullanılmıştır. Sporcular; modifiye tek bacak squat egzersizi uygulamışlardır. Egzersizi arkadan tutuşta her iki ekstremitede önce ağırlıksız bar da (20kg), ardından random olarak; 1TM’nin %40, %60, %80 yüklerde 5 tekrar yapacak şekilde gerçekleştirmişlerdir. Ölçümlerde, bar üzerine yerleştirilen Push Band aracılığıyla bar hızı hesaplanmış; 3D hareket analiz sistemiyle de farklı yüklerdeki çömelme derinlikleri hesaplanmıştır. Verilerin istatistiksel analizi, IBM SPSS Versiyon 25 programı kullanılarak; tekrarlı ölçümlerde varyans analizi ve ikili karşılaştırmalarda T-testi uygulanarak yapılmıştır. Farklı relatif yüklerde bar hızlarının hemen hepsinde anlamlı farklılıklar elde edilmiştir (p<0,05). Yapılan korelasyon analizi sonucunda bar hızı ve çömelme derinliği arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olmadığı tespit edilmiştir (p>0,05). Sonuç olarak, farklı yüklerdeki bar hızı değişkenlerinin her iki ekstremite de yüklerin artmasıyla anlamlı değişikliklere sebep olmuştur. Yük miktarı, barı hızını azaltacak yönde etkileyen bir parametre olarak değerlendirilebilir.
... Thus, in addition to isokinetic screening, other field-based strength testing protocols are widely implemented in daily practice for assessing unilateral muscular strength, and associated inter-limb asymmetries, to aid in guiding training, rehabilitation and injury prevention. For instance, the rear-foot-elevated-split-squat-test (RFESS) can be regarded as a practical method for measuring unilateral strength in sport [14][15][16][17]. ...
Article
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The presence of inter-limb asymmetries can influence strength performance and represent an injury risk factor for team sport athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of changes in resistance loads using different assessment modalities on the magnitude and the direction of inter-limb asymmetry within the same leg. Fifteen young elite soccer players from the same professional academy performed rear-foot-elevated-split-squat-test at different loading conditions (body mass with no overload, 25% of body mass, 50% of body mass 50%), isokinetic knee flexor (concentric 30°·s⁻¹, concentric 60°·s⁻¹, eccentric 90°·s⁻¹) and extensor (concentric 60°·s⁻¹, eccentric 60°·s⁻¹). The outcomes from the agreement analyses suggested moderate level agreement between body mass vs body mass 25% (Kappa = 0.46), with no agreement or fair agreement for the other between-assessment comparison. Our results demonstrated that the magnitude and direction of within-limb strength imbalances were inconsistent when compared within the same assessment under different resistance load conditions.
... UL peak internal rotation exhibited a two fold increase for the compared to the BL condition ( Table 2). The reduced base of support associated with unilateral exercise increases the demand for control about the frontal and transverse planes (McCurdy, 2017). The single base of support also created greater peak moments in all three anatomical planes as well as increased mean moments in the sagittal and transverse planes ( Table 2). ...
Conference Paper
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The purpose of this study was to quantify the kinetics and kinematics of the unilateral (UL) barbell hip thrust and compare UL biomechanics with the bilateral (BL) barbell hip thrust. Ten resistance trained males performed three sets of three repetitions UL and BL at 10 repetition maximum intensity. The biomechanics of each lift were analysed using 3D motion capture and force plates that were floor mounted and instrumented in to a bespoke rig. Joint kinetics and kinematics were calculated in the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes. The UL condition produced significantly (p<0.05) greater mean moment in the sagittal plane. It was concluded that UL loaded the hip joint to a greater extent than the BL across all three planes. The current study offers novel insight to the biomechanical demand of the unilateral hip thrust and has implications for exercise selection within the physical preparation of athletes.
Article
Properly structured resistance training can induce sport-specific neuromuscular adaptations, such as muscular strength, power, neuromuscular coordination, and joint range of motion in competitive athletes. Adapting traditional weightlifting and powerlifting-associated resistance exercises to be performed unilaterally can also be used to enhance stability. The purpose of this training program is to introduce weightlifting and powerlifting-associated exercises to members of a college-level dance team, with the goal to incorporate unilateral variations of these exercises to enhance stability in preparation for a dance performance. The training program follows the phases of periodization, with unilateral training occurring in the peak phase just before the performance.
Article
The purpose of the study was to determine the unilateral nature of the rear foot elevated split squat (RFESS). Specifically, the production of force by the rear leg was examined to better understand its role, if any, toward successful completion of the exercise. Male volunteers were recruited, (n = 26, age = 23.8 ±4.6 years, mass = 88.1 8 ±10.7kg, height = 1.79±0.1m), who were recreationally trained and engaged in a structured strength and conditioning program including both bilateral and unilateral exercise and had at least two years supervised training experience. Subjects participated in an incremental five repetition maximum protocol, following familiarisation. Kinetic data was recorded via two independent force plates, one integral to the floor and the second mounted on top of solid weightlifting blocks. Kinematic data was captured through three-dimensional motion analysis. A total of 715 repetitions were analysed, the mean contribution of the lead foot to total vertical 16 force production was 84.36 ±3.6%. An almost certainly small positive correlation (rho 17 = 0.25, CI 0.18, 0.33), was found between percentage of force produced by the lead foot, with increasing exercise intensity. A most likely trivial, non-significant correlation 19 (rho =-0.01, CI-0.09,0.06) with rear foot force production, representing the mass of the rear leg. Data from this study does not indicate that the rear foot contributes to the kinetic demands of the exercise and therefore suggests that the RFESS is a valid unilateral exercise. The paper is now available ahead of print from JSCR here: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/9000/Is_the_Rear_Foot_Elevated_Split_Squat_Unilateral_.94276.aspx
Presentation
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This was an oral presentation at the 15th Annual conference of the UKSCA. I discussed the correlation between unilateral leg strength, measured by the Rear foot elevated squat 5RM, and both 20m linear sprint and Modified 5-0-5 change of direction test, in Rugby League players.
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The forward walking lunge (WL) and split squat (SSq) are similar exercises that have differences in the eccentric phase, and both can be performed in the ipsilateral or contralateral carrying conditions. This study aimed to determine the effects of dumbbell carrying position on the kinematics and electromyography (EMG) amplitudes of the gluteus medius (Gmed), vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL) and biceps femoris during WLs and SSqs.The resistance-trained (RT) and the non-resistance-trained (NT) groups (both n=14) performed ipsilateral WLs, contralateral WLs, ipsilateral SSqs and contralateral SSqs in a randomized order in a simulated training session. The EMG amplitude, expressed as a percentage of the maximal voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC), and the kinematics, expressed as the range of motion (ROM) of the hip and knee, were measured during 5RM for both legs.The repeated measure analyses of variance showed significant differences between the RT and NT group. The NT showed a smaller knee flexion ROM (p<0.001, η²=0.36) during both types of WLs, whereas the RT group showed a higher eccentric Gmed amplitude (p<0. 001, η²=0.46) during all exercises and a higher eccentric VL amplitude (p<0.001, η²=0.63) during contralateral WLs. Further differences were found between contralateral WLs and ipsilateral WLs in both the RT (p<0.001, η²=0.69) and NT groups (p<0.001, η²=0.80), and contralateral WLs resulted in higher eccentric Gmed amplitudes.Contralateral WLs highly activated the Gmed (90%MVIC); therefore, this exercise can increase the Gmed maximal strength. The ipsilateral loading condition did not increase.
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The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of short-term unilateral resistance training (UL) and bilateral resistance training (BL) with free weights on several tests of unilateral and bilateral lower-body strength and power in men and women. Thirty-eight untrained men and women (mean body mass 78.3 +/- 21.47 kg; age 20.74 +/- 2.6 years) completed the study. The groups trained 2 days per week for 8 weeks with free weights and 2 days per week for 5 of the 8 weeks with plyometric drills. The resistance-training program consisted of a progression from 3 sets of 15 repetitions at 50% of the subject's predicted 1 repetition maximum (1RM) to 6 sets of 5 repetitions at 87% 1RM. Training volume and intensity were equal for each group. The free-weight squat was used to measure unilateral and bilateral strength. Power was measured by the Magaria-Kalamen stair-climb test and the unilateral and bilateral vertical jump test. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze differences between men and women and the interaction of group and gender. Pretest scores were used as the covariate. The UL group improved more than the BL group on the unilateral vertical jump height (p = 0.001) and relative power (p = 0.013). After adjusting for pretest differences, the improved scores on all tests, except for the unilateral squat, were similar between the men and the women. No significant interactions on all tests were found for the men or women comparison between training groups. These results indicate that UL and BL are equally effective for early phase improvement of unilateral and bilateral leg strength and power in untrained men and women.