Bulgarian Split Squat

Brutal unilateral quad and glute work with little axial load: it delivers a lot with light dumbbells. It causes plenty of soreness; introduce it gradually.

• Compound
• Dumbbell
• Intermediate

How to do it

• Top of your rear foot on a bench, long stance
• Torso leaning slightly forward for more glutes, upright for more quads
• Drop straight down until your front thigh is parallel
• The front leg does the work; the back one only balances

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 8–12 per leg · 1–2 RIR

Tempo: Lower for 2–3 s, control your front knee; drive up through your heel

Common mistakes

• Placing your front foot too close to the bench
• Pushing with your back leg instead of your front one
• Losing the vertical path of your hips

Muscles worked

Primary

• Quads

Secondary

• Glutes

Alternatives

• Alternating Dumbbell Forward Lunge
• Step-Up