Barbell Split Squat
A loaded split-stance squat for single-leg quad and glute strength — the step between regular squats and Bulgarian split squats.
How to do it
- Set the bar on your upper back and step into a long split stance with your feet hip-width apart.
- Brace your core and stand tall, shifting most of your weight onto your front foot.
- Lower your back knee straight down toward the floor, keeping your front shin close to vertical.
- Stop just before your back knee touches the floor, keeping your torso upright and your chest up.
- Drive through your front foot to stand back up into the starting split stance.
- Complete all reps on one side before switching legs, keeping the same setup every time.
Key technique cue
Knee over foot, torso upright; stand up with the front leg, don't push off the back one.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Letting the front knee cave inward, which stresses the knee and reduces glute involvement.
- ✕ Pushing off the back foot to stand up, which takes the load off the working front leg.
- ✕ Leaning the torso too far forward, which turns it into a hinge and loses the quad focus.
- ✕ Using too short a stance, which pushes the front knee far past the toes and loads the joint.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds single-leg quad and glute strength under a full barbell load.
- ✓ Exposes and corrects strength imbalances between the legs.
- ✓ Reinforces balance and core stability with a bar on your back.
Progression: from easier to harder
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About the exercise
The Barbell Split Squat is a loaded single-leg strength exercise. The athlete stands in a split stance with the back foot on the floor and squats straight down through the front leg, building the quads and glutes one side at a time. It removes the side-to-side weakness that hides in regular bilateral squats and forces each leg to show honest strength. It's a high-value single-leg exercise for strength and athletic performance. It's a clean progression step between the back squat and the Bulgarian split squat, and it fits back and glute programs, runner prep and rehab-adjacent strength work where balanced single-leg strength matters.
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