Split Squat Exercise: Guide and Video to Build Strength and Improve Form
Some exercises help you develop muscle mass. Others improve your balance or coordination. And some can increase your stamina, getting your blood pumping and your heart racing.
But what if there was one movement that did it all? Turns out there is: the split squat exercise.
Split squats are like a secret weapon in your training arsenal. They are efficient at working multiple muscle groups, quick to master, and simple enough to perform at the gym or at home.
Ready to learn how to do them correctly? Keep reading.
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 accomplishes these goals by working the following muscles:
- quadruples
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Glutes
- Abs (core)
The 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. This is because the exercise targets the adductors, the mid-thigh muscles that stabilize the pelvis and keep you balanced while you walk.
- Correct muscle imbalances – Since split squats require you to work one leg at a time, it is easier to identify and address strength differences between the right and left sides. If one leg feels weaker, you can isolate that side until both legs are equal.
- Improve sports performance – For anyone who plays sports, split squats offer the best 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 squat exercise prepares you for any activity.
- Increased resistance – Like many exercises, split squats get your heart pumping. Doing several sets of these unilateral squats can improve your overall fitness, helping you tackle other workouts without getting out of breath.
How to do the split squat exercise
Since you don’t need specialized equipment to do split squats, you can perform them anywhere. This is how.
Step 1: position your body
First, find a space in the gym and stand with your feet hip-width apart, facing forward. Take a big step forward, planting your heel on the ground and straightening your front leg. Leave your back leg slightly bent.
From there, stand up tall, with your arms at your sides and your chest facing forward.
Step 2: Get down to the ground
When you feel stable, begin to bend both legs until your back knee almost reaches the ground.
At its lowest point, your front shin should be straight up and down with your knee aligned upward. Meanwhile, your back knee will rest just behind your hip; You should feel a stretch in your hip flexor.
Step 3: Get up
To complete your first rep, press up from the floor, digging your front heel into the floor. When you return to your starting point, straighten your front leg while maintaining a slight bend in your back leg.
Step 4: Switch Sides
After finishing a set of split squats on one side (we suggest 10 to 20 reps per set), work on the other side. Bring your back leg forward, send your 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, this guide 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 as much about balance as they are about strength, so executing the exercise with control can be a challenge for beginners. If you need help staying upright, you can lean on a chair, counter, or other solid surface. As your strength and coordination improve, you will be able to complete your split squats without assistance.
- Stand as straight as possible – You may feel a natural inclination to lean forward as you lower yourself to the ground, but do your best to fight it. By keeping your back straight, you’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits of each 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 knee raised ensures that there is no “rest period” during the set, allowing you to get the most out of your workout. However, if you need to rest your knee on the floor between repetitions, you may find it more comfortable to place a small pad or towel on the floor.
Split Squat Variations to Try
For more of a challenge, experiment with these split squat exercise variations.
Weighted Split Squats
Weighted split squats increase the difficulty of the standard version by adding weights to the mix.
To perform this variation, follow the steps above, but hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. Be sure to keep your arms straight as you raise and lower your body.
As always, we recommend starting with lighter weights. before moving on to heavier equipment.
Bulgarian Split Squats
To increase the difficulty even more, try the Bulgarian split squat. In this exercise, you will squat with your back foot on an elevated surface, such as a weight bench or yoga block. Simply rest the top of your back foot on a sturdy surface and complete a set of squats as usual.
If the standard Bulgarian split squat still isn’t enough for you, you can also do it with weights.
It’s time to do split squats and more
There may be no perfect exercise, but split squats come pretty close. By incorporating the split squat exercise into your workout routine, you can simultaneously increase your stability, endurance, and lower body strength.
Now, all you need is a nice, organized place to exercise. Chuze Fitness delivers. With convenient locations nationwide, we have everything you need to perform any split squat variation, plus any other exercise you can think of.
To get started, explore our membership options and then find the Chuze Fitness center that works for you.
Sources:
National Center for Biotechnology Information. Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower limb: adductor magnus muscle of the thigh. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534842/
Very good fit. How to Do a 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. He has had over 25 years of 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.
