Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat

Muscles worked by the Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Glute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

Kettlebell

Also called: kb, cast iron kettlebell, competition kettlebell, girya.

How to do the Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat

1. Stand facing away from a bench, placing one foot on it behind you, laces down. Hold a kettlebell in the opposite hand.
2. Maintain an upright torso and engage your core.
3. Lower your body by bending both knees, allowing your front knee to track over your toes.
4. Descend until your front thigh is parallel to the floor or slightly below, keeping your rear knee close to the ground.
5. Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position, extending your hips and knees.
6. Complete all reps per side before switching.

Form tips

• Ensure your front foot is far enough from the bench to allow a full range of motion without discomfort.
• Keep your torso upright throughout the movement to maximize glute and quad engagement.
• Control the eccentric (lowering) phase to build strength and stability.
• Experiment with holding the kettlebell in the same hand as the working leg (ipsilateral) or the opposite hand (contralateral) for different challenges.

At a glance

Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Dumbbell Front Squat
• Dumbbell Pistol Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "kettlebell-bulgarian-split-squat",
  "name_en": "Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat",
  "name_de": "Kettlebell Bulgarian Split Squat",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla Búlgara con Kettlebell",
  "description_en": "This unilateral squat variation builds lower body strength, muscle, and stability by elevating the rear foot and holding a kettlebell, primarily targeting the quadriceps and glutes.",
  "description_de": "Diese unilaterale Kniebeugen-Variation baut Kraft, Muskeln und Stabilität im Unterkörper auf, indem der hintere Fuß erhöht und eine Kettlebell gehalten wird, hauptsächlich für Quadrizeps und Gesäßmuskeln.",
  "description_es": "Esta variación unilateral de sentadilla desarrolla fuerza, músculo y estabilidad en la parte inferior del cuerpo al elevar el pie trasero y sostener una kettlebell, apuntando principalmente a los cuádriceps y glúteos.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "kettlebell",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "leg_day"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand facing away from a bench, placing one foot on it behind you, laces down. Hold a kettlebell in the opposite hand.",
    "Maintain an upright torso and engage your core.",
    "Lower your body by bending both knees, allowing your front knee to track over your toes.",
    "Descend until your front thigh is parallel to the floor or slightly below, keeping your rear knee close to the ground.",
    "Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position, extending your hips and knees.",
    "Complete all reps per side before switching."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stelle dich mit dem Rücken zu einer Bank, platziere einen Fuß mit den Schnürsenkeln nach unten auf der Bank. Halte eine Kettlebell in der gegenüberliegenden Hand.",
    "Halte deinen Oberkörper aufrecht und spanne deinen Rumpf an.",
    "Senke deinen Körper, indem du beide Knie beugst, wobei dein vorderes Knie über deine Zehen wandert.",
    "Gehe so tief, bis dein vorderer Oberschenkel parallel zum Boden oder leicht darunter ist, und halte dein hinteres Knie nah am Boden.",
    "Drücke dich durch die vordere Ferse zurück in die Startposition, strecke deine Hüften und Knie.",
    "Absolviere alle Wiederholungen pro Seite, bevor du wechselst."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Párate de espaldas a un banco, colocando un pie sobre él detrás de ti, con los cordones hacia abajo. Sostén una kettlebell en la mano opuesta.",
    "Mantén el torso erguido y activa tu core.",
    "Baja tu cuerpo doblando ambas rodillas, permitiendo que tu rodilla delantera se alinee con tus dedos del pie.",
    "Desciende hasta que tu muslo delantero esté paralelo al suelo o ligeramente por debajo, manteniendo tu rodilla trasera cerca del suelo.",
    "Impúlsate a través del talón delantero para regresar a la posición inicial, extendiendo tus caderas y rodillas.",
    "Completa todas las repeticiones por lado antes de cambiar."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Ensure your front foot is far enough from the bench to allow a full range of motion without discomfort.",
    "Keep your torso upright throughout the movement to maximize glute and quad engagement.",
    "Control the eccentric (lowering) phase to build strength and stability.",
    "Experiment with holding the kettlebell in the same hand as the working leg (ipsilateral) or the opposite hand (contralateral) for different challenges."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Stelle sicher, dass dein vorderer Fuß weit genug von der Bank entfernt ist, um eine volle Bewegungsfreiheit ohne Beschwerden zu ermöglichen.",
    "Halte deinen Oberkörper während der gesamten Bewegung aufrecht, um die Aktivierung von Gesäß und Quadrizeps zu maximieren.",
    "Kontrolliere die exzentrische (absenkende) Phase, um Kraft und Stabilität aufzubauen.",
    "Experimentiere mit dem Halten der Kettlebell in der gleichen Hand wie das Arbeitsbein (ipsilateral) oder in der gegenüberliegenden Hand (kontralateral) für unterschiedliche Herausforderungen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Asegúrate de que tu pie delantero esté lo suficientemente lejos del banco para permitir un rango completo de movimiento sin molestias.",
    "Mantén tu torso erguido durante todo el movimiento para maximizar la activación de glúteos y cuádriceps.",
    "Controla la fase excéntrica (descenso) para desarrollar fuerza y estabilidad.",
    "Experimenta sosteniendo la kettlebell en la misma mano que la pierna que trabaja (ipsilateral) o en la mano opuesta (contralateral) para diferentes desafíos."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/kettlebell-bulgarian-split-squat-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/kettlebell-bulgarian-split-squat-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "kettlebell-bulgarian-split-squat");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.