Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Starting position

1. Stand with your back to a bench about one long stride away. Hold dumbbells at your sides with a neutral grip.
2. Rest the top of your back foot on the edge of the bench.
3. Your front foot is flat on the floor, torso upright, abs braced, eyes forward.

Execution

1. Inhale and lower yourself by bending your front leg until your thigh is nearly parallel to the floor. The back knee drops toward the floor without touching it.
2. Your front knee points in line with your toes, weight spread across the whole foot with an emphasis on the heel.
3. Exhale and drive through the front leg to come back up. Do all reps on one leg, then switch.

Common mistakes

• Standing too close to the bench — the knee shoots far past the toes and the heel lifts.
• Front knee caving in — risky stress on the ligaments.
• Pushing off the back leg — the working leg gets too little load.
• Rounding forward under the dumbbells — the lower back takes the load.

Beginner tips

• Learn the movement without dumbbells first, holding a rack for balance.
• Find a comfortable distance from the bench before your set with a couple of test reps.
• A slight forward lean targets the glutes more; an upright torso targets the quads more.

Alternatives

• Dumbbell Reverse Lunge — easier to balance
• Dumbbell Lunges — similar single-leg work