Bulgarian Split Squat

Squat · reps · unilateral The split squat with the back foot raised — more load on the front leg, less help from the back.

The movement

A split squat with the back foot resting on a bench or chair behind you. Raising the back foot shifts more weight onto the front leg (~75%, up from ~two-thirds) and leaves the back foot less to push against — so the front leg works harder while you still keep front-to-back balance.

Set-up — and what each part is for

  • Behind you a stable bench/chair ~40–50 cm high.
  • Front foot flat, ~60–80 cm in front of the surface, heel anchored — the driving leg.
  • Back foot on the surface (ball of the foot, or top of the foot if more comfortable) — balance only, much lighter than in the split squat. → feel almost all the weight in the front leg.
  • Torso vertical, gaze forward; hands free or forward.

The rep — rehearse it before you do it

  • Descend in 1–2 s, front knee bending, torso straight down. → feel the front quadriceps (front-thigh muscle) and glute (buttock muscle) carry the load; the back leg only steadies.
  • Bottom: front thigh ~parallel or just below; front shin near-vertical; back knee dropping toward the floor without touching.
  • Drive up through the front heel to standing.
  • Switch sides after all reps on one side.

Breathing

Inhale on the descent, exhale on the drive up.

Watch for

  • Surface too high (above ~50 cm) → overstretches the front of the back hip and over-demands; bench/chair height is the convention.
  • Torso leaning forward → shifts load off the front leg; stay vertical.
  • Front knee past the toes → step the front foot farther forward.
  • Back foot drifting → set the surface against a wall, or use a heavier bench.

Within the level

  • Harder: slower descent; pause at the bottom; arms crossed (less counterbalance) — toward the single-leg box squat.
  • Easier: lower the back surface toward floor height (back to the split squat); fingertip on a wall.

Dose

Test a clean max per side, then practice at half of the weaker side rounded down, capped at 5 reps per set, same count both sides, weaker side first, spread through the day.