The Bulgarian split squat might look tricky, but it’s one of the most powerful lower-body exercises. This single-leg movement targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core. Bulgarian split squats strengthen legs, improve balance, and enhance coordination. Whether you’re training at home or in the gym, mastering this move can elevate your workouts, correct muscle imbalances, and prevent injuries when performed correctly. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to perform the Bulgarian split squat with proper form, what muscles it works, and how to progress it safely for long-term gains.
What is a Bulgarian Split Squat?
A Bulgarian split squat, also called the rear-foot elevated split squat, is a type of single-leg squat in which you elevate your back leg on a bench and squat up and down on the other leg. Typically, you’ll be holding dumbbells. It’s a terrific leg strength training movement that’s a perfect addition to a lower-body or total-body workout routine.
There are numerous variations to the Bulgarian split squat, but no matter the variation, for it to work effectively, proper setup and focusing on your form are non-negotiable. It requires balance and coordination with core and upper body engagement to maintain proper form.
What Muscles Does the Bulgarian Split Squat Work?
Bulgarian split squats are a compound lower-body exercise that engages multiple leg muscles simultaneously. However, as a unilateral squat, they focus more on the quadriceps than similar lower-body compound movements.
They are also one of the best glute exercises. They are especially effective at targeting those glutes when you lean your torso forward slightly, use a wider stance, and keep your knee aligned with your foot.
Bulgarian split squats target the hamstrings due to the increased range of motion and unilateral nature compared to traditional squats. As you descend into the squat position, your hamstrings contract to help stabilize your knee and hip joints.
Other engaged muscles include the back of the thighs, calves, and core muscles, which are activated throughout the movement to help maintain balance. A study in the International Journal of Exercise Science concluded that the Bulgarian split squat offers more muscle recruitment than bilateral back squats do while using half the load, which is good news if you only have dumbbells or can’t do bilateral back squats due to lower back pain.
How to Do a Bulgarian Split Squat
Bulgarian split squats seem complicated, but they’re not. Just read the instructions carefully and focus on your form.
Setup
Proper setup is key, as most people who experience issues with this exercise do so due to improper setup.
Set up your bench or box to level with the middle of your knee when standing. Then, stand a few feet in front of it, facing away from the bench or box. Bulgarian split squats are a fantastic exercise to perform with the Speediance Gym Monster 2, using cables in place of dumbbells for resistance.
Next, proper foot and dumbbell placement is essential.
Foot Placement
Focus carefully on foot placement. Place one foot behind you up on the bench. People too often put just their toes on the bench, making maintaining their balance challenging. Be sure to put more of your foot on the bench, with your laces down and touching the bench. You can also try turning your foot slightly to the side, which provides a larger contact area for improved balance and mobility.
Your other foot should be in front of you, flat on the floor, toes facing forward. Placing it just a little to the outside rather than inline with your rear foot will widen your support base and give you more stability.
Dumbbell Placement
Next, place your dumbbells on either side of your front foot near the heel.
Picking Up The Weights
Now that you’re in position, drop down, pick up the dumbbells, and carefully stand up, keeping your arms and torso straight to focus on your quadriceps.
Squat
Next, lower yourself into a squat, keeping your torso straight and your eyes forward, and lower the dumbbells to the floor. At the bottom of your split squat, the knee of your back leg should be resting just behind your hips.
Do not pause here; just make contact with the dumbbells on the floor, without resting them on the floor.
Repeat
Once the dumbbells touch the floor, immediately engage those muscles and push yourself back to the starting position.
The Benefits of Bulgarian Split Squats
The Bulgarian split squat targets all major muscle groups, including the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core muscles, but emphasizes the quads and core.
Single-leg squats engage the core, challenge balance, and increase strength. The unilateral movement also allows you to target one side of the body independently of the other, allowing you to target any muscle imbalances you may have.
Improving imbalances makes it easier to maintain proper alignment and avoid injuries when performing other exercises and engaging in daily activities such as bending or lifting. It also makes you less likely to fall if you get knocked off balance, especially as you age.
Gradual Progression Techniques & Variations
If you’re new to this technique, try it without weights first. Focus on your form, proper positioning, and balance. When you master that, add weights progressively. If you feel any knee pain, try adjusting your positioning or backing off the weights.
Once you have mastered it with light weights, try some of the following variations to safely increase the difficulty.
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Add pauses: Incorporate a pause at the bottom of the standard Bulgarian split squat, when your thigh is parallel to the ground. This increases the time the muscles are under tension, safely increasing muscle hypertrophy.
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Try one and a half reps: after completing a full rep, lower yourself only halfway down before returning to the starting position. Then, do a full rep, and continue alternating between full and half reps.
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Explosive reps: This involves descending into a squat in the same controlled manner, but then using a burst of speed to rapidly and forcefully propel yourself back up to the starting position.
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Adding weights: Once you have mastered your form, gradually increase the weight of your dumbbells. You can add a loaded or unloaded barbell across your shoulder for a greater challenge.
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Add resistance: Use a resistance band under your foot. Bend your arms to bring the resistance band in line with your shoulders as you perform the movement.
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Exercise ball variation: Elevate your leg onto an exercise ball instead of a bench or chair for added balance and core muscle challenge. Be sure to move slowly to ensure you keep proper form, maintain balance, and avoid the risk of injury.
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Torso angle for the posterior chain: Staying upright engages your quads (anterior chain). However, you can easily target your posterior chain and glutes more by angling your torso forward, like you’re a sprinter getting ready to start your run.
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Single-arm variation: Instead of holding one dumbbell in each hand, hold a single dumbbell in the hand opposite to your front leg. This variation will challenge your core stability and balance.
Comparing Bulgarian Split Squats and Other Leg Exercises
The primary difference between the Bulgarian split squat and a traditional split squat is the elevation of the rear foot. This means the front leg bears most of the weight and will become stronger, which is excellent for enhancing performance and recovering from injuries.
This unilateral movement enables you to target each leg separately, helping to address muscle imbalances. It also improves your balance more than a standard split squat, which will help enhance your other workouts and daily life. However, for people with balance issues, the Bulgarian version is undoubtedly more challenging. In that case, skip the weights and focus on improving your balance first.
Bulgarian split squats are also similar to reverse lunges in terms of the muscle groups they target, although the reverse lunge places more emphasis on the adductors and abductors. Bulgarian split squats place greater loads on the front leg, increasing muscle gains, especially in the quadriceps and glutes, while enhancing balance. However, they can be more challenging than reverse lunges for people with balance issues.
Common Bulgarian Split Squat Mistakes To Avoid
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Avoid rising onto your toes. This is the most common mistake people make. Place your foot flat, laces down, on the bench, or even slightly to one side to increase the contact surface and provide better balance, reducing the risk of injury.
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Keep your front foot flat. If you find yourself rising onto the ball of your front foot when you squat, make sure you’re not too close to the bench or leaning too far forward, which could cause knee pain.
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Don’t lean too far forward. When incorporating a lean to target the glutes, be sure not to extend too far forward. Your body shouldn’t be nearly horizontal as you squat; this would place extra strain on your knees and lower back.
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Avoid rounding your back. Focus on proper form to avoid injuries.
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Do not push yourself forward or backward. Ensure you drive your body up and down vertically, no matter the positioning of your torso.
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Don’t forget to engage your core thoroughly throughout each repetition.
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Avoid pushing through your back leg. The back leg is there for balance only; it shouldn't be supporting more than just a bit of your weight. Push from the grounded foot only to avoid straining the knee of your rear leg.
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Don’t let your front knee wander. Some flexion is okay, but excessive movements in or out put heavy pressure on that knee joint, which could lead to injury.
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Avoid placing the back leg directly behind the front leg. Shift that front leg slightly outwards to increase your base area for better balance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does the Bulgarian Split Squat Target the Most?
Split squats train quads, recruit glutes, and stabilize the core. By altering the angle, leaning your torso slightly forward, you can shift the focus from your quads to your glutes and posterior chain instead.
Bulgarian Split Squats Build Strength, Balance, and Control
The Bulgarian split squat is more than just a leg exercise. It’s a full lower-body and core challenge that builds strength, balance, and muscular symmetry. You can make the most of this powerful unilateral movement by mastering proper setup and form, adjusting your torso angle, and avoiding common mistakes. Whether you’re training with bodyweight or dumbbells, Bulgarian split squats fit seamlessly into any fitness routine. If you’re ready to train smarter, explore smart equipment like the Speediance Gym Monster 2 or the Speediance Gym Pal to take your leg days to the next level.
