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
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
Bulgarian Split Squat strength standards
See how your bulgarian split squat ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM50 lb
Silvere1RM97.5 lb
Golde1RM162.5 lb
Platinume1RM232.5 lb
Diamonde1RM277.5 lb
Champione1RM315 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the bulgarian split squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.