Bulgarian Split Squat

Introduction

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful lower-body exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and stabilizing muscles. This unilateral movement involves performing a squat with one leg elevated behind you on a bench or platform, making it an excellent choice for improving balance, strength, and muscle symmetry.

A fantastic exercise to incorporate into a total-body or lower-body strength training program is the Bulgarian split squat. Given the movement’s complex, balance-focused character, it’s a smart idea to incorporate it at the start of a session, maybe following a strong warmup that includes exercises like barbell snatches, Romanian deadlifts, or regular squats. Continue reading to learn how to do a very powerful workout if you’re prepared to strengthen your quadriceps and glutes.

Bulgarian Split Squat Muscles Worked

Bulgarian split squats are a compound lower-body exercise that strengthens many leg muscles simultaneously. The quadriceps (front of the thigh) are the main muscles worked during Bulgarian split squats. The glutes (buttocks) the hamstrings (back of the thighs) and the calf muscle (back of the lower legs) are other muscles.

The calf muscle, which is situated in the rear of the lower legs, is one of the other muscles, along with the glutes and hamstrings at the rear of the thighs.

Because your rear leg provides some balance support, this exercise is designed to focus on your front leg. The engagement and “burn” should be felt mostly in your front leg, especially in your front leg quadriceps.

To keep you balanced on one leg, Bulgarian split squats also incorporate a balancing difficulty. This maintains the engagement of the core muscles throughout the action, including the abdominal muscles and the spinal erectors, which run down the spine.

How to Do a Bulgarian Split?

When performing the Bulgarian split squat, it’s crucial to remember that finding the most comfortable foot placement takes some trial and error.

To determine the precise position that feels best, you may need to hop your front foot about a little bit after placing one foot on a seat behind you. Before beginning your actual set, it’s OK to do a few practice reps to ensure that you’re properly positioned.

1. The simplest Bulgarian split squat just requires a bench or a strong chair; a plyo box can also be used. For more resistance, you could wish to add dumbbells or kettlebells as you get more accustomed to the activity.
2. With your feet hip-distance apart, your shoulders back, your core active, your chest, and your eyes facing straight ahead, you should stand about two feet in front of a strong bench or chair.
3. Make sure your feet are still around the hip distance apart. It will be harder to balance if your raised foot is right behind your front.
   Keep in mind that the exercise’s involvement and movement are concentrated on the front leg; your rear foot serves only to keep you balanced.
4. As you progress through the exercise’s downward phase without using your rear leg to bear the weight, engage your core by keeping your chest up and your eyes straight ahead. Bend your left knee to enable your right knee and ankle to bend naturally.
5. As you drop, maintain an equal weight distribution over your left foot. Make sure your left knee stays in line with your left toes by bending slightly forward at the hips so it doesn’t bow outward or cave in. As the exercise comes to an end, you can notice that your left knee begins to gently protrude over your left toes. Depending solely on your degree of comfort and ankle flexibility, this isn’t always right or incorrect.
6. During this descending phase, take a breath and lower yourself until your left quadriceps are about parallel to the floor.
7. Use your left quad and glute to drive the exercise’s upward phase after pushing through your left foot to stand again.
8. When you complete one set, take your right foot off the chair. Make sure you maintain parity by doing the same sets and repetitions on either side.

To obtain a safe, balanced position, you might need to hop or wriggle your front foot about. Because it might take some time to establish the ideal foot placement based on your comfort and choice, you might need to repeat this a few times after completing a repetition.

Bulgarian Split Squat Exercise Video

Benefits of Bulgarian Split Squats

A great technique to advance your lower-body training is the Bulgarian split squat. The quadriceps and core are given more attention because of the exercise’s single-leg, balancing challenge, but it still stimulates the same muscle groups as squats and lunges: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, abdominals, and erectors spinae.

Side-to-side muscular imbalances may be improved if you can work your body unilaterally, which means that you work on one side of your body separately from the other.

Reducing these imbalances can make it simpler for you to maintain good alignment and prevent injuries over time since one side won’t “take over” when you bend, lift, or move about.

By strengthening your core and increasing your agility, these workouts may help reduce your risk of falling if you lose your balance. By keeping your balance as you age, you may be able to prevent life-altering injuries like hip or wrist fractures and have fewer falls.
Reducing these imbalances can make it simpler for you to maintain good alignment and prevent injuries over time since one side won’t “take over” when you bend, lift, or move about.

Bulgarian Split Squat Variations

1. Here are some ways to perform a split squat without a bench or to make it more difficult by using an exercise ball, weight, or resistance band

2. Although the terms “split squat” and “Bulgarian split squat” are sometimes used synonymously, they refer to two distinct forms of exercise. A Bulgarian split squat is one in which the back leg is raised on a bench or other stable chair, whereas a split squat is one in which the back leg is not raised.

Keep in mind that this is not the same as a lunge, which also uses the rear leg.

1. Use your rear foot on the floor and repeat the movement as before.
2. The front leg should sustain the whole movement, but use your rear leg to aid with balance.

Bulgarian Split Squat with Resistance Bands

After you’ve perfected the form, add weights to make it more difficult.

To make it hard, hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands.

Before doing the Bulgarian split squat, lay a loaded or unloaded barbell across your shoulders for an even more difficult version.

Bulgarian Split Squat with Resistance Bands

Using a resistance band is an additional variant that presents a difficulty. As you rise out of the squat, the band provides more resistance.

The resistance band should be placed beneath your front foot.
When performing the Bulgarian split squats, bend your arms so that the resistance band is parallel to your shoulders.

Bulgarian Split Squat with an Exercise Ball

You may use an exercise ball to give your core muscles an additional challenge.

Instead of using a bench or chair, raise your rear leg onto an exercise ball.
Even though your core has to work harder to keep you balanced during the exercise, move slowly to preserve good Bulgarian split squat technique.

Common Bulgarian Split Squat Mistakes

When doing Bulgarian split squats, there are a few frequent faults people make.

Here are to be aware of:

Directly Behind the Front with the Back Leg
You will struggle to maintain your balance during the exercise if your rear foot is positioned immediately behind your front foot. This is already a unilateral balancing challenge as the action is powered by your front leg, requiring you to keep your balance while doing a squat that is mostly supported by your front foot.

You’ll find it difficult to learn good form if you put your rear foot immediately behind your front foot, which lowers your base of support.

Make sure your rear foot is around hip distance from your front foot, or even a little broader, as you put it on the seat behind you. This broader “kickstand” for support can help you do the Bulgarian split squat efficiently, even if you’re not using your rear foot or leg to push the exercise.

Leaning Too Far Forward From the Hips

During the Bulgarian split squat’s downward phase, it’s easy to become distracted from your core, especially your abdominals and spinal erectors. This forward lean not only reduces the exercise’s core benefits, but also increases the likelihood that you may transfer your weight too far front and put undue strain on your front knee. (A little slant is OK.)

Furthermore, a forward lean during the squat is likely to cause damage if you advance to a Bulgarian split squat with a barbell balanced across your shoulders. Before starting the exercise’s downward phase, roll your shoulders back and re-engage your core muscles. For each repeat, try to maintain the same alignment and posture.

Rising Onto the Toes

Rising onto the ball and toes of your front foot as you squat down is a terrible habit that can occasionally happen when your alignment and form are generally subpar. One of two things is often indicated by this: You should either move your front foot forward to improve alignment and balance since it is too near to the bench, or you should raise your toes to support the forward shift in your weight while doing the squat because you are leaning forward at your hips.

Stop the exercise and start over if you ever feel yourself rising onto the ball or the toes of your front foot. Make sure your body remains tall and erect throughout the exercise, and check the position of your front foot—you might need to move it forward.

Supporting the Movement With the Back Leg

Recall that a type of single-leg squat is the Bulgarian split squat. Even though the rear leg is meant to aid with balance, the exercise is more of a lunge because it is not meant to be used. You should be able to “shake” your rear leg at any stage of the exercise to make sure it’s still flexible and not bearing your weight.

Allowing the Front Knee to Lose Alignment

Allowing the front knee to go inside or outward and lose alignment with the same-side toes is a common and serious error made when doing the Bulgarian split squat, as is the case with other squat and lunge variations. Particularly in single-leg exercises where one leg supports both the weight and the resistance, this puts much too much strain on the knee.

Pay close attention to your front knee and make sure it stays in line with your toes, particularly when you move from the exercise’s downward to upward phases.

Safety and Precautions

The finest methods to guarantee the Bulgarian split squat stays safe are, without a doubt, proper setup and efficient core engagement. To avoid being tempted to throw your center of gravity in front of your front knee and lean forward from the hips, take your time finding the proper foot alignment and placement. This puts an excessive amount of strain on the knee and may cause harm.

In general, anyone who has been doing strength training for some time and has a respectable degree of balance, coordination, and lower-body strength may safely perform this exercise.

You’re probably not ready to try the Bulgarian split squat just yet if you’re new to strength training or if you have trouble staying balanced when doing standard lunges. The flexibility and mobility needed to execute this action properly may also be uncomfortable for you if you have knee or ankle discomfort or injury.

Try the split squat version with your back foot balanced on the floor and stop the exercise if you experience any pain or discomfort.