Split Squat: Build Strength and Improve Form, Guide and Video
Some exercises help you develop muscle mass. Others improve your balance or coordination. Some can increase your endurance, getting your blood pumping and your heart racing.
But what if there was a movement that did all that? As it turns out, there is: the split squat.
Split squats are a secret weapon in your training arsenal. They’re effective for training multiple muscle groups, quick to master, and simple enough to do in the gym or at home.
Ready to learn how to do them right? Read on.
What is a split squat?
The split squat is a unilateral (unilateral) exercise designed to build lower body strength and promote balance. The split squat achieves these goals by targeting the following muscles:
- The quads
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Ass
- absolute value (core)
Benefits of split squat exercise
Besides building strength in the lower body and core, split squats are excellent for:
- Improve balance – Adding split squats to your exercise routine can increase your sense of balance. This is because the exercise targets your adductor muscles, which are the muscles in the middle of your thigh that stabilize your pelvis and keep you balanced while walking.
- Correction of muscle imbalances – Since the split squat requires you to work one leg at a time, it is easier to identify and address strength differences between the right and left sides. If you feel that one of your legs is weaker, you can isolate that side until both legs are equal.
- Enhancing athletic performance – For anyone who exercises, the split squat provides 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 squat prepares you for any activity.
- Increase endurance – Like many exercises, split squats get blood pumping to your heart. Performing several sets of unilateral squats can improve your overall fitness, helping you perform other exercises without feeling out of breath.
How to do a split squat
Since you don’t need specialized equipment to do split squats, you can do them anywhere. Here’s 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, plant your heel on the floor and straighten your front leg. Leave the back leg slightly bent.
From there, stand tall, with your arms by your side and your chest facing forward.
Step 2: Get down to the ground
When you feel stable, begin to bend your legs until your back knee is almost at the floor.
At your lowest point, your front leg should be straight up and down with your knee lined up. Meanwhile, your back knee will rest directly behind your hip; You should feel a stretch in your hip muscles.
Step 3: Get up
To complete your first rep, press up from the floor, driving your front heel into the floor. When you return to the starting position, straighten your front leg while maintaining a slight bend in the back leg.
Step 4: Switch sides
After you’ve completed a set of split squats on one side — we suggest doing 10-20 reps per set — work on the other side. Lift your back leg forward, send your front leg back, and repeat the exercise on the other side.
Tips and tricks for split squats
Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, these tips from our fitness experts should help you stay safe and train at a high level when performing split squats:
- Use a stable surface for balance – The split squat is as much about balance as it is about strength, so executing the exercise with control can be difficult for beginners. If you need help staying upright, you can hold on to a chair, table, or other solid surface for support. As your strength and coordination improve, you’ll be able to complete a split squat without assistance.
- Stand as straight as possible You may feel a natural tendency to lean forward as you lower yourself to the ground, but do your best to resist it. By maintaining a straight back, you can enjoy the full benefits of each squat and Reducing the risk of spinal injuries.
- Keep the back knee lifted -For best results, do not let your back knee touch the ground. Keeping the knee up ensures that there is no “rest period” during your set, allowing you to get the most out of the exercise. However, if you need to rest your knee on the floor between reps, you may find it more comfortable to place a small pillow or towel on the floor.
Split squat variations to try
For more of a challenge, try these variations of the split squat.
Weighted split squat
Weighted split increases 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. Make sure to keep your arms straight while raising and lowering your body.
As always, we recommend starting with lighter weights Before moving on to heavy equipment.
Bulgarian squat
To increase the difficulty even further, try the Bulgarian squat. In this exercise, you will squat with your back foot on an elevated surface, such as a weight bench or yoga board. Simply place the top of your back foot on a sturdy surface and complete your squat set as normal.
If the standard Bulgarian 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 the split squat is pretty close. By incorporating split squats into your exercise routine, you can simultaneously increase your stability, endurance, and lower body strength.
Now, all you need is a friendly and organized place to work out. Chuze Fitness delivers. With convenient locations across the country, we have everything you need to perform any variation of the split squat, as well as any other exercise you can think of.
To get started, explore our membership options, then find the Chuze Fitness facility that’s right for you.
sources:
National Center for Biotechnology Information. Anatomy, pelvis and lower extremity: adductor muscle of the thigh. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534842/
Very convenient. How to do Bulgarian squats: correct form, variations and common mistakes. https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-a-bulgarian-split-squat-4589307
Reviewed by:
Annie is the Vice President of Fitness at Chuze Fitness and oversees the group fitness and team training departments. She has had over 25 years working in club management, personal training, group exercise and coach training. Annie lives with her husband and son in San Diego, California, and loves hot yoga, snowboarding, and all things wellness.