How to Do Split Squats With Perfect Form

The split squat is a compound leg exercise that works multiple muscles in your lower body, including your hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes. With proper form, split squats can increase leg strength and enhance flexibility. Perform split squats by placing a single leg in front of the other and carefully lowering your body. Split squats are a great way to build up to other complicated variations on the traditional squat, like the single-leg squat or the back squat using a deadlift.

While split squats and lunges are both exercises that focus on muscle groups in the legs, there are a few differences between them.

• Movement pattern: Split squats and lunges involve very different movements. A split squat places more emphasis on the muscles in the front leg, allowing the back leg to relax more as the majority of your weight rests on your front foot. In contrast, a lunge balances the weight equally between both legs.
• Muscles worked: The split squat and the lunge work most of the same muscle groups, but they prioritize slightly different areas of the body. Lunges are a balanced exercise for your lower body muscles, while split squats focus specifically on the quadriceps.
• Variations: There are distinct variations of both exercises. Some lunge variations include the forward stepping lunge, backward stepping lunge, and walking lunge, which adds a cardio element into the strength-training exercise. There are also several split squat variations. One of the most popular is the Bulgarian split squat, also known as the rear-foot elevated split squat. Although lunges and split squats typically use bodyweight, some variations include free weights like barbells and kettlebells.

For split squats, aim for 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions on each leg. Focus on maintaining good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.

1. 1. Stand in a split stance with your front heel 2–4 feet in front of your back foot. Raise your back heel to place weight evenly along your toes. The weight on your front foot should be evenly distributed along the entire foot. Grip the floor with your front foot to create a stable foot position.
2. 2. Square your hips. Your posture should be tall with your torso upright and feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly. Your shoulders should be over your hips or slightly ahead of your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
3. 3. Place your hands on your hips or hold dumbbells by your sides.
4. 4. Engage your core.
5. 5. Begin the downward movement by bending the hip, knee, and ankle of your front leg and allowing your back knee to bend toward the floor.
6. 6. Lower until your front leg is parallel to the floor. Your back knee should be underneath your rear hip, 1–2 inches above the ground.
7. 7. Pause at the bottom for 1–2 seconds.
8. 8. To begin the upward movement, push your front foot into the ground to initiate standing.
9. 9. As you stand, keep your chest high, and squeeze your front glute. Allow your front knee to straighten and your hip to travel forward.
10. 10. As you finish the movement, squeeze your quadriceps while maintaining a neutral spine and a slightly bent knee.
11. 11. At the end of each repetition, your shoulders should finish directly over your hips. Imagine that your pelvis is a bucket filled with water and you’re attempting not to spill any water out of the front, back, or sides of the bucket.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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