Lunge
Bulgarian split squat
A single-leg squat with the rear foot elevated. Evens out side-to-side differences and loads the leg hard with very little external weight.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells, Bodyweight
- Level
- Intermediate
- Primary muscles
- Quadriceps, Gluteus maximus
- Secondary muscles
- Adductors, Hip stabilisers
- Working range
- 6–12 reps · RIR 2
Step by step
- 1Stand with your back to a bench and place the top of your rear foot on it.
- 2Step the front foot far enough forward that at the bottom your knee is over your heel, not past your toes.
- 3Hold dumbbells at your sides or start with bodyweight only.
- 4Descend by driving the rear knee towards the floor.
- 5Go until the front thigh is parallel to the floor.
- 6Push back up through the front foot, mostly the heel.
What makes the biggest difference
- A slight forward torso lean hits the glute harder; upright hits the quad.
- Start with bodyweight. This is harder than it looks.
Common mistakes
Front foot too close to the bench
The knee travels far past the toes and overloads the kneecap. Take half a step forward.
Losing balance at the bottom
Widen your stance laterally — do not stand as if on a tightrope. You can also hold a rack with one hand.
Shifting weight onto the rear leg
The rear leg only supports you. If you are pushing hard through it, this is a lunge, not a split squat.
What to do instead
Pain at the front of the knee
Step-up
Less knee flexion while keeping the single-leg demand.
Contraindications
- Knee instability after a ligament injury — check with a physiotherapist.
- Acute patellar tendinopathy — avoid deep loaded flexion.
This is not medical advice. If any of these apply to you, or the exercise causes pain, talk to a doctor or physiotherapist before returning to training.
Similar exercises
Log your sets and watch the progression
You enter weight, reps and RIR — the app computes your estimated 1RM, plots the strength curve and suggests the next session’s load along with the reasoning.
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