Beyond the Safety Bar Squat

Try using the safety bar for elevated split squats with your back foot. The Hatfield The variation, in which you hold the spotter’s arms or hand supports, gives you the ability to use more weight and gain more control over the eccentric.

You can skew the quads a bit more by dropping your back foot down and adding a wedge or heel ramps to the lead leg to maximize knee flexion.

The spotter’s arms will also help you during the concentric part of the movement, especially if your intention is to overload the eccentric or isometric components. Having something to hold on to will allow you to use more weight than a barbell split squat would, increasing stress on your muscles.

Bonus: the manual assist will also take the pressure off your back.

• Start with a safety bar, rack, and bench to elevate your back foot. I step my foot under the pins. You should be close enough to hold the rack but not hit the pins with the bar as you climb.
• Place your back foot on the bench, laces down.
• Get your grip about 6-12 inches below the pins. Too high and your arms interfere with the path of the bar. Use your hands for stability, but don’t pull up.
• Use a slight forward lean to keep the bar from falling off your shoulders. Maintain a vertical shin angle as you lower into a squat while pushing your hips back.
• Keep your torso straight and your shin vertical to make this easier on your knees.