Don’t fear the bulgarian split squat
Bulgarian split squats are like Voldemort—feared by many but incredibly powerful.
Voldemort demands respect and challenges anyone who faces him, Bulgarian split squats push your muscles to the limit, forcing you to confront weaknesses and imbalances. They're the "exercise-that-shall-not-be-named" for those looking to seriously level up their lower-body strength.
What’s all the hype around bulgarian split squats?!
The things you don’t want to do are usually the things you should do the most! However, we don’t just do these to "toughen you up". I assure you, there are greater benefits than your coach being able to chuckle evilly behind her computer as she programs them.…muahaha
Bulgarian split squats are excellent for building muscle and strength because they create significant tension in the primary lower-body muscles, particularly the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings.
By isolating each leg individually, they force the working leg to handle more of the load, which increases muscle activation and leads to greater hypertrophy and strength gains.
The elevated rear leg allows for a deeper range of motion, which stretches and engages the muscles more effectively, leading to increased gains in your meat rockets.
If you have done this movement before, you most definitely know they also require balance and stability. This makes them functional movements that translate well to daily activities and athletic performance.
New Tutorial with so many good tid bits
In this tutorial, I go over…
How to set up (stance/equipment/picking up the weight)
Problems that may occur and how to modify
Advice on stabilizing
Quad vs Glute focused
How to set up in the rack
Using the SSB
Other things you prob haven't thought of :)
Where the heck do my legs go?
Just like when you do barbell squats, your unique leverages will affect the most effective stance for you. It's important to start with a standard stance before making adjustments to target your quads or glutes more specifically (we'll cover that later!).
DIY
Ensure the back leg support is high enough for your knee to just touch the ground, with your front leg's shin vertical. Make sure that your back leg’s knee is aligned under your hip.
If you are rocking your weight into your back leg, your bench/support may be too high
Bulgarian split squat set up
The TikTok hack
Sit on the bench you are going to use
Kick your front leg out with a flexed leg and place your heel on the ground.
Stand up and put your back leg on the bench
You can make small adjustments from there
Bulgarian split squat set up
Quad Vs Glute Focused
Split squats work your entire lower body, as you can’t isolate just one muscle. However, by adjusting your stance, torso angle, and foot placement, you can emphasize either the quads or the glutes.
Here's how to target each:
Quad-Focused Bulgarian Split Squats
Narrow stance: Keep your front foot closer to the bench or support, which increases knee flexion during the movement.
Upright torso: Maintain a more vertical torso position to shift the emphasis toward the quads.
Knee over toes: Allow your knee to travel over your toes as you lower into the squat, which increases the load on your quadriceps.
Push through the ball of your front foot: This will further activate the quadriceps during the movement.
Quad-Focused Bulgarian Split Squats
Glute-Focused Bulgarian Split Squats:
Wider stance: Move your front foot further away from the bench, increasing the stretch in your glutes.
Slight forward lean: Lean slightly forward at the hips to engage the glutes more effectively.
Focus on hip drive: As you come up, concentrate on driving through your heel and squeezing your glutes to power the movement.
Depth: Sink deeper into the squat to increase the range of motion, which stretches the glutes and enhances activation.
Glute-Focused Bulgarian Split Squats
Picking Up the weight
A lot of energy is wasted when you do that little hop to the bench while trying to hang onto your DBs! Depending on what type of weights you are using, you may want to try out one of the techniques below to not make this exercise even harder than it already is!
Option 1: Get set up in your split squat kneeling on the ground, hinge at the hips and pick up your DBs at your sides
Option 2: If you are going heavy enough to strap up, make sure you put the DBs on a bench close by so you don’t have to waddle too far to the Bulgarian bench. Pro Tip: put a chalk mark on the ground where your front toe goes to stop you from hopping around
Option 3: Use a KB in order to keep the weight closer to you and easier to pick up
Option 4: Use a barbell or SSB in the rack or the smith machine
Picking up the weight for Bulgarian split squats
My favorite variations
Although the standard Bulgarian split squat will certainly get the job done, sometimes you can work towards your more specific goal or intent just by making slight changes. Here are a few ideas! Choose one, then progressively overload.
Supported = Hypertrophy
One DB at your side with other hand holding onto something so you can focus on strength and TUT
DB Front Rack = Core strength for strongman movements
Keep as upright as possible and lock it in. Hey! This reminds me of a log rack position!
SSB hatfield = strength
With DBs, you can only go so heavy. The SSB Hatfield split squat allows you to overload without the extra strain on your shoulders from a barbell.
Tips from coach’s experience..
Use something to balance! If you seek gains, do not let balance be a limiting factor. Of course you should be advanced enough to have the stability to do these bodyweight without assistance before adding weight. But once you are ready to push these, use a PVC pipe or gently hold a rack.. Or a friend’s hand (for emotional support of course)
Don’t be afraid to stack plates in order to elevate your back leg or even your front leg to get the proper height that works for YOU and your INTENT!
unchained programs that use Bulgarians
team unchained
At the time of writing this post, Team Unchained is going through the “Villain Era” cycle. This is a great program to run if you are looking to focus on this movement. At the end of 8 weeks, we are testing our Bulgarian split squat 5 rep max!
unchained strong
You will be able to push your barbell lifts in this program AND had bulgarian split squats as a supportive accessory. You will work these between 6-10 rep range.