Legs · A bench, chair or sofa
How to do
Bulgarian Split Squat
A split squat with the rear foot elevated, which loads the front leg heavily and exposes balance weaknesses. Widely disliked, which is usually a sign an exercise is working.
| Movement pattern | Legs |
| Measured in | reps |
| Equipment | A bench, chair or sofa |
| Effort weight in Alea | 1.3 per rep |
| Appears from | D18 exercise die upward |
How to do it
Setup
Stand a stride length in front of a bench or chair. Place the top of your rear foot on it, laces down. Your front foot should be far enough forward that the knee can bend to ninety degrees without travelling far past the toes.
The movement
Lower straight down by bending the front knee, keeping your torso upright and the weight in the front foot. Descend until the front thigh is roughly parallel to the floor. Drive back up through the front heel. Complete all reps on one side, then swap. Alea counts one rep per leg.
Common mistakes
- Standing too close to the bench, which forces the front knee forward and lights up the kneecap
- Pushing off the back foot, which turns it into a two-legged exercise
- Leaning the torso forward instead of staying upright
- Wobbling through every rep rather than fixing the setup
Too hard? Scale it down
Lower the rear surface: a low step instead of a bench, or simply a static split squat with the rear foot on the floor. Holding a wall or doorframe with one hand for balance is completely legitimate and lets you train the leg rather than the balance.
Too easy? Scale it up
Slow the descent, pause at the bottom, elevate the front foot slightly for more range, or hold weight.
Where this sits in the Alea pool
Alea draws exercises from an ordered pool of twenty, and the die size slices from the top of that list. Bulgarian Split Squat is number 18 of 20, so it enters the draw once your exercise die reaches D18. Below that, you will never roll it.
Its effort weight is 1.3 per rep, which the app uses when it builds 100-rep sessions and tailored workouts, so a session containing bulgarian split squat carries fewer total reps than one built from lighter movements.
Roll it now in your browser, or set your dice and let it come up on its own.
General information, not medical or fitness advice. Stop if you feel pain or dizziness, use the easier variation when in doubt, and see the full training disclaimer before starting.
Let the dice pick it for you
Alea draws bulgarian split squat at random alongside nineteen other bodyweight movements. Free, no account needed.
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Related
Bulgarian Split Squat FAQ
Why is this so much harder than a normal squat?
Almost all the load goes through one leg, and the elevated rear foot removes its ability to help. It also demands stability that a two-legged squat does not.
How far forward should my front foot be?
Far enough that at the bottom your shin is roughly vertical and your knee has not travelled far past your toes. If your knee hurts, step further forward.
Does it count per leg?
Yes. Alea counts one rep per leg, so a draw of ten means ten on each side, twenty in total. It is one of the more demanding draws in the pool for that reason.