Quads and glutesDumbbells and a benchIntermediate

How to Do a Bulgarian Split Squat

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

ยท Updated Sep 30, 2026

A Bulgarian split squat is a single-leg squat with your back foot on a bench behind you. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, sink until your back knee nearly touches the floor and stand up through your front foot. It mainly trains the front leg's quads and glutes. Most lifters do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per leg.

Sets x reps 3 x 8-12 per leg
Median 10-rep weight, per dumbbell 5022.5 lbkg men 3516 lbkg women
Muscles Quads, glutes, adductors
Setup Front foot one leg length from a knee-high bench
Bulgarian Split Squat start and bottom positions
  1. 1Start. A weight in each hand, the top of your back foot on the bench and your front foot about one leg length ahead.
  2. 2Bottom. Sink straight down until your back knee is just above the floor, then stand up through your whole front foot.
Watch 3 video demonstrations
Video 1 of 3

Find more video demonstrations in the Gravitus app

Technique

How to do a Bulgarian split squat

  1. Stand about one leg length in front of a knee-high bench with a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand.
  2. Reach one foot back and rest the top of it, laces down, on the bench. Keep your feet hip-width apart, not in a line.
  3. Brace your abs and sink straight down by bending your front knee and hip. Keep your weight on the front foot.
  4. Stop when your back knee is just above the floor. Your front knee can travel past your toes as long as your front heel stays down.
  5. Stand up by pushing through your whole front foot. Finish every rep on one leg, then switch.
Setup

Foot distance and lean: quads or glutes

Front foot closerMore quadsMore knee bend and knee travel. Keep your front heel down.
Front foot fartherMore glutesMore hip bend and less load on the knee.
Torso uprightThe defaultThe quads do most of the work. Good for knee-friendly quad volume.
Lean forwardMore glutes and hamstringsHinge at the hips with a flat back. Quad work stays the same.

Two things set the balance between quads and glutes: how far your front foot is from the bench and how far you lean. Moving the front foot from one leg length to 1.3 leg lengths from the bench raised the hip extension moment by 29% and cut the knee extension moment by 36% at the bottom of the rep (Arakawa 2025). In a floor split squat, longer steps also raised glute activity while the load on the knee fell (Song 2023). Leaning the torso forward 40 degrees raised glute activity from 16% to 21% of maximum and hamstring activity from 14% to 21%, with no change in the vastus muscles of the quads (Aygun-Polat 2025). Start one leg length out with a slight lean, then move from there.

Bench and depth

How high should the bench be?

Knee height or a little lower. A standard flat bench of 16 to 18 inches (40 to 45 cm) suits most lifters, and a lower box is fine. In a study of trained men, a box half as tall as the shin gave the same glute activity as a shin-height box, and lower-back activity was a little lower, though not significantly (Park 2023). If the front of your back hip pulls hard or your lower back arches at the bottom, go lower.

Go deep. Stop with your back knee just above the floor on every rep. Over 10 weeks, full squats grew the glutes 6.7% and half squats 2.2% (Kubo 2019). For more range, stand your front foot on a 2 to 4 inch (5 to 10 cm) plate or step, which is the deficit Bulgarian split squat.

Knees past toes

Your front knee will travel past your toes when your front foot is close, and that is fine if your heel stays down. In a squat study, stopping the knees at the toes cut knee torque by 22% but raised hip torque more than tenfold (Fry 2003).

Gravitus data

How much weight should you use for Bulgarian split squats?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 50 lb (22.5 kg) per dumbbell for 10 reps on the bulgarian split squat, and the median woman 35 lb (16 kg).

Men, typical 50 lb per dumbbell for 10 reps
Most lift
35 to 75 lb
Top 10% lift
110 lb or more
Starting out
under 35 lb
Women, typical 35 lb per dumbbell for 10 reps
Most lift
25 to 55 lb
Top 10% lift
75 lb or more
Starting out
under 25 lb
Men, typical 22.5 kg per dumbbell for 10 reps
Most lift
16 to 35 kg
Top 10% lift
50 kg or more
Starting out
under 16 kg
Women, typical 16 kg per dumbbell for 10 reps
Most lift
11 to 25 kg
Top 10% lift
35 kg or more
Starting out
under 11 kg
PercentileMenWomen
25th45 / 35 lb32.5 / 25 lb
Median65 / 50 lb50 / 35 lb
75th105 / 75 lb70 / 55 lb
90th145 / 110 lb100 / 75 lb
 One-rep max / 10-rep weight, per dumbbell, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 11,544 men and 5,569 women who log the bulgarian split squat on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
PercentileMenWomen
25th20 / 16 kg15 / 11 kg
Median30 / 22.5 kg22.5 / 16 kg
75th47.5 / 35 kg32.5 / 25 kg
90th67.5 / 50 kg47.5 / 35 kg
 One-rep max / 10-rep weight, per dumbbell, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 11,544 men and 5,569 women who log the bulgarian split squat on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Weights are one dumbbell or kettlebell, the way most lifters log them: a 50 lb entry means a 50 lb weight in each hand. Reps are per leg. A few lifters log a barbell or both dumbbells added together, which pushes the top of the range up.
Anatomy

Muscles worked

QuadricepsStraighten the front knee. Quad activity was well above glute and hamstring activity in every version tested (Aygun-Polat 2025).
Primary
GlutesExtend the front hip. They work harder with a longer stance, a forward lean and deeper reps.
Primary
AdductorsExtend the hip at the bottom of a deep rep.
Secondary
Glute mediusKeeps your pelvis level and your front knee over your toes.
Stabilizer
HamstringsSteady the knee and hip. Squats barely grow them (Kubo 2019).
Stabilizer
Back-leg hip flexorsStretch at the bottom on the back leg. They do not drive the rep.
Stabilizer
Calves and coreHold your ankle and trunk steady while you balance.
Stabilizer
Research

Bulgarian split squat advice that does not hold up

Many Bulgarian split squat guides, including an older version of this one, repeat cues the research does not support:

  • Keep your front knee behind your toes. Blocking the knee moves the load to your hips and lower back (Fry 2003). Let it travel as long as your heel stays down.
  • Drive through your heel to hit the glutes. Push through your whole front foot. Foot distance and lean decide how much your glutes work (Arakawa 2025, Aygun-Polat 2025).
  • A higher bench works the glutes harder. A box half as tall as the shin gave the same glute activity as a shin-height box (Park 2023).
  • It is a hamstring exercise. Hamstring activity stayed between 14% and 23% of maximum, even with a forward lean (Aygun-Polat 2025), and squats do not grow the hamstrings (Kubo 2019).
  • Stand upright or you will lose your quads. Leaning forward 40 degrees added glute and hamstring work without reducing vastus activity (Aygun-Polat 2025).
Compare

Bulgarian split squat vs back squat vs lunge

Bulgarian split squatBack squatWalking lunge
Load on the spineLowHighLow
Balance neededModerateLowHigh
One leg at a timeYes, the back foot only balancesFalseYes, legs alternate
Best forQuads and glutes with light weightsHeaviest loadsConditioning and control
Verdict

Close to a tie for strength. Over 5 weeks, rugby players who squatted only with the rear-foot-elevated split squat gained as much back squat strength as players who trained the back squat (Speirs 2016). Use the Bulgarian split squat when your back or your gym limits heavy barbell work, or pair them.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3Sets per leg
8-12Reps
1-2Reps left

Stop each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021). In trained men, 4 sets of 10 Bulgarian split squats three times a week grew the vastus lateralis 9.3% and raised the one-rep max 13% in 6 weeks (Wang 2026).

Start each set with your weaker leg and match its reps on the other side. Add reps first. When every set reaches 12, move up 5 lb (2.5 kg) per hand and go back to 8. When grip gives out first, use straps or hold one heavier dumbbell in the hand opposite your front leg.

Form

Common mistakes

Variations

Bulgarian split squat variations

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split SquatA dumbbell in each hand at your sides. The standard version and the easiest to load.
Deficit Bulgarian split squatFront foot on a 2 to 4 inch (5 to 10 cm) plate or step, so your back knee can sink lower. More range for the quads and glutes.
Smith Machine Bulgarian Split SquatThe bar path is fixed, so balance limits you less and you can load more.
Barbell Bulgarian Split SquatA bar on your upper back. Heavier, but harder to balance and to bail out of.
Split SquatBack foot on the floor. Easier to balance, a good first step before the bench.
FAQ

Questions people ask

How far to step out for Bulgarian split squat?

Start with your front toes about one leg length, hip to floor, from the bench. Step closer for more quads and farther for more glutes. A stance 1.3 leg lengths out raised the hip load 29% and cut the knee load 36% (Arakawa 2025).

How high should Bulgarian split squats be?

Put your back foot on something knee high or a little lower. A standard 16 to 18 inch (40 to 45 cm) bench works, and a box half as tall as your shin gave the same glute activity (Park 2023).

Do Bulgarian split squats work hamstrings?

Only a little. Hamstring activity stayed between 14% and 23% of maximum, and leaning forward raised it the most (Aygun-Polat 2025). For hamstring growth, add a Romanian deadlift or leg curl.

How often should I do Bulgarian split squats?

One to three times a week. Training studies ran them twice a week for strength (Speirs 2016) and three times a week for quad growth (Wang 2026). Count the sets toward your weekly leg volume.

Is the Bulgarian split squat better than the back squat?

Not better, but close for strength with less load on your spine. Five weeks of rear-foot-elevated split squats raised back squat strength as much as back squats did (Speirs 2016).

What is a good weight for Bulgarian split squats?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 50 lb (22.5 kg) per dumbbell for men and 35 lb (16 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 75 lb (35 kg) and 55 lb (25 kg) or more.

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References
  1. Arakawa et al. 2025. Int J Exerc Sci 18(7):881-894.
  2. Song et al. 2023. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 11:1277493.
  3. Aygun-Polat et al. 2025. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 17:251.
  4. Park and Kim 2023. Int J Hum Mov Sports Sci 11(1):118-123.
  5. Kubo et al. 2019. Eur J Appl Physiol 119(9):1933-1942.
  6. Fry et al. 2003. J Strength Cond Res 17(4):629-633.
  7. Speirs et al. 2016. J Strength Cond Res 30(2):386-392.
  8. Wang et al. 2026. Front Physiol 17:1786733.
  9. Schoenfeld et al. 2021. Sports 9(2):32.