How to do the bulgarian split squat
A hard single-leg squat that builds quads and glutes with light weights and little load on your spine. Good when squats bother your back.
The Helthy team · Updated · 5 min read
- Works
- Quads, Glutes
- Also works
- Hamstrings, Adductors
- Equipment
- Dumbbells or bodyweight
- Level
- Intermediate
The Bulgarian split squat is the leg exercise people love to hate. With your back foot up on a bench, almost all of your weight goes through the front leg, so a pair of moderate dumbbells works that leg about as hard as a much heavier squat, with a fraction of the load on your spine. That makes it a good main leg exercise if back squats bother your lower back, and a very good second one if they don't. It also exposes a weaker side quickly. Expect the first few sessions to feel wobbly and humbling; that passes.
How to do a Bulgarian split squat
- Set up a bench that's around knee height or a little lower. A standard flat bench works for most people. Anything much higher stretches the front of your back hip too far.
- Find your stance. Stand about 2 feet (60 cm) in front of the bench, facing away, and put the top of your back foot on it. Your laces can rest flat on the bench or you can tuck your toes onto the edge; use whichever feels steadier.
- Check the distance before you start. Drop into one slow rep. At the bottom, your front shin should be roughly vertical to slightly forward, with your front heel flat. Too close and your heel lifts; too far and your back hip feels yanked. Shuffle the front foot until it feels right.
- Hold the dumbbells at your sides and brace. Stand tall, breathe in and tighten your stomach. Keep most of your weight on the front foot.
- Lower straight down. Your back knee travels toward the floor, not backward. Keep going until your front thigh is parallel to the floor, which for most people leaves the back knee a few inches above the ground.
- Drive up through your front foot. Push through the heel and middle of the foot and breathe out as you rise. Stop just short of locking the front knee, then go straight into the next rep. Finish every rep on one side before switching.
You should feel it mostly in your front quad and glute, and a stretch at the front of your back thigh. Your back leg is there for balance. If it's burning, you're pushing off it.
Cues that help
"Back leg is a kickstand." It props you up; it doesn't push. Fixes the habit of driving off the bench.
"Elevator, not escalator." Go straight down and straight up. Stops you lurching forward over your front toes.
"Heel heavy on the front foot." Keeps your front heel planted and the work in your glute and quad.
"Stay tall, hips square." Keeps your hips facing forward instead of twisting toward the back leg. If that doesn't land, think "headlights on your hips point straight ahead".
Common mistakes
Standing too close to the bench. Your front knee shoots forward, your heel lifts and it feels like it's all in the front of your knee. It's the most common setup error, because you pick your spot before you know what the bottom feels like. Move your front foot a few inches further out and test again.
Leaning forward over the front thigh. A little forward lean is fine, and some lifters use it on purpose to put more work on the glutes. The fault is folding right over so your chest ends up near your knee and your back leg starts helping. It usually means the dumbbells are too heavy or your torso has tired. Stay tall, go lighter, and pick the lean as a choice rather than letting it happen.
Not going deep enough. Half reps with the back knee high skip the part that builds the most muscle. Get the front thigh to parallel on every rep. If that's hard, take the dumbbells out until your mobility and balance catch up.
Pushing off the back foot. When the set gets hard, the back leg starts doing the work. You'll feel your rear quad burning more than your front leg. Put less weight on the bench and more through your front heel, and let the reps drop if you have to.
Letting the front knee cave in. The knee drifts toward your midline as you push up. Keep it tracking over your second and third toes and slow down on the way down.
Sets, reps and how much weight to use
The Bulgarian split squat works best at moderate reps: 3 sets of 6 to 12 per leg is a good default. Pick a weight you could do 2 or 3 more reps with on each side, rest 30 to 60 seconds between legs and about 2 minutes after both, and do your weaker leg first. Two or three sets per leg is often plenty, because each set is harder than it looks.
Start with bodyweight for a session or two while you find your stance. Then add light dumbbells, around 10 to 20 lb (4 to 9 kg) each for most people, and progress by adding reps before weight.
Here's roughly what people use for working sets:
| Bodyweight | beginner | intermediate | advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | 15 lb (7 kg) | 35 lb (16 kg) | 50 lb (23 kg) |
| 160 lb (73 kg) | 15 lb (7 kg) | 40 lb (18 kg) | 65 lb (29 kg) |
| 190 lb (86 kg) | 20 lb (9 kg) | 50 lb (23 kg) | 75 lb (34 kg) |
| 220 lb (100 kg) | 20 lb (9 kg) | 55 lb (25 kg) | 90 lb (41 kg) |
| 250 lb (113 kg) | 25 lb (11 kg) | 65 lb (29 kg) | 100 lb (45 kg) |
Grip is often the limit before your legs are. If the dumbbells get too heavy to hold, use lifting straps, hold one heavier dumbbell in goblet position, or move to a barbell on your back in a rack (with safeties set).
In Helthy you can log each side as its own set with Premium, so an uneven leg shows up in your history instead of getting averaged away.
Variations and alternatives
- Split squat (both feet on the floor): the easiest version and the best way to learn the position.
- Lunge: a stepping version with more balance work and less load on the front leg.
- Front-foot-elevated split squat: put the front foot on a small plate instead of the back foot on a bench. Easier to balance and gives you more depth.
- Barbell Bulgarian split squat: heavier loading once dumbbells run out, but harder to balance and bail from.
- Leg press: a stable swap on days when balance is the problem rather than strength.
Bulgarian split squat questions
Is it better for quads or glutes?
Both. A more upright torso and a slightly shorter stance put more of the work on your quads. A longer stance with a little forward lean shifts more to your glutes, though the difference is smaller than social media makes it sound. If you want a default, stay upright with a vertical-ish shin and you'll train both well.
Why is it so hard?
One leg is lifting nearly all of your body plus the weights, and balance is a big part of the challenge. That's why a pair of 30 lb (14 kg) dumbbells can feel harder than squatting much more.
Does it hurt the back hip?
You'll feel a strong stretch at the front of your back hip, and that's normal. Sharp pain is not. Lower the bench, shorten your stance slightly, and if pain in the front of your knee or hip persists after changing your setup for a week or two, get it looked at.