Bulgarian split squat: form cues and common mistakes.

Short answer: stand about two feet in front of a bench, put the top of your back foot on it, and lower straight down until your front thigh is roughly parallel to the floor, then drive up through the whole front foot. A slight forward lean and a longer stance put more work on the glutes; a more upright torso and shorter stance put more on the quads.

Muscles worked. Quadriceps and glutes of the front leg do most of the work, with the adductors and hamstrings assisting and the core and hips working hard to keep you balanced. Because it's one leg at a time, it also exposes left-right differences.

Setting up the stance. Sit on the edge of the bench, extend one leg, and stand up where that front foot lands — that's a good starting distance. Adjust from there until the front shin stays fairly vertical at the bottom for a glute bias.

Step by step. 1) Back foot laces-down on the bench. 2) Hips square, weight mostly in the front foot. 3) Lower under control until the back knee is a few inches from the floor. 4) Drive up through the mid-foot and heel of the front leg.

Glute bias vs quad bias. Longer stance, slight hinge forward, knee stays over the ankle — more glutes. Shorter stance, upright torso, knee travels forward over the toes — more quads. Both are valid; pick based on your goal.

Common mistakes. Standing too close to the bench, pushing off the back foot instead of the front, letting the front knee cave inward, and bouncing out of the bottom. Slow the lowering phase to about two or three seconds.

Loading it. Start with bodyweight until balance is solid, then hold dumbbells at your sides or one at the chest (goblet). Two to three sets of 8–12 per leg is a solid range.

Safety. Knee discomfort often improves by adjusting stance length or depth. Stop if you feel sharp pain, and check with a qualified professional if you have an existing knee or hip problem.

The glute-focused version is demonstrated in the Cerebral Physique exercise library, and it appears in the lower-body sessions of the free 12-week gym program.