Barbell Side Split Squat
Trains the Quads.
- Equipment
- A barbell and a rack
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set a barbell across your upper back as for a squat and unrack it.
- Stand with your feet much wider than your shoulders, toes pointing forward or slightly out.
- Shift your weight to one side, bending that knee and pushing the hip back.
- Keep the other leg straight, its foot flat on the floor.
- Go down until the bent knee is at about a right angle and you feel the straight leg's inner thigh lengthen.
- Drive back to the middle through the bent leg, then repeat to the same side or alternate.
Common mistakes
- Letting the straight leg's foot roll onto its edge. Keeping it flat is what makes the inner thigh work; rolling it lets the ankle absorb the range instead.
- Bending forward instead of sitting back. The hip travels back on the working side and the chest stays up; folding forward puts the bar's weight onto the lower back.
- Going as deep as the width allows. The depth is set by where the straight leg's inner thigh stops, and forcing past that is the one place this movement causes trouble.
- Starting with a bar. The stance is unusual and the balance takes practice; the bodyweight version teaches the position for free.