Split Squat

Muscles worked by the Split Squat

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Glute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

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

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Split Squat

1. Stand in a split stance with one foot forward and one back.
2. Keep your torso upright and core braced.
3. Lower your hips straight down by bending both knees.
4. Stop when the back knee is just above the floor.
5. Drive through the front heel to return to the start.
6. Complete reps on one side, then switch.

Form tips

• Lower straight down rather than lunging forward.
• Keep most of your weight over the front foot.
• Keep the front heel planted throughout the rep.

At a glance

Split Squat in German & Spanish

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

Related exercises

• Barbell Lunge
• Barbell Reverse Lunge
• Bodyweight Reverse Lunge
• Dumbbell Lunge
• Kettlebell Goblet Lunge
• Kettlebell Lunge Press
• Kettlebell Offset Reverse Lunge and Press
• Kettlebell Reverse Lunge

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": "split-squat",
  "name_en": "Split Squat",
  "name_de": "Ausfallschritt-Kniebeuge",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla en Tijera",
  "description_en": "A stationary lunge lowering straight down in a split stance, building single-leg strength without a step.",
  "description_de": "Ein stationärer Ausfallschritt, bei dem du dich in der Schrittstellung gerade nach unten absenkst — baut einbeinige Kraft ohne Schritt auf.",
  "description_es": "Una zancada estática bajando en línea recta con las piernas en tijera, desarrollando fuerza unilateral sin dar el paso.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "shoulder_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "lunge",
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand in a split stance with one foot forward and one back.",
    "Keep your torso upright and core braced.",
    "Lower your hips straight down by bending both knees.",
    "Stop when the back knee is just above the floor.",
    "Drive through the front heel to return to the start.",
    "Complete reps on one side, then switch."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe in einer Ausfallschrittposition mit einem Fuß vorne und einem hinten.",
    "Halte den Oberkörper aufrecht und den Core angespannt.",
    "Senke die Hüfte gerade nach unten, indem du beide Knie beugst.",
    "Halte an, wenn das hintere Knie knapp über dem Boden ist.",
    "Drücke durch die vordere Ferse zurück in die Ausgangsposition.",
    "Alle Wiederholungen einer Seite, dann wechseln."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Párate en posición de tijera con un pie adelante y otro atrás.",
    "Mantén el torso erguido y el core contraído.",
    "Baja las caderas rectas hacia abajo doblando ambas rodillas.",
    "Detente cuando la rodilla trasera esté justo por encima del suelo.",
    "Empuja a través del talón delantero para volver al inicio.",
    "Completa las repeticiones de un lado y luego cambia."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Lower straight down rather than lunging forward.",
    "Keep most of your weight over the front foot.",
    "Keep the front heel planted throughout the rep."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Senke dich gerade nach unten ab, statt nach vorn auszufallen.",
    "Halte den Großteil deines Gewichts über dem vorderen Fuß.",
    "Lass die vordere Ferse während der ganzen Wiederholung am Boden."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Baja en línea recta en lugar de lanzarte hacia delante.",
    "Mantén la mayor parte del peso sobre el pie delantero.",
    "Mantén el talón delantero apoyado durante toda la repetición."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/split-squat-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/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 === "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.