Single Leg Exercises: Bulgarian Split Squat

Most athletic movements found in sports and everyday life require weight transfer to one leg: walking, running, and lunging for example.  There are two categories of single leg exercises – supported and unsupported.

The “Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat” (RFESS) is a single-leg (supported) exercise that can be used to correct side-to-side strength differences.

 Incorporating single-leg exercises into your training is a great way to improve dynamic hip flexibility, single-leg stability, and knee tracking.

Single leg unsupported exercises like pistol and skater squats can be extremely challenging for athletes that are not used to unilateral leg training. The RFESS is one of the best single-leg exercises for athletes new to single-leg training. The support of the bench in back and weights makes it easier to balance.

While it is good to include a variety of single-leg exercises in a training program a general progression from easy to hard exercises looks like:

RFESS – B-Stance Squat – Skater Squat – Pistol Box Squat – Pistol Squat 

While holding two dumbells at your sides helps with balance, another option is holding a kettlebell or dumbbell in a goblet position. This helps with learning to keep an upright torso and maintaining thoracic extension.

Finding a Suitable Bench Height
Athletes with tight hip-flexors may struggle with this exercise. In this scenario, lowering the box and/or increasing forward lean are both good options. A vertical torso is not required – adjust the angle as needed – based on your flexibility. Ankle flexibility is another factor – the foot can either be placed on the bench as in a lunge or passively with the foot plantar flexed, if you have the flexibility.

This exercise is not meant to be a stretch, but a slight stretch in the front of the thigh is acceptable – this is a good exercise to develop strength through a functional range of motion.

– Kevin Kula, “The Flexibility Coach” – Creator of FlexibilityRx™

Related Resources
T Nation | 5 Superior Single Leg Exercises (link)
Bret Contreras: The Ten Best Single Leg Exercises (link)
T Nation | Bulgarian Split Squats (link)
FlexibilityRx™: Single-Leg Exercises: B-Stance Squat (link)
FlexibilityRx™: Glute Activation Exercises: Quadruped Hip Extension (link)

Tags: bulgarian split squat, pistol squat, rear foot elevated split squat, single-leg exercises, single-leg training, split squat, unilateral leg training