Here’s something most coaches won’t tell you: your body is not symmetrical, and it was never meant to be. You have a dominant side, a preferred direction, a natural rotational bias — and rather than trying to erase it, you can harness it.
This week’s video breaks down a simple but underused technique for the Bulgarian split squat: using your inherent asymmetry as a balancing tool instead of fighting it the whole way down.
“There is nothing wrong with this. You don’t need to fix it.”
First: Which Way Do You Spin?
Before you pick up a weight, try this. Stand up, and turn around in a circle. Don’t overthink it — just go. Which direction did you turn? Do it again if you’re not sure.
The direction you naturally gravitate toward tells you something important: that’s the way your body is organised. It’s not a flaw. It’s information.
Now, Put It to Work
The Bulgarian split squat is already a balance challenge. Add a load and that challenge multiplies. Knowing your rotational preference lets you set up your arms and weight placement to work with your body’s pull rather than against it.
IF YOU SPIN LEFT NATURALLY
When your left foot is forward — your body wants to drift that direction. Counter it: hold the weight in your left hand, reach your right arm out to the side, and let that arm act as your ballast.
SWITCH SIDES? SWITCH YOUR STRATEGY
With your right foot forward, the weight in your hand now pulls you slightly right — which is fine. Instead of reaching the left arm out, reach it forward. That forward reach keeps you tracking over the right side and prevents a collapse.
The Foot Detail That Ties It Together
Whichever leg is forward, pay attention to the inside ankle bone and the pinky-side edge of that foot. Lift both — gently — before you descend. This subtle engagement stabilises the entire chain from the foot up, and it makes the arm and weight adjustments above far more effective.
Quick Setup Checklist
→ Turn in a circle. Note your direction.
→ Grab a medium-ish weight — enough to feel the load.
→ Natural side forward: weight ipsilateral, opposite arm out.
→ Non-dominant side forward: weight in hand, same-side arm reaches forward.
→ Both sides: lift the inside ankle bone and pinky edge of the front foot before descending.
Balance issues in this movement are often blamed on hip mobility or core weakness — and those matter — but sometimes the fix is simpler. Your body has a bias. Work with it.
Try it this week and leave a comment with what you notice. Does your balance feel steadier on one side than the other? Did the arm adjustment make a difference? I’d love to hear.
And if this was useful, sharing it with someone who dreads the Bulgarian split squat is the kindest thing you can do for them.
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