Chuze Fitness Step-by-Step Form and Tips

If you’re looking for a great move to energize your leg days, the Bulgarian dumbbell split squat may be your ideal solution. Not only does this exercise build your lower body strength, but it also improves your coordination, control, and confidence.

If you’re wondering how to do a dumbbell Bulgarian split squat, this guide will offer tips on technique, common mistakes to avoid, and variations you can try if you’re up for a little extra challenge.

What is a Bulgarian dumbbell split squat?

The Bulgarian split squat is a single-leg strength exercise that keeps your back foot elevated on a bench (or other solid surface). You build strength by moving vertically up and down in a lunge, bending your front leg about 90° as you go down in the movement.

As the name suggests, Bulgarian barbell split squats are performed with dumbbells. However, if you’re new to this exercise, it can be just as effective (and challenging) without them. The real power of this move lies in the expanded range of motion you get by placing your back foot behind you. With or without additional weight, you build strength by isolating each leg.

What muscles does the Bulgarian split squat work?

The Bulgarian split squat is incredibly effective for a variety of gym goals, from improving hip mobility to improving overall lower body control. As a complete lower body exercise, the Bulgarian split squat activates your:

• Quadriceps – Of all the muscles activated, the muscles in the front of the thigh will probably be felt the most. This is because your front leg supports the majority of your weight throughout the movement.

• Glutes – Your glutes, particularly the gluteus maximus, drive upward movement and maintain stability in your hips.

• Hamstrings – Your hamstrings facilitate hip extension (in bent leg position) and descent to the ground.

• Calves – Calves are activated to help stabilize your ankle joints, especially in your front leg.

• Heart – Since this is a unilateral and inherently unstable movement, your abs engage to help you stay balanced and controlled as you ascend and descend.

Beyond building strength, Bulgarian split squats can help you identify imbalances you might not notice during bilateral workouts. By practicing this movement, you can focus and strengthen muscles that you may have neglected in previous routines.

How to perform a Bulgarian split squat with dumbbells, step by step

Bulgarian split squats can seem intimidating at first. However, with practice and guidance on proper form, you’ll quickly and easily learn how to perform this fundamental movement, even if you’re new to the weight room.

Here’s how to do a Bulgarian split squat:

1. Prepare yourself – Start by standing a few feet in front of a bench or solid surface, holding a dumbbell in each hand, with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Position your back leg – Place the top of your back foot on the bench behind you, keeping your front foot planted. The distance between your front leg and your back leg varies depending on the length of your legs, but your back leg should fall off the bench at about 90°. You should have enough room for your front leg to bend about 90°.
3. Engage your heart – Before descending, tuck your core in and keep your chest and chin lifted. Your chest should be straight and your back should be flat rather than rounded.
4. Start your descent – Begin to descend by bending your front knee until your back knee almost touches the ground. When descending, avoid leaning too far forward. Your front knee should be directly stacked over your two front toes.
5. Cross your front heel – To return to standing, exhale and press into the front of the middle of the foot and heel. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the top of your back foot: it is there to help you stay balanced and not to stimulate the movement.
6. Repeat – Once back on your feet, take a break to reset and check your balance. Repeat for the desired reps, then switch to the other side.

If you need more instructions or a visual reference, watch our video demonstration on how to perform a Bulgarian split squat at the gym.

Tips for Perfecting Your Bulgarian Split Squat Form

If you’re just trying the Bulgarian split squat, keep these tips in mind to ensure proper form, safety, and effectiveness:

• Start without dumbbells first – The Bulgarian split squat is a powerful movement in its own right, and you don’t always need dumbbells to reap the benefits. In fact, it can help to start without them at first. This allows you to fine-tune your alignment without worrying about added weight.
• Use a bottom surface for rear foot placement – If a standard exercise bench seems too high or interferes with balance, try using a box or lower step first. This can help reduce instability so you can gain confidence before gaining height.
• Hold on to a stable object for support – For more support, perform the movement next to a wall that you can hold on to during your descent and ascent. Over time, as you develop your balance, you will find that you need the wall less and less.
• Keep your core and glutes engaged – With so much work in the legs, it’s easy to completely forget about the core. However, engaging your core and contracting your glutes as you climb can help you increase both stability and power.
• Take it easy – Slow, controlled repetitions beat rushing every time. Not only does moving slowly help build control and balance, it also helps reduce the risk of injury.

Common Mistakes (and Fixes) for Bulgarian Split Squats

When you’re starting out with Bulgarian split squats (or any new movement), mistakes are to be expected. What matters most is being aware of what they are and how to correct them.

• Getting too close or too far from the bench – If your front foot is too close to the bench, you may feel cramped or notice that your knee hangs too far above your toes during the descent. If your foot is too far out, you risk overextending or falling to the gym floor. To correct this problem, widen or shorten your stance and try a workout squat without dumbbells to see where you feel most stable. This distance is your sweet spot.
• Allow your front knee to collapse inward – It’s common to see the front of the knee collapse inward during unilateral leg work, but this misalignment can add stress (and potential injury) to your knee. To correct it, make sure your knee goes over your toes. It may help to imagine tilting your knee out while you squat.
• Lean on your back leg – If you “push” the back foot, your front leg will not have to support as much weight and you will not develop maximum strength. To correct this, focus on powering your front heel and contracting your working leg (your back foot is only there to help you balance).
• Leaning too far forward – Leaning too far forward is a way to “cheat” this exercise by shifting the workload from your quads and glutes to your lower back. As a result, this can stress weaker muscles and even lead to injury. To correct this problem, keep your shoulders back and imagine tucking your belly button against your spine to activate your core. Try to maintain a relaxed and straight spine from head to hips.

• Rushing – As mentioned, slow, controlled movements will help you build more strength and stability than rushing through reps.

3 Bulgarian split squat variations to try

Bulgarian split squats encourage you to cultivate power, balance and control, all in one movement. If you’re looking for even more of a challenge, try these variations:

1. Raise your front leg – If you want to further extend your range of motion, try adding a small platform under your front foot. This should increase the weight you feel in your front quad.
2. Swap the bench for a bouncy ball – For advanced exercisers, replacing the typical gym bench with an unstable surface, such as an exercise ball, will increase the level of difficulty when it comes to maintaining stability. For this variation, we recommend leaving heavy dumbbells on the floor, especially if you are a beginner.
3. Use a Smith machine – To perfect your form, try replacing your dumbbells with the Smith machine. With its attached rather than freestanding dumbbells, this equipment helps encourage proper alignment in your squats while being highly customizable to challenge beginners and seasoned pros alike.

Chuze Fitness: Take on the challenge with confidence

Building strength goes beyond just lifting heavy objects. It’s about form, control, execution and balance. This is exactly the approach we take at Chuze Fitness.

Our fitness centers enhance every moment of your experience, from group classes that follow you where you are in your journey and trainers who provide expert advice to a welcoming community and spa-like amenities.

Whether you’re new to fitness or looking to change your routine, experience the Chuze difference with a free trial today.

Sources:

National Library of Medicine. Rear leg derived moment contributes to resistance against hip extension in Bulgarian split squats. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12408075/

National Library of Medicine. Targeted muscle activation in Bulgarian split squat variations: effects of trunk position and suspension-based execution. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12382192/

European register of exercise professionals. Bulgarian Split Squats: Muscles Worked, Benefits, Form, Variations.

https://www.ereps.eu/news/bulgarian-split-squats-muscles-worked-benefits-form-variations

Men’s health. How to do the Bulgarian Split Squat with Perfect Form. https://www.menshealth.com/uk/how-tos/a735581/barbell-bulgarian-split-squat1/

Men’s health. Common Bulgarian split squat mistakes.

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/how-tos/a735581/barbell-bulgarian-split-squat1/#common-bulgarian-split-squat-mistakes

Health Line. How to do a Bulgarian split squat the right way. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/bulgarian-split-squat#variations-to-try

Women’s health. How to use a Smith machine: Experts explain what it’s for and how to get started. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a63572763/how-to-use-a-smith-machine/