Scan to open on your phonegymvim.app/exercises/dumbbell-bulgarian-split-squat
6s · no sound
How to do it
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand a long stride in front of a knee-high bench.
- Place the top of your back foot on the bench and set your front foot far enough forward to keep the knee stacked.
- Brace your core and stand tall, with shoulders pulled back and chest up.
- Lower yourself by bending the front knee until your back knee is just above the floor.
- Pause briefly at the bottom with the front thigh roughly parallel to the floor and the torso upright.
- Drive through the front-foot heel to stand back up to the starting position, then repeat for reps.
Common mistakes
- Setting the front foot too close to the bench so the knee tracks far past the toes and gets overloaded.
- Letting the front knee cave inward, which loads the joint and weakens the glute drive.
- Pushing off the back foot to stand instead of driving through the front-leg heel.
- Leaning too far forward so the lift becomes a hip hinge and pulls work out of the front quad.
Muscles worked
Good to know
- What muscles does the Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat work?
- Mainly the glutes and quads.
- What equipment do you need for the Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat?
- It uses dumbbells. Without it, the Pistol Squat (Assisted) and the Single-Leg Step-Down train the same muscles the same way.
- Is the Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat good for beginners?
- GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Band Squat.