Bulgarian split squat setup
Stand 2-3 feet in front of a bench. Place the rear foot on the bench, top of the foot down, just the laces touching. The front foot is positioned so that at the bottom of the squat, the front shin is roughly vertical and the front knee tracks over the front foot.
Hold dumbbells at the sides, or place a barbell across the back like a regular squat.
The squat
Lower the back knee toward the floor. The front knee bends, the hip on the working side flexes deeply, and the body sinks straight down. Stop just short of touching the floor with the back knee.
Drive through the front foot to stand back up. Most of the work should be felt in the front leg.
Common faults
Too short a stance: front knee travels too far forward, loading the knee instead of the hip. Fix: step the front foot further forward until the shin sits vertical at the bottom.
Pitching forward: torso leans far forward to compensate for weak glutes. Fix: keep torso upright, drive through the heel of the front foot, focus on hip extension at the top.
Asymmetric loading: one side feels much weaker, lifter compensates by shifting weight. Fix: intentionally start every workout with the weak side and match its rep count on the strong side.
Programming
The Bulgarian split squat is one of the most underused exercises in coaching programs. It exposes side-to-side imbalance, builds unilateral strength that transfers to bilateral lifts, and produces strong hypertrophy with moderate loads.
For unilateral hypertrophy: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per side at RPE 7-9.
For asymmetry correction: train the weak side first to fatigue, then match volume on strong side. Add 1-2 extra sets on the weak side per workout for 6-8 weeks.
When to swap
Lifters with knee pain in the deep position can swap to reverse lunge or front-foot-elevated split squat. Both reduce the deep knee flexion demand while maintaining the unilateral pattern.
Lifters with poor hip flexor mobility on the rear leg should swap to walking lunges until mobility improves.