Why You should be doing Bulgarian Split Squats

Bulgarian split squats are a fantastic exercise with a ton of benefits for strength, mobility, and overall fitness. Here’s a breakdown of why they’re worth adding to your routine:

1. Unilateral Strength: Since they work one leg at a time, they help build balanced strength between your left and right sides, correcting imbalances that bilateral moves like regular squats might miss.

2. Glute and Quad Gains: They heavily target your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. The elevated rear leg increases the range of motion, putting extra emphasis on the gluteus maximus—great for building a strong, powerful lower body.

3. Core Stability: Keeping yourself steady during the movement engages your core muscles, improving balance and coordination without needing a separate ab workout.

4. Improved Mobility: The deep stretch at the bottom of the squat boosts hip flexibility and ankle mobility, which can carry over to better performance in other lifts or daily activities.

5. Low Back Friendly: Unlike heavy back squats, Bulgarian split squats put less stress on your spine, making them a solid option if you’re dealing with lower back issues or want to avoid them.

6. Versatility: You can do them with dumbbells, a barbell, kettlebells, or just bodyweight, and adjust the difficulty by changing the height of the rear foot or adding weight. They’re easy to adapt to any fitness level.

7. Functional Fitness: The single-leg focus mimics real-world movements like walking or climbing stairs, so you’re training strength that translates to everyday life.

Research backs this up—studies show single-leg exercises like these can enhance muscle activation and stability more than some bilateral alternatives, especially for the glutes and smaller stabilizing muscles. Plus, they’re a favorite among athletes for injury prevention since they strengthen the kinetic chain without overloading joints.

If you’re consistent, you’ll likely notice better athletic performance, a more defined lower body, and even some bonus agility.

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