Legs · Bodyweight
Bulgarian Split Squat
How to do the bulgarian split squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
See it in motion
How to do it
Stand about 2 feet in front of bench, place top of one foot on bench behind you. Lower body by bending front knee until back knee nearly touches ground. Push through front heel to return to starting position.
- 1Feel the burn in your front leg's quad and glute as you lower and rise
- 2Keep your torso upright and core engaged for balance
- 3Press through your front foot and squeeze your glutes at the top
Common mistakes
- Avoid pushing off the back leg; use it only for balance
- Don't let your front knee cave inward or travel too far forward
- Avoid dropping your chest or arching your lower back
Muscles worked
The bulgarian split squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the bulgarian split squat for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the split squat
- How to do the step-up
- How to do the lunge
- How to do the squat
- How to do the dumbbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.