Bulgarian Split Squat

What it is. The Bulgarian split squat, also called the rear-foot-elevated split squat, is a single-leg squat. You stand a long stride in front of a bench, rest the top of your back foot on it, and bend your front knee and hip to lower your body. Dumbbells at your sides are the usual load. It's a lunge-pattern exercise in the Fysiqal movement library, related to the split squat and lunge (see Split Squat, Lunges).

What it trains.

• Primary (front leg): the quadriceps (the three vasti and rectus femoris) extend the knee, and gluteus maximus extends the hip.
• Secondary: the hamstrings and adductor magnus help extend the hip. Gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and tensor fasciae latae stop your pelvis dropping on the free side. The quadratus lumborum, obliques and erector spinae stop your trunk tipping sideways.

Is it really single-leg? Yes, mostly. Helme, Emmonds & Low measured each foot on its own force plate in 26 trained men, across 715 reps up to a 5-rep max. The front foot produced 84.4% of total vertical force on average, and its share rose slightly as the load got heavier. The rear foot's force didn't change with load. The authors concluded the back foot doesn't add to the exercise's demands; it's there for balance.

Hips or knees? Mackey & Riemann (2021) compared the split squat at 35% of back squat 1RM with the back squat at 70% in 20 trained men.

• Both were hip-dominant: the hip produced the largest moments and the most work in both lifts.
• The front knee bent less in the split squat (about 96° vs 105°), while hip and ankle range were similar.
• The ankle worked harder in the split squat than in the back squat.
• The authors suggested the split squat suits work that focuses on hip extension with less demand on the knee. One limit: the loads weren't matched (35% vs 70%), so absolute joint loads aren't directly comparable.

Stance length changes the demand. Arakawa et al. (2025) tested bodyweight split squats in 9 trained men. A longer stance (130% of leg length) produced a greater hip extension moment at the bottom than a shorter one (100% of leg length): 94 vs 73 N·m. In practice, a longer stride brings in more glute and a shorter one brings in more quad. That last point is a coaching inference, not something the study measured with EMG.

Does it transfer? Speirs et al. (2016) trained 18 academy rugby players twice a week for 5 weeks, using either the rear-foot-elevated split squat or the back squat. Both groups improved back squat 1RM, split squat 1RM, 40 m sprint and pro-agility time, with no differences between groups. A 2026 meta-analysis of 9 trials in male basketball players (Zhang et al.) found single-leg training improved single-leg jumps and one change-of-direction test more than two-leg training, with similar sprint and two-leg jump results. The authors rated the certainty as moderate to very low. ACSM 2026 adds that training one limb also strengthens the untrained limb a little (cross-education).

Technique cues (coaching standards):

• Set the distance first. From a kneeling position by the bench, your front shin should be close to vertical and your back knee under your hip. Stand up from there.
• Top of the back foot on the bench, laces down. A bench about knee height suits most people.
• Lower straight down, not forward, until your back knee nears the floor or your front thigh is about level.
• Front knee tracks over your toes, not caving in. Letting it travel forward past the toes is normal (see Knee-Toe Relationship).
• Trunk: a slight forward lean is fine; stay steady side to side.
• Drive up through the whole front foot. Do all reps on one side, then switch.

Loading. ACSM 2026 found muscle growth was greater with 10 or more sets a week per muscle, and that training to failure was not needed; 2–3 reps short is enough. Because balance can limit you before your legs do, start with bodyweight, then dumbbells. Holding a support in one hand is a fair way to load the leg harder without balance being the limit.

See it. Demo clips in the Fysiqal media library: Bulgarian Split Squat, Split Squat, Reverse Lunge, Walking Lunge.

• Anyone building leg strength and size who wants to train each leg on its own.
• Lifters who want quad and glute work with far less weight on the bar than a back squat.
• Field and court athletes, where single-leg strength and change of direction matter.

• Healthy joints and balance. With current knee or hip pain, a recent injury or a balance problem, get individual advice first.
• Small samples. Helme had 26 men, Mackey 20 men, Arakawa 9 men, and Speirs 18 rugby players over 5 weeks. The 2026 meta-analysis covers only young male basketball players.
• No growth trial was used here. The muscle list comes from the joint model. No study above measured which muscles grow from this exercise.
• Loads in Mackey 2021 weren't matched. Comparing joint loads between the two lifts is only approximate.

Sam, a recreational footballer, wants stronger legs and a better cut without heavy back squats.

1. Weeks 1–2: bodyweight split squats, 3 × 8 each leg, holding a rack upright in one hand. He sets his stance from kneeling.
2. Check: on video his front knee caves in at the bottom on his left side. He slows the descent and lightens the load on that side until the knee tracks over his toes.
3. Weeks 3–8: 12 kg dumbbells, 3 × 8–10 each leg, adding 2 kg per hand when all sets reach 10. He lengthens his stance slightly, which raises the hip demand (Arakawa 2025).
4. Result: by week 8 he's at 20 kg per hand for 3 × 8, and both knees track the same.

Next lesson: Dumbbell Step-Up. Another single-leg lift, driving up onto a box.

• Primary: quadriceps (vasti and rectus femoris) and gluteus maximus on the front leg. Secondary: gluteus medius, minimus, TFL (pelvic control), hamstrings, adductor magnus, trunk.
• The front foot produced about 84% of vertical force; the rear foot doesn't add to the demand (Helme 2022).
• Split squat and back squat are both hip-dominant; the front knee bends less in the split squat (about 96° vs 105°) and the ankle works harder (Mackey 2021).
• A longer stance raised the front-hip extension moment (94 vs 73 N·m; Arakawa 2025).
• 5 weeks of split squats or back squats improved squat strength, sprint and agility similarly (Speirs 2016).
• Single-leg training transfers best to single-leg tasks (Zhang 2026 meta-analysis).