The New Essential Leg Exercise
It started with a moment of curiosity. A few months ago I was scrolling Instagram when I saw my friend Andrew Coates’ post showing a powerful set of Supported Bulgarian Split Squats—also called Hatfield Squats by some—around 365 pounds for five reps.
At first I thought, huh. Then I thought, damn, that’s strong. And then I thought, I want in on this.
Back then I was about five to six weeks post Achilles repair and training pretty hard in the gym. I was always looking for ways to expand my Trainable Menu—focusing on things I could train rather than things I couldn’t.
A day or two later I posted a video of nearly 300 pounds for six to eight reps on my non-affected leg. I tagged Andrew, who tagged a few others inspired by his feats; one was Luka Hocevar, owner of Vigor Ground Fitness in Renton, WA. A friendly competition followed.
Week after week we shared our progress, and I enjoyed it, which felt odd because, despite what some coaches online pretend, I hate single-leg work. I hate it a lot.
Things I hate… Nazis, kipping pull-ups, people who wax poetic about keto, single-leg work, and talking about feelings.
Anyway, Andrew, Luka, and I teamed up to write an article for T-Nation that just went live. In it we break down everything you need to know about the Supported Bulgarian Split Squat and why you should consider adding it to your training arsenal.
I still do it, of course, but I have to admit: I hate doing it. I hate it.
