Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Dumbbell Rear-Foot-Elevated Split Squat
The dumbbell Bulgarian split squat is a split squat with your rear foot on a bench and weights at your sides. It trains your thighs and glutes while challenging single-leg balance.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Moderate injury risk
- Rest 1 min 30 sec
How to do it
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Stand about one stride in front of a bench, facing away from it, with your feet hip-width apart.
- Rest the top of your rear foot on the bench behind you.
- Lower your hips by bending your front hip and knee to a comfortable depth.
- Push through your front foot to return to the starting height.
Form cues
- Brace your belly before lowering.
- Keep your hips facing forward.
- Track your knee over your toes.
- Keep your whole front foot planted.
Common mistakes
- Pushing off the rear legKeep most of your weight on the front leg, using the rear foot mainly for support.
- Bouncing out of the bottomLower slowly enough to reverse direction smoothly without a bounce.
- Arching your lower backAllow a slight forward torso lean rather than forcing your chest upright.
Safety
Losing balance with dumbbells can cause a fall or dropped weights. Excessive load or forcing depth can strain the front knee or rear hip.
- Use a bench that cannot slide or tip.
- Test your stance without weights before loading the exercise.
- End the set when fatigue makes your balance unreliable.
- Place your rear foot on the floor before lowering the dumbbells to the ground.
Use a floor-level split squat if rear-foot elevation causes hip, knee, or ankle discomfort, and seek physiotherapist advice if pain persists.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Flat Bench
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 8–12 reps per leg
- Rest
- 1 min 30 sec
Start with your weaker leg and match its reps on the other side.