Alternative to the Bulgarian Squat: Try This Exercise –

Do you still feel insecure when doing the Bulgarian squat at the gym? As you know, some users of the TikTok social platform have been presenting an alternative: the unilateral leg press. But can the two exercises really be considered similar? We went to ask an expert:

ARE BULGARIAN SQUATS AND UNILATERAL LEG PRESS REALLY SIMILAR?

For physical instructor Guilherme Moscardi, bodybuilding coordinator at Les Cinq Gym, it can be said that the two exercises have the same functions. After all, both have as main actors the muscle groups of the thighs and buttocks.

However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have some differences. “In the unilateral leg press, the back is supported and the hip uses a chair to push the torso. Therefore, whether in the horizontal leg press, 45° or inverted 45°, the movement will happen on a kind of rail, which will allow the practitioner to overcome greater resistance (‘more weight’)”, he explains.

In the Bulgarian squat, on the other hand, the movement is performed with one leg resting on the floor (in front), and the other positioned (behind) on a step or bench. This makes the reps a little more difficult. “The result of this positioning is greater activation of the stabilizer muscles. In addition to triggering the thigh and glute muscles of the front leg, which will push the ground practically like in the leg press.”

Not to mention that, in the second exercise, the back leg also works – which does not happen in the leg press, since it is relaxed. “The participation of the leg that is positioned on the step mobilizes a greater volume of muscles, in addition to the absence of the rail, the person needs to stabilize the body more and activate other sets of muscles of both legs, abdomen and lower back” , complements the professional.

WHEN TO DO EACH ONE?

“Theoretically, the Bulgarian squat should be used for more advanced practitioners who have greater body awareness. However, the leg press, unilateral or bilateral, will be used both in beginner training and in more advanced ones, but at different times”, explains Guilherme Moscardi.

The specialist also says that he prefers to leave movements more stabilized (such as the leg press) for beginners, and move on to exercises that demand more stabilization (dungeon, lunge with displacement and Bulgarian squat) as the student’s body control is being developed.

“At certain times, resuming the stabilized (leg press) for advanced students with guidance on gaining intensity and increasing load is usually an interesting strategy in terms of motivation and volume gain.”

If the leg press machine is made of bricks instead of washers, he says that it is still possible to propose several training methods — drop set, increasing or decreasing pyramid, cluster set and up set were some examples given by him.

WHICH MUSCLES DOES EACH EXERCISE WORK?

One-sided leg press: thigh muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius) and gluteus muscles (gluteus major, or gluteus maximus, and gluteus medius);
Bulgarian squat: thigh muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius) and gluteal muscles (gluteus major, or gluteus maximus, and gluteus medius) and all hip stabilizers.