Legs · Bodyweight
Split Squats
How to do the split squats, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand in a long staggered stance with one foot forward and the other back on the ball of the foot. Keeping your torso upright, bend both knees to lower straight down until your back knee nears the floor, then drive through your front foot to stand back up. Complete your reps on one side before switching legs.
- 1Feel your front quad and glute drive you back up
- 2Keep your torso tall and weight through your front heel
- 3Drop straight down rather than pushing forward
Common mistakes
- Don't let your front knee cave inward
- Avoid leaning your chest far over your front leg
- Don't bounce your back knee off the floor
Muscles worked
The split squats mainly works the quads and glutes, with the lower abs, hamstrings, calves, and adductors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the split squats 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 June 2026.