Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Stand approximately two feet in front of a knee-height bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with a neutral grip.

2. 2

   Reach one foot back and place the top of that foot (laces down) on the bench behind you.

3. 3

   Position your front foot far enough forward that your knee will track over your mid-foot at the bottom of the squat.

4. 4

   Descend by bending the front knee and sitting the hips back and down until your front thigh reaches parallel or slightly below, and the rear knee approaches the floor.

5. 5

   Drive through the full foot of the front leg — heel, mid-foot, and toes — to return to the standing position, focusing on glute activation.

6. 6

   Complete all reps on one side before switching legs, and maintain an upright torso throughout the movement.

Common Mistakes

• Standing too close to the bench, which forces the front knee excessively past the toes and overloads the patellar tendon.

• Leaning the torso forward excessively, shifting the emphasis away from the quads and toward the lower back.

• Allowing the front knee to cave inward (valgus collapse), which stresses the MCL and indicates weak hip abductors.

• Placing the rear foot too high or using an unstable surface for the back foot, compromising balance and reducing force output.

About This Exercise

The dumbbell Bulgarian split squat is a highly effective unilateral lower-body exercise that targets the glutes and quadriceps while challenging hip stability, balance, and ankle mobility. By elevating the rear foot on a bench, the exercise shifts the majority of the load onto the front leg, exposing and correcting side-to-side imbalances. The deep hip flexion on the working leg also provides an intense stretch on the hip flexors of the trailing leg, making this a dual-purpose strength and mobility movement.