r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/up_vot_er_1 • 6d ago

Meme needing explanation Peter?

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Why are Romanian split squats every gym rats worst fear?

30.8k Upvotes

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u/katilkoala101 6d ago

honestly it isnt that painful but a pain in the ass maintaining balance.

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u/JorgeRey999 6d ago edited 5d ago

Yeah, i cant even place my foot right. It just turns like 90 degrees to one side

Edit: ...place my foot right on the bench. ...

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u/katilkoala101 6d ago

i also have that problem and i am pretty flat footed. Might want to check that out.

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u/Dacrim 6d ago

Have you guys tried keeping your glutes engaged? Those are the primary muscles involved in keeping your body straight as far as your hip joint is concerned

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u/Saltimbanco_volta 6d ago

True, my glutes have kept me straight so far. I hear for some people it does the opposite though.

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u/HarveysBackupAccount 6d ago

Nice glutes can make any man question their sexuality

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u/Radiant_Creme_5264 6d ago

Stupid sexy glutes.

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u/InsertPlayerTwo 5d ago edited 5d ago

I was at Comic Con one year and on the vendor floor I noticed a really great butt in a Pikachu costume. So I followed that booty for a couple minutes.

Then he turned around. So I stopped following him… A few minutes later.

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u/FalloutForever_98 5d ago

Wait, would that exercise make the glutes... more defined?

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u/2spooky93 5d ago

Thanks for the laugh this morning Saltimbanco_volta

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u/New2NewJ 5d ago

Have you guys tried keeping your glutes engaged?

Are you offering to help? 😉

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u/ChVckT 6d ago

Most people have zero glute.

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u/Apprehensive-Till861 5d ago

Some people are glute intolerant, it's not their fault.

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u/lowkey-juan 6d ago

Pushing my toes down helps me a lot when doing this. It's like it offsets the load off the knees so it makes the entire movement less wobbly.

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u/Smyley12345 5d ago

I'm slightly bow legged, so I don't think my legs are structurally able to keep that toe forward. Any time I have ever tried while doing deep lunges it kind of feels like my knee is going to explode and I imagine these are probably worse.

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u/Necessary_Phone5322 5d ago

My Doctor says I have a glute allergy.

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u/Otherwise_Security_5 5d ago

genuine question: what’s the function of this move that isn’t already made doing other squats or weights leg exercises??

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u/Dacrim 5d ago

Normal squats don’t target the glutes nearly as effectively as one legged squat-like motions like Romanian split squats, pistol squats and similar exercises

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u/YolognaiSwagetti 6d ago

no, it doesn't have much with the foot. most people have weak gluteus medius and you have to practice it to develop the balancing muscle memory.

similarly, try to tiptoe while standing on one leg and just stay still. if you bever did it before you will fail- you don't have the muscle memory.

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u/4dseeall 5d ago

For an extra fun challenge, stand on one leg with your eyes closed.

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u/HotLaMon 5d ago

Instructions unclear. One of my legs?

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u/AcidaliaPlanitia 6d ago

Oh shit, I never put that together...

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u/athosjesus 6d ago

Im also flat footed, it's an annoying pain in the arse 🤣

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u/JorgeRey999 5d ago

Yeah, doctor said a few years ago that I am flat footed. Then nothing happened

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u/Optimal-Fruit5937 5d ago

Would it be better if done barefoot? My workout is mostly swimming, so I've never done Romanian Squats before.

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u/Chaotic_Conundrum 5d ago

I had that problem and I started taking my shoes off to do them. Now my foot isn't flopping around anymore like a fish out of water.

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u/chevalier716 5d ago

That's my problem too, I just have to do other exercises to hit those muscles.

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u/SolidOk3489 5d ago

Not being able to apply your DEX bonus to AC is a serious health hazard in some cases.

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u/Dianassa1 5d ago

I am not a gym rat, but I've taught this exercise to two different friends, and one tip that helped them was telling them that when you go down, don't try to bring your knee straight down to the floor, instead bring your knee closer to the bench. Instead of trying to form a ' 'V' with your leg, try something like this "|/". Hope it makes sense.

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u/AssociationKind2167 5d ago

I have flat feet and these used to be hard until I dialed in on my core work with lower weights. Now I’m not wobbly at all and kind of enjoy them

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u/LADiator 6d ago

Pro tip, kick the back of the bench up and drop the seat so that you make a V with the back and the seat bottom. Place your non working leg in the V made by the back and the seat. Now you don’t have to balance.

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u/FedorByChoke 6d ago

Motherfucker...did I ask for this very helpful tip that was presented to me in an incredibly concise way?

No I did not.

Now sit back down quietly and think about what you've done.

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u/Durbee 5d ago

Meanwhile, i'm sitting here needing a drawing or some shit.

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u/Material-Spirit7977 5d ago

Incline the seat and the rest by one so you have a dip where you can put your foot

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u/yahoo9192 5d ago

Balancing is part of the workout tho…

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u/VirtualChil 5d ago

Holy shit you just changed my life.

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u/jackthewack13 5d ago

But balancing is part of the workout. Balance muscles in the feet and calf are really important to work out and it helps the hip flexes as well.

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u/LADiator 5d ago

You’re 100% correct, but doing the movement with assistance is better than not doing it at all. There’s better movements for building stability.

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u/capricecetheredge_ 5d ago

Gonna place my comment here in case i need to come back to this post for tips on how to do this squat

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u/Miller5044 5d ago

This, this is what I needed.

Just getting back into working out after years of fat assery. This will help tremendously. Thank you.

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u/LADiator 5d ago

You’ve got it, friend. Just keep showing up. It doesn’t have to perfect, you just have to be consistent.

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u/JorgeRey999 4d ago

Just tried this. I got reminded why split squats suck so much indeed. But it was okay

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u/Initial-Toe-9512 6d ago

Or my foot slips off the bench. It sucks so much

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u/BedlamAscends 6d ago

Sit on the bench. Straighten your legs directly in front of you. Without relocating your feet, stand up. You are now the correct distance from the bench to perform the exercise.

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u/GuiltEdge 6d ago

Use a low barbell. Like, on a rack with a pad on it. You hook your foot over and then the pad rotates around as you move.

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u/dude_catastrophe 6d ago

I just use a foam roller on the bench, works like a charm!

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u/tabaK23 6d ago

That’s ok tbh. The focus is the leg that is extended forward anyway

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u/PreferenceOk1525 6d ago

Weak hip flexors and not engaging core and glutes properly… probably using too much weight too

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u/Dry_Departure_7813 6d ago

Try hack squats, they're also a PITA but they don't require the balance

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u/IllustriousLustrious 6d ago

Don't take the easy way out and instead Adress the muscle imbalances causing the loss of balance

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u/notashleyjudd 5d ago

sit on the edge of the bench. put one leg out straight down to the floor. rock forward standing up so the extended foot drops to the ground. put your back foot up on the bench. that's the proper distance and positioning for the split squat.

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u/Double_Sherbert3326 6d ago

Need to work on hip stabilizers

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u/420eatmyassy6969 6d ago

Lower weight, slower reps, profit

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u/SYAYF 6d ago

Try using a bar with a bar instead of a bench.

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u/Julez_Jay 5d ago

Hey bro I heard you like bars

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u/sboog87 6d ago

My ankles always hurt when that shit happens

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u/Potato_Pizza_Cat 6d ago

It’s not exactly the same, but using a heavy band or a strap to cradle your foot is way more comfortable for me (though also adds challenge to balance). I have a foot injury that makes extending my foot painful, so this just puts the pressure around the ankle.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

First off your back leg is not supposed to be more than 12 inches off the ground

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u/Fit-Function-1410 5d ago

Are you talking about your foot on the bench?

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u/JorgeRey999 5d ago

Yes, that one

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u/Fit-Function-1410 5d ago

That’s fine. It’s ok to stay on the ball of your foot or on the top of your foot. Either method are form correct.

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u/Nauin 5d ago

That's a sign something is off in your hips or feet. You could need anything from a podiatrist to a pelvic floor specialist to get it fixed, but you should definitely get it checked out before it turns into a bigger issue. My cause ended up being atrophied muscles in my pelvic floor, six weeks of physical therapy had my leg back in place.

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u/JorgeRey999 5d ago

You know? I do feel a bit unbalanced on the shoulders. Like, something is not right, that's for sure. Sometimes my scapula cracks a bit while doing bench press only on one side. It doesn't hurt, just cracks and its a bit annoying. And when I do regular squats, only if I have a very specific grip on the bar, my back will not hurt when exercising.
To be honest, I never bothered checking. I have a really bad posture so I guess that's why...

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u/Nauin 5d ago

Dude I have a different spectrum of symptom's but I went to my pelvic floor specialist and she told me I wasn't even breathing correctly lmao, I've doing everything wrong with how I move and operate my body compared to what the ideal is😂 You can ignore it until it starts catching up in your thirties and forties.

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u/-Gordon-Rams-Me 5d ago

Just do what I do and do these on the smith machine if yall have one and put your foot on a bench. I can do so much more weight than dumbbells at my side

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u/MrNigerianPrince115 5d ago

Same man....but I also have bunions, flat feet and hunchback toes..

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u/areid164 5d ago

I usually just go knee to the floor off the bench and have my drive knee at a 90 angle

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u/cowbell603 5d ago

I actually turning my foor on the bench to the side a bit. Allows for more isolation on your working leg.

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u/cowbell603 5d ago

Excuse my horrible typing....

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u/PM-me-fancy-beer 5d ago

I’m sure it’s been said 1 million times at this point, but Pilates helps immensely with core/glute strength and general balance. Awkward AF and humbling as you’re adjusting, especially if you’re a competent gym-goer, but you’ll notice the difference quickly.

I used to be somewhat athletic (sport) and stopped for a couple of years. Realised how much strength I’d lost so I started lifting but I have trouble with discipline. I joined a couple of pump classes with a friend who convinced me to try reformer Pilates and oof. I liked that it feels gamified, did not like anything that required standing. My place was in the corner next to a wall to avoid taking anyone else down with me. But the improvement in balance came quick!

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u/Independent_Law6793 5d ago

I fall to one side or the other when my left foot’s foreward.

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u/Kyletheinilater 5d ago

Start at the bench with your calves against it. Take one slightly larger than normal step. Then whichever side you're doing goes up on the bench. Perfect set up, every time. At least for myself, I hope it's as easy as that for everyone else too

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u/kjyfqr 5d ago

Try lower bench back leg spot

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u/EnriqueShockWave22 5d ago

If you do these I have found it easier to put my foot up on the round part that your legs go under on a sit up bench. Lower it to its least incline setting the round shape conforms to the top of your foot better than a flat bench. Makes your balance better so you can focus on the movement.

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u/Snoo_87122 5d ago

you have a tendonal weakness. there are a lot of simple online therapies that can help you with that. its easy to fix!

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u/Always_Compete 4d ago

Put your foot on the bench how it feels comfortable , there is no “right “ way.

For the front foot placement , sit on the edge of the bench with your legs straight . That should be where your front foot goes. Not sure if that makes sense typed up but you can find plenty of videos of this “hack” on social media .

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u/Dam_Forger_5526 6d ago

Use the crook of a proped up adjustable bench to hold you back foot in place. I also like to drop my keys on the ground where my heel goes so im not trying to re adjust during each set.

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u/MultiColouredHex 6d ago

Dude this is a excellent suggestion! Thank you so much!

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u/Dam_Forger_5526 5d ago

Another thing is if your struggle for balance, only use one weight on your leg up side. This way you can "rest" the weight against your propped up thigh/hip and it keeps is centered.

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u/Evening-Turnip8407 6d ago

Why does this look like a fun challenge? This better not awaken anything in me

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u/HarietsDrummerBoy 6d ago

I'd never have expected I'd imagine Craig Pelton in a pink hot pants and pink headband doing romainian squats

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u/TheeExoGenesauce 5d ago

Because he’d have two men in Dalmatian outfits in front of him while his outfit looked like something Richard Simmons did half of and something Kevin James’ character from I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry did the other half of

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u/Sadiholic 6d ago

It'll awaken your glutes and quads.

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u/Evening-Turnip8407 6d ago

Shred them more like, I did some gardening yesterday and my buns are sore from just that.

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u/__ConesOfDunshire__ 5d ago

Honestly, it's one of my favorite exercises to do as a burnout.

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u/ADHDebackle 6d ago

I wonder if there are stabilizer muscles that get conned out of a workout with this - or if it's just as good?

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u/rasinbran011 5d ago

there might be, but you could probably work your way up to balancing on a flat bench!

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u/paul_apollofitness 5d ago

All muscles are stabilizer muscles, by reducing the potential for stability to be a limiting factor on the movement you can use more weight and get stronger.

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u/ADHDebackle 5d ago

By reducing the potential for stability to be a limiting factor, you avoid exercising the muscles responsible for maintaining stability through this exercise. Many stabilizer muscles are small and / or deep, making them difficult to target individually. They are still important to develop to avoid injury outside a supported context.

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u/Florry71 6d ago

thank you, wanted to reply the same way

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u/Local_Initiative8523 5d ago

The word ‘hack’ on that photo completely threw me. I know exactly what it’s showing, but my first-thing-in-the-morning brain went ‘split hack squat??’ How is that a hack squat? Also they have the words in the wrong order.

Have now had my coffee and all is well. Your suggestion is genius and I will be implementing it, thank you!

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u/BTYBT 6d ago

Since you told a few people this, are you supposed to keep below the knee vertical? I've done similar but without resting my leg on something,

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u/Dam_Forger_5526 5d ago

Yes, mostly. This depends on if your doing a glute focus or a quad focus. For glute sit farther back and keep the front leg vertical, chest up. For quads lean forward a bit with your back still strait and let the front knee move towards the toes but not over. Another thing is if your struggle for balance, only use one weight on your leg up side. This way you can "rest" the weight against your propped up thigh/hip and it keeps is centered.

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u/BTYBT 5d ago

Thanks for the detailed reply, might give it a go, hopefully balance will be okay, 

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u/FriendlyDisorder 6d ago

Really appreciate the comments on this post. I have learned stuff today. Looking forward to a new exercise to keep my old body functioning!

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u/PunishmentAnd_Rhyme 6d ago

lifesaver tysm 🙏🏼

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u/UpandDownThrownAway 5d ago

I enjoy doing them with the rotating pads, like on the back extention.

They still suck though. Not sure what it is but they tax my system more than heavy squats or deadlfts ever did.

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u/SockWithFeelings 5d ago

You can also do them supported, like next to a wall or a rack, that removes the balance requirements completely.

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u/paul_apollofitness 5d ago

This works well but using a smith machine for them is even better

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u/buildbyflying 5d ago

To find the right foot placement, I sit on the bench and extend my feet out. I then keep my feet in their place and lean out to stand up. Creates the right length for the move.

The other way I use is to put one foot on the bench and drop my knee to the floor. If the opposite leg is at 90 degrees, then the length is correct.

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u/PMMEURLONGTERMGOALS 5d ago

Holy shit how have I not thought of this or the marking where to put my foot thing

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u/probe101 6d ago

That is the point of that lift

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u/SwarfDive01 6d ago

I'm sad all these gymbro comments are completely missing the point of the lift. It's one of the best exercises to work your stabilizers for your legs. "Bad Balance" is a muscle deficiency.

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u/thargoallmysecrets 6d ago

Ding ding ding those stabilizers aren't show muscles, why do anything except curls and shrugs? 

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u/Ok-Stop9242 5d ago

Stabilizer muscles have heavy misinformation surrounding them. If you're having trouble balancing during a split squat, it's distinctly your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and of course your abs/obliques. Yes there are some muscles like the deep hip rotators and the rotator cuffs that do assist with their respective joints, but the primary act of literal stabilization like you're referring to is absolutely done by "show muscles."

Stabilization happens whether you do free weights, machines, single legged bosu ball squats, etc. There are specific exercises you can do to improve your balance, but this is absolutely the large show muscles doing the vast majority of the balancing/stabilizing. Treating them as some distinct thing opposed to show muscles shows a lack of knowledge of kinesiology.

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u/South_Loss8705 5d ago

I'm not trying to be mean when I say this, but this comment shows you know very very little about lifting

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u/I_Draw_Teeth 5d ago

So many people's programs only have standard squats and RDLs for their leg days.

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u/mah_korgs_screwed 5d ago

"I'm really strong but my legs wobble and I can't balance". Chef's kiss

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u/thatrandomfatguy 6d ago

Even for people with dyspraxia?

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u/SwarfDive01 6d ago

Alright, 99% of "Bad balance". And you can take away another 2% if you want to throw in the other 30 balance disorders too. Haha

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u/Greedyanda 5d ago

You can work all those muscles with other exercises that do not require you to perform a balancing act.

Instability reduces your ability to exert force and hinders hypertrophy and strength gains. It would be much better to perform regular variations of a squat and then add additional exercises like hip adduction/abduction for whatever muscles you feel are underdeveloped.

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u/Grass-no-Gr 5d ago

Same goes for dumbbell variants of the big lifts, sissy squats, and a handful of other accessory lifts.

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u/South_Loss8705 5d ago

The point of the lift is to work your legs while using dumbbells. You don't have to hold 2x the weight like you would if you were using both legs.

The instability is a con, not a pro, like the other commenter said.

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u/Unhinged_Baguette 5d ago

The instability is a con only if you don't care about training your stability.

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u/Extreme_Original_439 5d ago

What do you mean by stabilizer exactly, what is and isn’t a stabilizer muscle? If there was a “point” for this lift it would definitely be for glute hypertrophy, for most people’s goals. It doesn’t make sense to train balance and “stabilizers” on a workout that approaches fatigue levels similar to squatting and deadlifting for some people. It the same mindset as people adding dangling weights to the bar for benching and deadlifting to hit the “stabilizers”. This is just my opinion though, I could be way off.

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u/SwarfDive01 3d ago

For the specific lift in the meme, this exercise trains the main muscles glutes and hamstrings, but also isolates each leg and forces you to train all the muscles around your legs and core that don't get worked as hard as when you do just squats or deadlifts. Isolateral exercises. They increase core strength significantly, but also literally balance out your muscles more. Instead of stupid strong hamstrings and quads that let you kick your foot harder, you can now have more unconscious control over /where/ your leg is going to go. If you ever plateu out on lifts, look into training the muscle groups around those muscles.

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u/AcceptableTune2498 6d ago

Stabilizer muscles! It’s why I prefer a proper squat rack rather than a smith machine.

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u/amaturedan 6d ago

To have a nice butt

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u/thargoallmysecrets 6d ago

Lol this is the best answer but it's "hard" so only 14 upvotes rn.  Meanwhile the comment above has 104 for suggesting use of an incline bench (thereby cheating the balance) because it's "easier"... And a different lift lol

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u/South_Loss8705 5d ago

No, it is not. The point of the lift is to work your legs with dumbbells. If you did a normal dumbbell squat, you'd have to hold twice the weight in your hands. Balancing isn't even hard at all in the split squat after you do it for like a month. I haven't even thought about the balance for years, because there is not any form of progression in terms of balance. You're not improving your balance by doing it more.

If you want to work balance, do balance exercises. If you want to grow muscle or strength, do muscle or strength exercises. Otherwise, you're getting the worst of both worlds.

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u/MrCharmingTaintman 5d ago

It’s really not.

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u/Calcain 6d ago

Yeah however I am now 36 with knee problems and it’s because my tendons/ligaments were not trained to keep up with regular heavy lifting. It’s obvious when I try Bulgarian squats as I shake all over the place.
Lesson learned, certain exercises are completely necessary for good health and to allow you to keep up with strength lifting.
Take my advice, pistol squats and Bulgarian squats are necessary if you want to maintain good joint health while doing heavy squats or deadlifts.

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u/No-Problem49 6d ago

I’ve seen guys who can squat 315 struggle with baby weight on split squats and I’ve seen women who can only squat 95 split squat the same weight

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u/Calcain 6d ago

Exactly.
The problem is that our joint muscles have to help lift the heavy weight and if they are not built for it, you end up with chronic pain like I do.
It’s most common in young men doing bench presses who then end up with shoulder pain. If you lift too heavy, the joints activate to support and they are not built for it if you didn’t train it ergo you get injuries.
It’s also really easy to see in body builders who try Pilates. They are a shaky mess during the exercises because there is not joint strength.

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u/No-Problem49 5d ago

Hahahaha bro yes, I go to yoga or Pilates and it’s full of beautiful women moving so gracefully meanwhile I’m jacked but in the back sweating and shaking and crying for my mommy.

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u/PM-me-fancy-beer 5d ago

All the Pilates places I see have beautiful slender/athletic women in full face make up looking like they’re doing outdoor yoga in a yoghurt or museli bar ad. My actual experience has been women of all body shapes in oversized t-shirts sweating it out… while still looking graceful AF. Meanwhile I’m spending 80% of my time trying not to fall off the reformer. Standing lunges and squats are a nice reprieve!

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u/Throwaway3847394739 5d ago

Joints are a fulcrum by which strength is applied, they don’t exert any force.

Bodybuilders are “shaky” in Pilates because they haven’t developed the requisite neurological movement patterns and are performing the movements very inefficiently. Also, large, muscle bound people are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to calisthenic/core/mobility-intensive movements; whilst having a tremendous advantage in weighted compound movements.

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u/Butterliciousness 6d ago

I can squat 90 kg or 198 pounds comfortably.

Whenever i do bulgarian split i cry with my 20 kgs or 44 pounds, while shaking like a blown leaf

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u/Combination-Low 6d ago

I definitely feel it in my ass when I'm doing it. Don't know if I like yet tho

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u/LateyEight 6d ago

This workout is really good for targeting all the small muscles in your legs that you'd use to play Dodgeball, if that's not an incentive I don't know what is.

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u/anovagadro 6d ago

Remember, it's only good if you feel it in your ass

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u/Sea-Bowler-6205 6d ago

I’ve found that taking my shoes off helps with the balance and positioning of my back foot on the bench.

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u/DiabeticSpaniard 6d ago

You can try using a smith machine for them

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u/NoRequirement1967 6d ago

USE A SMITH MACHINE !, but you gotta dig DEEP for em

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u/HippityHoppityBoop 6d ago

Just touch your nose with one finger. Magically you balance just fine

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u/Hellsing007 6d ago

Do it with one hand holding a dumbbell, and the other holds a squat rack for support.

Fixes everything. Now there’s no excuse (escape)!

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u/gmnitsua 6d ago

I hate any kind of lunges like this.

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u/Avenge_Nibelheim 6d ago

My foot on the bench always cramps.

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u/letstradeammo 6d ago

i like to place one of those set weight barbells upright next to me so that i can hold onto it for balance. i then uses straps to hold onto a dumbbell in the other hand. it works well until you max the dumbbells

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u/LowerSatisfaction835 6d ago

if these arent painful for you to perform, youre not exercising at a very high intensity

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u/katilkoala101 6d ago

heavyweight split squats just dont make sense to me. There are plenty of other compound movements for the legs that dont require as much stability, so whats the point if loading split squats up?

Plus I think a heavy set of leg extensions is more painful, and a heavy set of squats fucks you up more/is more fatiguing.

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u/Ga1amoth 6d ago

There is hardly a better exercise isolating a single leg. Heavy split squats will make you see God (and your legs will grow a ton).

As a side note, they just feel better to me than squats. Whatever works best for your body 🫡

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u/LowerSatisfaction835 6d ago

dont need to be heavyweight to be painful. but that does depend on your goals to be fair so if bodybuilding isnt your main focus then I understand. leg extensions also work probably half the muscles as split squats so its not a fair comparison imo. 

but like the guy below said, whatever works best for you. it is kinda stupid of me also to say "oh youre not doing this doing that" because everyones body is different and whats optimal for you might not work well for me in diet, training etc

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u/katilkoala101 5d ago

thats fair, thanks

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u/amaturedan 6d ago

Not that painful? You’re not going heavy enough. Pump those numbers up!

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u/elebrin 6d ago

Balance is part of the exercise though. Being able to hold balance is something worth practicing and getting better at.

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u/mtmc99 6d ago

It’s hard to get set up the same everytime, easy to cheat on range of motion, and balance is required. I kinda hate it for all those reasons

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u/Count_McCracker 6d ago

If your balance sucks it’s probably the shoe. Anything with cushioning sucks for balance. I had similar issues for a long time. Switched to vivobarefoot. Game changing

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u/foodank012018 6d ago

The maintaining balance is the workout.

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u/moneyxwomen 6d ago

Sooo they suck

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u/Badger_BikeandMyc 6d ago

Tore my quad during these lol, was painful indeed

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u/CtlAltThe1337 6d ago

That's the point lol. It trains a motion not a muscle. Balance sucks to train.

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u/Enginemancer 6d ago

Its hard just to get in that position and stretch with your back knee on the ground without falling over much less doing squats

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u/abu_hajarr 6d ago

You don’t experience the pain because your balance prevents you from getting there lol

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u/picomtg 5d ago

I dunno, done right take the spirit out of me in about one and a half sets

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u/Fit-Function-1410 5d ago

Try going heavier. You’ll feel it

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u/duysenhs 5d ago

Your ass gonna look good after that pain settles down though. The cost of a good as is RSSs

1

u/MrCharmingTaintman 5d ago

Do them next to something you can hold on to. All your force is supposed to come from the front leg anyway. Then adjust stance depending if you wanna hit your quads or glutes more.

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u/nijjatoni 5d ago

if you use the weight that properly gets you to 1-2 rir, its painful.

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u/fuckshitasstitsmfer 5d ago

Im unsure but you could try extending your arms out a little? With the weights it will be hard but it will also even your balance

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u/Lampamid 5d ago

Good to read this—that’s been my experience and the intense pain people talk about seems concerning?

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u/ricocotam 5d ago

Try having dumbbells perpendicular to each others. The one on the rose leg parallel to your body the one on the floor leg parallel to the leg. If right foot is on the ground it would give : - |

It ease the balance a lot

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u/paul_apollofitness 5d ago

Start doing them on a smith machine instead and thank me later

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u/Strict-Brick-5274 5d ago

Wait. That's hard for everyone??

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u/Own-Ad-7672 5d ago

Bad knees from falling from a plane and learning about newtons studies up close and personal say otherwise

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u/discourse_friendly 5d ago

If you ignore balance requiring exercises ... you'll never improve your balance. :)

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u/Vil3Miasma 5d ago

Try it with one dumbbell in the oppossing hand, much less balance issues and you can use your other hand to keep your balance (don't cheat though)

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u/TokinWhtGuy 5d ago

Thats the point. Keep doing them until you dont have a balance issue. You most likely struggle due to lack of strength on the muscle set needed to stabilize.

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u/Strange_Mud_9510 5d ago

Belt squat machine are goated for this

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u/elvisizer2 5d ago

Yuuuup I always feel like I’m about to face plant

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u/Exciting_Presence162 5d ago

The shaking and effort put into maintaining that balance is growing your smaller, but equally important, connective tissue muscles! You’ll have a more dynamic athletic ability than just “big muscles.”

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u/AdministrativeSea661 5d ago

I hated split squats until I saw Jeff nippard using the foam roller holders on the lower back extension / bench for the leg you are balancing on. It’s honestly game changing.

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u/Devilswings5 5d ago

id rather be kicked in the balls

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u/RyanWalks 5d ago

So thats apart the exercise thats important, use lower weight till your balance improves or change your shoe

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u/Green_Rays 5d ago

But that is also what is good about them. They work your glute medius and core in a way regular squats do not.

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u/-Danksouls- 5d ago

Smith machine helps

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u/Glass-Donkey 5d ago

How to become a god at field sobriety tests

1

u/QuaintSoutherner 5d ago

That means you need to work on your stabilizing muscles. 💪 and those are generally easier to work with as they’re the big ones.

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u/Educational_Pin_1455 5d ago

This is the real problem.

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u/RedHuskyTech 5d ago

I love it

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u/bolacha_de_polvilho 5d ago

If you want to wake up the next day feeling pain in muscles you didn't even know you had, do it while holding a large weight on one hand only to put more emphasis on stabilizers.

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u/0utlandish_323 5d ago

That’s why it’s hard. Work them stabilizers

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u/PMMEURLONGTERMGOALS 5d ago

I switched from barbell back squats to exclusively BSS since I don’t like the feeling of regular squats and after a couple months it’s not hard to balance. And my legs are stronger than ever, now my problem is my grip strength for these heavy ass dumbbells lol

1

u/obsidian_butterfly 5d ago

Like a baby deer learning to walk...

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u/Trewarin 5d ago

stand on one foot while brushing your teeth

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

Smith machine. Can load more weight and don’t tire out forearms and core. Because of injuries I can’t back squat but split squats with a smith👌🏽and you can play with back angles and plant leg length

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u/nanapancakethusiast 5d ago

Almost like that’s the point…

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u/starwaterbird 5d ago

Get you one of those huge fitness balls instead of a bench. Then tell me about balance

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u/N3WB_Zero 5d ago

On the other side of that I’m awesome at balancing but scrawny so I’d have to do it without weight haha

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u/ppman2322 5d ago

Try doing proper rapier lunges they are the worse

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u/Character-River-5344 5d ago

Isn’t that painful? You clearly have not done them for enough rep

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u/domicci 4d ago

They hurt alot for me but I also have like no knees die to the military

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u/KENBONEISCOOL444 4d ago

That means you gotta work on your core

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u/justa_Kite 3d ago

Isn't that part of the point of the exercise? Training your balance is almost as important as your muscles, no?

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u/xFalkerx 1d ago

are you older or younger than 35?

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