*The purpose of performing this exercise with your front foot on an elevated surface is to let the back knee travel further down – an increase in the range of motion. This makes the exercise more challenging.

• Start with a barbell along your upper back, holding onto the bar, and a staggered stance – one foot in front of the other. Your back foot should be on its toes. You can also do this with a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand as shown in the second video.
• Your front foot should be on an elevated surface (step, box, or you can stack weight plates) of about 4-6 inches.
• With your front foot flat on an elevated surface and on your toes on your back foot that is on the floor, lower yourself towards the ground by bending both knees simultaneously.
• Stop when your back knee is just short of touching the floor, then push back up.
• Think about pushing off your front foot from the heel.
• Complete all repetitions on one leg, then switch to the other leg.

• To keep constant tension on your thighs, never fully lock out your knees. Instead, stop just short of a full lockout.
• To place more emphasis on your quads, have a staggered stance with feet a bit closer together than normal.
• To place more emphasis on your hamstrings and glutes, have a staggered stance with feet a bit wider than normal.