Bulgarian Split Squat

intermediate · lunge

Setup

Stand facing away from a sturdy, knee-high chair with no wheels, about two and a half foot-lengths in front of it. Rest the top of your back foot on the chair, or the ball of that foot if the instep feels uncomfortable.

Execution

Adjust the front foot until you can lower with the front shin close to vertical.
Brace your belly, stand tall and let a dumbbell hang in each hand.
Inhale and lower straight down until your front thigh is close to parallel with the floor.
Exhale, drive through the whole front foot and press up, with the back leg only balancing.
Finish the reps, then switch sides and keep the count equal on each side.
If the groin of the back leg hurts, move to a flat split squat or a low step-up instead.

Breathing

Inhale as you lower, exhale as you press up. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia or you are pregnant, do not hold your breath: exhale on the way up, and if you have to hold your breath to stand back up, set the weights down and use your body weight.

Quick cues

Front shin close to vertical.
The back leg is a kickstand.
Drop straight down under your hips.
Knee-high chair is plenty.
Groin pain means switch exercises.

Common faults

Fault: Standing too close to the chair, which crowds the front knee and strains the back groin
Fix: Move the front foot half a foot further out and tape that position on the floor.
Fault: Using a chair that is too tall, which over-stretches the back hip
Fix: Switch to a knee-high box or lower, because extra height does not add useful difficulty.
Fault: The torso twisting and the hips going crooked on every rep
Fix: Put your hands on your hip bones for the first few reps to feel the twist before you pick the weights back up.
Fault: Bouncing out of the bottom for momentum
Fix: Come to a full stop for one beat at the bottom of every rep and drop weight until you can.

Equipment

chair, dumbbell, bodyweight

Muscle groups

legs, glutes