Split Squats are a great way to open your hips, activate your glutes, and focus on your balance.The inline squat can become a great hip flexor stretch, which will give you better access to your glutes. It also helps with ankle mobility so you can maintain your posture better, and if you can keep your spine vertical then you are also producing good trunk stability. Without trunk stability you cannot use your arms and legs at full strength and power.
This variation adds quite a bit of rotational influence with the bell by your side. It is going to want to swing around as you make each rep. Keep your shoulder down and back on the loaded arm. You can think of creating a connection from that shoulder through your abs to your opposite hip. We make a very similar cross-body connection during the golf swing. If you are holding the bell in your right hand your left foot remains forward you are using your left hip and right shoulder. For a right-handed player you connect your left hip to your right shoulder through your abs in your downswing. Stay tall. Keep the bell off of your body.
You are essentially creating a hole underneath that loaded side of your body. So, get tight. Use your abs. Make this feel like an abdominal exercise because it is. This is a great movement to build rotational strength by resisting rotational forces.
Split Squat Kettlebell Suitcase grip 2-4 sets of 10 each side
*Start standing with your feet together, holding a kettlebell in your right hand.
*Step backward 18” -24” with your right foot, this is known as split stance. You will start and finish each rep in this split stance position.
*Maintain a vertical spine so you are not folding in half from the waist.
*Keep your pelvis level so you are not arching or tucking your lower back/pelvis.
*Remember to keep your knees, toes, and hips lined up straight ahead. Think of being on railroad tracks.
*Squeeze your glute on the back leg, you might even get a stretch in your front of that thigh and hip as you lower yourself to the ground.
*Drop your right knee down to the ground while maintaining an upright torso.
*Press through both feet and return to standing in a split stance with both knees straight.
*Repeat for the prescribed sets and reps.
