There’s nothing quite like the feeling of strong legs holding you steady. Whether you’re hiking a steep trail, running to catch a bus, or climbing a flight of stairs, building leg strength opens up entirely new worlds, no matter where you are on your fitness journey.
But how do you build that leg strength? One excellent move to help you get there is the barbell split squat. This powerhouse exercise works your quads, glutes, and hamstrings while improving your balance and coordination, making it the perfect addition to your leg workout rotation.
If you’re eager to level up your leg day, this guide is all you need. Learn everything from your initial setup to perfecting your form, so you can confidently add barbell split squats to your routine and start seeing results.
What Is a Barbell Split Squat?
The barbell split squat is a compound lower-body exercise that places a barbell across your upper traps (the meaty part of your upper back) while you work one leg at a time. Basically, you take a staggered stance with one foot planted in front of you and the other positioned behind you. From there, you lower your body by bending both knees.
What makes this exercise different from traditional squats is that it’s all about building unilateral strength. Since each leg has to pull its own weight, you’ll know pretty quickly if you’ve got a weaker side.
Thanks to the emphasis on each individual side, barbell split squats address muscle imbalances that can develop over time. In fact, unilateral training can strengthen the weaker limb and reduce sports injuries by improving limb balance more effectively than bilateral exercises alone. Plus, you’ll see improvements in coordination and muscle control. These benefits translate to better performance in sports, other exercises, or your usual daily activities.
How Do Barbell Split Squats Work?
The barbell split squat recruits multiple muscle groups to work together. These muscles are engaged during each rep:
- Quads – The front of your thighs does the heavy lifting, especially when you’re driving back up to standing.
- Glutes – These muscles stabilize your hips and control your descent.
- Inner thighs, hamstrings, and calves — This group of muscles works together to fine-tune your movement and stabilize your joints as you move.
- Core – Your abs and obliques stay engaged throughout the movement to keep your torso upright and prevent your hips from rotating.
- Back muscles – Since you’re balancing a loaded barbell on your upper back, the muscles along your spine and back get a workout from holding everything steady.
This full-body engagement is part of what makes the barbell split squat so effective. It allows you to build leg strength while improving stability, balance, and coordination at the same time.
Steps to Perform the Barbell Split Squat
Nailing your setup is only the first step. The next most important aspect of the barbell split squat is perfecting your form to get the most from your workout. Let’s walk through each step.
1. Setting Up Your Stance
Start by placing a barbell on a squat rack just below shoulder height. Step under the bar and rack it on your upper traps. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, keeping your elbows pointed down and your chest up.
Step back from the rack and position your feet in a staggered stance, following this positioning checklist:
- Your front foot is flat on the floor
- Your back foot rests on the ball of your foot with your heel lifted
- There are two feet of distance between the heel of the front foot and the toes of the rear foot
- There is enough space to lower down without feeling cramped or off-balance
2. Begin the Descent
Before you lower yourself, take a deep breath and brace your core. Pull your shoulders back, keep your chin up, and open up through your chest.
Then, bend both knees and lower your body in a controlled motion:
- Bend both knees to about 90 degrees
- Keep an eye on your front knee so it doesn’t drift forward over your toes
- Track your front knee forward, staying roughly in line with the toes
- Drop your back knee as close to the ground as you can without actually touching down
3. Press Through Your Front Heel to Rise
Once you’ve reached the bottom, pause for just a beat. Then, press through the heel of your front foot and drive yourself back up to the starting position while engaging your core. Try to evenly distribute your weight between both legs rather than letting your front leg shoulder all the burden.
When you reach the top of the motion, keep your core tucked in and exhale before starting another rep.
Here’s one final tip: Complete all your reps on one side before switching to the other leg. This helps you focus on your form and gives each side equal attention.
Tips for Beginners
If you’re new to the barbell split squat, here are some beginner-friendly modifications:
- Start light with an empty barbell to get comfortable with the movement pattern before adding weight plates.
- Use a Smith machine to lock the barbell into a fixed vertical path, taking some of the balance challenge out of the equation while you focus on building strength.
- Practice body weight split squats first to build the movement pattern without any added weight.
Building strength takes time, and there’s no trophy for rushing the process. Learning solid technique with exercises that feel manageable is the most effective way to keep showing up for more.
Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Even experienced lifters can fall into bad habits with the split squat. Here are some common form issues and how to fix them:
- Feet too close together – If your feet are too close, you may feel unstable and cramped at the bottom of the movement. Lengthen your stance by stepping your back foot farther behind you until you have enough space to move comfortably.
- Leaning too far forward – When your torso tips forward, it’s a sign you’re putting too much weight onto your front leg. Fix this by resetting your posture before each rep. Keep your chest proud and your spine long, engaging your core to help you stay upright.
- Front knee traveling past your toes – Your knee moving too far forward signals that you’re shifting too much weight onto your front leg. Adjust your stance so your front foot is slightly farther forward, then drop your hips straight down rather than pushing them forward.
- Rushing through reps – Speed does not always equal effectiveness. Moving too fast compromises balance and control. Instead, slow things down and lower for a count of two or three, pause at the bottom, then rise in a slow, controlled motion.
Barbell Split Squats vs. Other Lower-Body Exercises
You might be wondering how the barbell split squat stacks up against other leg exercises. Each movement serves its own purpose, so the right choice for you depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.
Barbell Split Squats vs. RDLs (Romanian Deadlifts)
RDLs are a hip-hinge movement that primarily targets your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. They’re less about knee flexion and more about loading the posterior chain (the back side of your body). Split squats, on the other hand, involve both knee and hip flexion, which makes them more quad-dominant while still working the glutes.
If you’re looking to build well-rounded leg strength, both exercises belong in your routine. RDLs are great for strengthening your hamstrings and improving hip mobility, while split squats build single-leg strength and balance.
Barbell Split Squats vs. Lunges
At first glance, split squats and lunges look remarkably similar, but they’ve got slightly different purposes. With lunges, you’re stepping forward or back with every single rep, making the movement more dynamic. Split squats, on the other hand, keep you anchored in one position to build stability and focus on controlled strength.
While lunges and barbell split squats are both great ways to improve stability in both legs, the barbell split squat’s stationary stance allows you to bear greater loads.
Barbell Split Squats vs. Bulgarian Split Squats
The Bulgarian split squat is a variation where your back foot is elevated on a bench or platform. This increases the range of motion and places even more demand on your front leg. It’s a step up in difficulty from the traditional split squat.
If you’re still building foundational strength, stick with the standard barbell split squat. Once you feel confident and strong in that position, a Bulgarian split squat can challenge you further.
Other Variations to Try
Once you understand the form of the barbell split squat, you can try other variations to keep your workout feeling fresh:
- Dumbbell Split Squat – This variation allows you to focus purely on the leg work without worrying about bar placement. It’s also a great option for at-home workouts.
- Tempo Split Squat – Slow down your reps to increase the time under tension. This helps build strength and control without extra weight. To perform this exercise, lower for a count of three, pause at the bottom, then rise for another count of three.
- Front-Rack Barbell Split Squat – In this variation, hold the barbell across the front of your shoulders instead of on your upper back. This forward load demands more from your core and tends to be more comfortable on the shoulders. It also shifts even more emphasis onto your quads.
Build Stronger Legs at Chuze Fitness
The barbell split squat may not be flashy, but it’s an effective exercise that will help you build strong, balanced legs.
If you’re more of a visual learner or just want to be absolutely sure you’ve got the technique down, check out this video tutorial that shows step-by-step how to perform the barbell split squat.
Feeling ready to give these split squats a try? Access a space to work out, high-quality equipment, community support, and friendly trainers who can check your form in person at your local Chuze Fitness.
Sources:
Exercise Physiology. Effect of unilateral training and bilateral training on physical performance: A meta-analysis. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1128250/full
NASM. The Muscles Used in Squats — Squat Biomechanics Explained. https://blog.nasm.org/biomechanics-of-the-squat
Mike Sirani. How to Perform Tempo Split Squats. https://www.mikesirani.com/blog/2020/3/24/how-to-perform-tempo-split-squats
