The Split Squat: Build Strength and Improve Form Guide and Video
Some exercises help to develop muscle mass. Others improve your balance or coordination. And some can increase your stamina, get your blood pumping and your heart rate up.
But what if there was a movement that did all that? Turns out there is: the squat exercise.
Split squats are like a secret weapon in your training arsenal. They are effective in working several muscle groups, quick to master and simple enough to practice in the gym or at home.
Are you ready to learn how to do them right? Read on.
What is a Split Squat?
Split squats are a unilateral (one-sided) exercise designed to build lower body strength and promote balance. The split squat achieves these goals by targeting the following muscles:
- Quads
- hamstrings
- Calves
- Gluteus
- Abs (core)
Benefits of split squats
In addition to building lower body and core strength, split squats are great for:
- Improving balance – Adding split squats to your exercise routine can increase your sense of balance. That’s because the exercise targets your adductors, the muscles in the middle of your thigh that stabilize your pelvis and keep you balanced as you walk.
- Correcting muscle imbalances – Because split squats work one leg at a time, it’s easier to recognize and address differences in strength between the right and left sides. If one leg seems weaker, you can isolate that side until both legs are equal.
- Improving athletic performance – For anyone involved in sports, split squats offer the ultimate cross-training opportunity. After all, many athletic movements—including running and jumping—are unilateral. By strengthening both legs, developing stability and increasing mobility, the split arm squat prepares you for any activity.
- Increasing stamina – Like many exercises, split squats get your heart rate up. Doing a few sets of these unilateral squats can improve your overall fitness, helping you tackle other exercises without feeling out of breath.
How to perform the split squat exercise
Since you don’t need special equipment for split squats, you can do them anywhere. Here’s how.
Step 1: Position your body
First, find a seat in the gym and stand with your feet hip-width apart, facing forward. Take a big step forward, rest your heel on the ground and straighten your front leg. Leave the back leg slightly bent.
From there, stand up straight, with your arms by your side and your chest facing forward.
Step 2: Drop to the ground
When you feel steady, begin to bend both legs until the back knee almost touches the ground.
At the lowest point, the front shin should be straight up and down with the knee aligned above. Your back knee, meanwhile, will rest just behind your hip; you should feel a stretch in your hip flexor.
Step 3: Stand up
To complete your first rep, press up off the ground, driving your front heel into the floor. As you return to the starting point, straighten the front leg while maintaining a slight bend in the back leg.
Step 4: Switch sides
After completing a set of split squats on one side—we suggest 10-20 reps per set—work on the other side. Pull the back leg forward, send the front leg back and repeat the exercise on the opposite side.
Tips and Tricks for Split Squats
Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, these guidelines from our fitness experts should help you stay safe and train at a high level when doing split squats:
- Use a stable surface for balance – Split squats are just as important for balance as they are for strength, so performing the exercise with control can be a challenge for beginners. If you need help staying upright, you can grab onto a chair, counter, or other sturdy surface for support. As your strength and coordination improve, you’ll be able to complete your split squats without assistance.
- Stand as straight as possible – You may feel a natural tendency to lean forward as you land, but try to fight it. By keeping your back straight, you can enjoy all the benefits of every split squat and reduce the risk of spinal injuries.
- Keep your back knee up – For best results, do not let your back knee touch the ground. Keeping your knees up ensures there are no “rest periods” during your set, allowing you to get the most out of your workout. However, if you need to rest your knee on the ground between reps, you may find it more comfortable to place a small pillow or towel on the floor.
Split squat variations to try
For a bigger challenge, experiment with these split squat variations.
Split squats with weights
Split barbell squats increase the weight of the standard version by adding weights to the combination.
To perform this variation, follow the steps above, but hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. Make sure your arms are straight as you raise and lower your body.
As always, we recommend starting with lighter weights before switching to heavier equipment.
Bulgarian Split Squats
To increase the weight even more, try the two-part Bulgarian squat. In this exercise, you’ll perform rear-foot squats on an elevated surface, such as a weight bench or yoga block. Simply rest the top of your rear foot on a firm surface and complete the squat as usual.
If the standard Bulgarian split squat is still not enough for you, you can also do it with weights.
It’s time for Split Squats and more
There may not be a perfect exercise, but split squats are pretty close. By incorporating the split squat into your exercise routine, you can increase your stability, endurance and lower body strength at the same time.
Now, all you need is a friendly, organized place to practice. Chuze Fitness provides. With convenient locations nationwide, we’ve got everything you need to perform any variation of the split squat—plus any other exercise you can think of.
Explore our membership options to get started, then find the Chuze Fitness facility that’s right for you.
Sources:
National Center for Biotechnology Information. Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower extremity: adductor femoris major muscle. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534842/
Fits very well. How to do the Bulgarian Split Squat: proper form, variations and common mistakes. https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-a-bulgarian-split-squat-4589307
Reviewed by:
Ani is the Vice President of Fitness at Chuze Fitness and oversees the Group Fitness and Team Training departments. She has had a 25+ year career in club management, personal training, group exercise and instructor training. Ani lives with her husband and son in San Diego, CA and loves hot yoga, snowboarding, and all things wellness.
