Among the best single-leg exercises are lunges, notorious for building pain tolerance along with well-developed legs. But should you perform the lunge dynamically, taking a step forward, or should it be done statically, also called a split squat? What are the differences and similarities between these exercises? Is there an even better way of doing lunges?

Let’s compare the split squat and the basic forward lunge, and figure out which could be the right choice for your plan.

• Exercise Differences
• Exercise Similarities
• How to Do the Split Squat
• How to Do the Lunge
• How to Program The Best Single-Leg Exercise for You

Exercise Differences

At first glance, you might think there are no big differences between the forward lunge and the split squat, but you would be mistaken. One simple step forward changes several things.

Balance and Coordination

Unilateral exercises (working one limb at a time) have been shown to increase balance, agility, and coordination, as well as carrying over to injury prevention. (1) But you’re taking things a step forward with the lunge. Because your foot is not fixed in place and any added weights is moving as you step, typically dangling in your hands at arms length, the forward lunge is harder from a stability perspective because more total-body control is needed. 

This makes the lunge a more effective variation if you want to improve these qualities, for instance, if you’re an athlete. (2) On the other hand, if you are prioritizing sheer strength and muscle-building, the static squat will be the superior choice. Relatively less motor control requirement means that you can use heavier weight, apply better control on the eccentric (lowering phase), and focus more on the mind-muscle connection which is critical for muscle gains. (3)

Muscle Recruitment

The instability of the lunge will shift the focus towards stabilizing muscles, which makes sense. If you’re doing lunges for firmer glutes, then you’ll be happy to hear that the three gluteal muscles will be recruited more significantly because they stabilize the hips and the upper leg. Indeed, they externally rotate and abduct the femur. On the other hand, the adductors stabilize the leg internally, and will also be more recruited.

The abs, the lower back, and the other core muscles will have to work extra to compensate for the weight dangling around during the stepping process. Finally, the calves will have to be involved for when the lunge is done, they are used to propel yourself up back to the initial position. On the other hand, the static squat reducing the involvement of these muscles, it will be a better choice to scorch your quadriceps. 

Exercise Similarities

The split squat, also called the static lunge, shares some clear similarities with the forward lunge. 

Unilateral Leg Training

Both exercises involve knee extension and hip extension. As such, they target the same leg muscles — your quadriceps, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings. Your core will also be challenged to support the weight and balance your upper body.

As unilateral exercises, only one leg is working at a time. To be more precise, one leg is primarily working due to the staggered stance. Your rear leg is used for support and will still contribute to the movement in a small degree, but the bulk of the weight has to be supported and driven by the front leg.

Both of these exercises will contribute to improved balance, stability, and coordination. Emphasizing each leg on its own will also be helpful to balance your any potential developmental weaknesses between sides. (4)

How to Do the Split Squat

With the split squat being generally more stable than the forward lunge, you can capitalize on the opportunity to safely use barbells to add resistance. Position yourself in front of a rack, place the barbell on the “shelf” of your upper back and unrack it. Take a few small steps back to make room to perform the exercise. Take a shallow step forward with one leg, and one small step backward with the other leg, ending up in a half-lunge position with a hip-width stance.

Brace your core and bend your legs until your rear knee grazes the floor. Press the weight up by driving through your front foot. Make sure most of your weight is on your front leg. Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions before racking the bar and switching legs.

Form tip: Keep your front foot flat on the ground during the exercise. Focus on pushing through your heel to ensure maximal glute engagement and leg stability. 

Benefits of the Split Squat

• The split squat is the unilateral “squatting motion” exercise that will allow you to use the most weight, making it a great choice for building strength.
• This stable exercise allows you to focus on time under tension, mind-muscle connection, and going to failure relatively safely for an excellent hypertrophy stimulus.

Split Squat Variations

There are several ways to perform a split squat in order to better suit your specific goals. Add them, if needed, once you’ve mastered the basic split squat.

Bulgarian Split Squat

This infamous exercise, often known for creating post-workout soreness, is also one of the best lower-body builders there is. To do the Bulgarian split squat, you elevate your rear leg on a box or a bench, and then perform a traditional split squat. The elevated foot allows you to potentially reach a much deeper stretch and a longer range of motion. This can help focus even more on your glutes and build hip mobility in a new way for deeper squats and better lower body function.

This exercise is better done later in a workout for moderate to high repetitions. If you want to challenge your glutes and core even more, hold a single dumbbell or kettlebell in the hand opposed to the front leg. 

Smith Machine Split Squat

The split squat has the advantage of being more stable, but why not take things a step further and use the Smith machine to provide maximal stability? This way, you can safely scale up the intensity, reach closer to muscular failure, and focus on the mind-muscle connection ensuring maximal hypertrophy.

Position yourself in the middle of the Smith machine, assume a half-lunge position, and unrack the bar before performing the exercise. Complete all reps with one leg before switching sides.

Front Rack Split Squat

The front rack split squat requires more upper body mobility to assume the front rack position with a barbell, similar to performing a front squat. Any potential awkwardness in learning the bar position is compensated by increased efficiency and greater total-body muscle.

Holding the bar this way will target more your quadriceps as well as your upper back and core. If the front rack position is too hard for you, either try the “California grip” variation with your arms crossed over the bar or switch the barbell for a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells.

How to Do the Lunge

Stand tall with a pair of dumbbells in your hands and your arms straight down by your sides. Take a breath and brace your core before stepping forward with one foot. Keep your shoulders back and your torso upright. Bend your legs with control until they both form a nearly 90-degree angle and your rear knee barely grazes the floor. Keep your front foot flat with most of your weight on your front leg.

Drive through your front heel to raise yourself back up, and push through your toe to get back in the initial position. Repeat with the other leg. Finding your forward footing is an added challenge to your stability and balance, so make sure you start with relatively lighter weights.

Form tip: Beware not to use too narrow a step forward, which will compromise your balance and stability. Stepping too far, however, will not allow a significant range of motion and will decrease muscle recruitment.

Benefits of the Lunge

• Improved neuromuscular control, stabilization, and balance, because of the challenge created by the dynamic motion.
• Promotes core and a complete lower-body development — quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Lunge Variations

When the forward lunge is no longer a secret to you, try these variations to spice up your training or to focus more on certain benefits of the lift.

Walking Lunge

The lunge is dynamic in nature, so why not make it even more dynamic? The walking lunge will challenge your motor control and body awareness even more, as well as provide a robust stimulus for muscle growth because of the constant time under tension.

You can also use these to challenge your heart rate, and add a strength training element to your cardio routine.

Reverse Lunge

It might not seem like there’s a difference between stepping backward or stepping forward, but there actually is. The reverse lunge is a relatively safer and more stable exercise that can decrease knee stress.

It’s easier to control the eccentric and maintain your balance, making it an effective choice for size and strength.

Pendulum Lunge

This advanced variation will challenge your neuromuscular control like no other. It essentially combines a forward lunge and a reverse lunge into a single repetition. To perform it, step forward into a lunge, descend, and return to the initial position. Without letting your foot rest on the ground, immediately step back and transition into a reverse lunge.

This exercise challenges your whole body stability, making it a highly effective choice to reinforce your stabilizer muscles or jack up your heart rate because so many muscles are involved during each repetition.

How to Program the Right Movement

The split squat and lunge are both multi-joint free-weight exercises. As such, you can include these in any training program for a variety of goals, be it strength, size, or cardiovascular capacities.

Building Strength

Technically, experienced lifters could perform the split squat for sets of three, or even heavy single repetitions as long as form is maintained. However, the vast majority of lifters should stick to three to five sets of five to eight repetitions. This will ensure the best blend of size and strength to your wheels with a reduced risk of injuries, which can be increased during exercises with high stability requirements.

The forward lunge is not well-suited to very heavy weights because knee strain and impact can be increased during the stepping portion of the movement.

Building Muscle

If you’re more concerned with maximal size and a burning sensation in your legs, two to four sets of 10 to 15 repetitions of either the split squat or the lunge will scorch your lower body and core. Both exercises will provide an excellent hypertrophy stimulus, particularly when performed after your main heavy exercises.

Bodyweight-Only Cardio Training

Adding a strength training element to your cardio routine is a great way to develop multiple qualities at the same time — size, cardio, athleticism, strength. In fact, science has shown that bodyweight circuits can be as effective as any other form of cardio (treadmill, biking, etc.) to build endurance and shed body fat. (5)

Including these in your circuits is a great way to build your heart and your lower body at the same time. If you want to test your mettle, you can try performing walking lunges for distance, or for very high reps, one or two days per week. Aim to increase the distance or total repetitions each week.

• Week One: 50 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Two: 75 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Three: 100 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Four: 125 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Five: 150 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Six: 200 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Seven: 225 lunges total reps per leg
• Week Eight: 250 lunges total reps per leg

Battle for Better Legs

There are many possible ways to lunge, but as long as your working includes either the split squat or lunge, you’re on the right path to bigger, stronger legs. Now that the differences and advantages of each variation are laid out, include the movement best suited to your specific goals and needs, and take a step toward stronger, more muscular, more powerful legs.

References

1. Speirs, Derrick E.1,2; Bennett, Mark A.3; Finn, Charlotte V.4; Turner, Anthony P.2. Unilateral vs. Bilateral Squat Training for Strength, Sprints, and Agility in Academy Rugby Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 30(2):p 386-392, February 2016. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001096
2. Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo & Burgos, Carlos & Henríquez-Olguín, Carlos & Andrade, David & Martínez, Cristian & Álvarez, Cristian & Castro-Sepulveda, Mauricio & Marques, Mário & Izquierdo, Mikel. (2015). Effect of Unilateral, Bilateral, and Combined Plyometric Training on Explosive and Endurance Performance of Young Soccer Players. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29. 1317–1328. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000762.
3. Calatayud J, Vinstrup J, Jakobsen MD, Sundstrup E, Brandt M, Jay K, Colado JC, Andersen LL. Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016 Mar;116(3):527-33. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7. Epub 2015 Dec 23. PMID: 26700744.
4. Núñez FJ, Santalla A, Carrasquila I, Asian JA, Reina JI, Suarez-Arrones LJ. The effects of unilateral and bilateral eccentric overload training on hypertrophy, muscle power and COD performance, and its determinants, in team sport players. PLoS One. 2018 Mar 28;13(3):e0193841. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193841. PMID: 29590139; PMCID: PMC5874004.
5. Kim JW, Ko YC, Seo TB, Kim YP. Effect of circuit training on body composition, physical fitness, and metabolic syndrome risk factors in obese female college students. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018 Jun 30;14(3):460-465. doi: 10.12965/jer.1836194.097. PMID: 30018934; PMCID: PMC6028228.

Featured Image: Serhii Bobyk / Shutterstock

The post Split Squat vs. Lunge: Upgrade Your Single-Leg Training appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The dumbbell split squat, sometimes referred to as a static lunge, is performed in a split (or staggered) stance similar to a lunge position. Unlike the lunge, your feet won’t leave the floor during a split squat. This provides a little stability during a relatively less stable exercise

Here are a few different ways to work on the dumbbell split squat, along with variations, tips, and cues to get stronger at this single-leg focused movement.

Dumbbell Split Squat

• How to Do the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat Mistakes to Avoid
• How to Progress the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Benefits of the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Split Squat
• How to Program the Dumbbell Split Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat Variations
• FAQs

Split Squat Demonstration Video

Coach Morit Summers demonstrates a bodyweight split squat. The overall technique is identical to the dumbbell split squat, with the exception of the added resistance from a dumbbell in each hand.

How to Do the Dumbbell Split Squat

The dumbbell split can serve as your introduction to single-leg training. But even if you’re experienced with squats, lunges, and everything in between, this movement can be a great way to focus on each leg for more size and strength.

Step 1 — Begin Kneeling

Get on the ground in a half-kneeling or “proposal” position. Set your front foot flat on the floor with your knee bent at 90-degrees. Rest your back knee on the ground with your toes curled under, aimed into the ground. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight by your sides.

Form Tip: You could start the exercise from the top, in a standing position, but the strength of a split squat comes from establishing a great half-kneeling position and initiating the movement with strong legs. The bottom position also helps to set up a powerful, stable stance by creating a good front knee angle.

Step 2 — Drive Up to Standing Position

Grip the weights and pull your shoulders back. Drive through the ground with both feet and reach a standing position at the top. Keep both of your feet connected to the ground. Your front leg should lock nearly straight. When standing upright, your rear leg may remain slightly bent depending on your leg length.

Form Tip: Be sure to keep your front foot flat on the ground and don’t allow your front heel to rise up. If your front leg doesn’t fully lock out straight, that’s okay. Your leg length and mobility will be influencing factors. Focus on raising your hips toward the ceiling, not pushing backward to “lockout” your leg.

Step 3 — Lower Under Control

Reverse the motion with focus and control. Think about driving your hips back to bend your front leg. Bring your back knee toward the ground. Allow your upper body to slightly lean forward at the waist while your arms remain aimed straight down.

Form Tip: Avoid resting your knee on the ground in the bottom position. Lightly graze the floor with your back knee to get a full range of motion.

Dumbbell Split Squat Mistakes to Avoid

Some single-leg exercises can be tricky for lifters to master, either due to balance and stability issues, or muscular differences between each leg, or other factors. Here are some of key issues to watch for.

Feet Placed Too Narrow

Starting with your feet too narrow, or nearly in line with each other, will make balance a major obstacle. Imagine trying to walk on a balance beam that’s three inches wide compared to one that’s a foot wide.

In the starting position, get your feet roughly hip-distance apart. This will help provide a more stable base, so you can focus on working your leg muscles instead of fighting to stay balanced.

Avoid it: One benefit of starting the exercise from the half-kneeling position is that you can test your balance before the lift begins. Find stability in a staggered position with your feet placed properly. When you feel balanced in the half-kneeling position, then you can begin the set.

Raising Your Front Heel

Another way some lifters sabotage their balance is letting their front heel come off the ground when lowering themselves into the bottom position. This makes the stability of your ankle joint much more of a weak point than the strength of your relatively larger leg muscles. In fact, heel-raised exercises are used specifically to target the smaller ankle stabilizers and achilles tendon. (1) It’s not an efficient way to target hips, glute, and thigh muscles.

Avoid it: Imagine the sole of your shoe glued to the floor. Drive your hips back when raising or lowering your body. Keep your whole foot grounded and focus on applying force through your full foot, not just the ball of your foot.

Torso Stays Too Upright

Any squat or lunge, as well as the dumbbell split squat, should still have a degree of hip hinge or bending at the waist. Keeping your upper body too vertical can limit muscle recruitment in your lower body by not allowing your hips and glutes to fully activate.

When you stay upright, you may also feel more pressure or weight distribution around your knees instead of in your hips. Over the long-term, this may cause unnecessary strain on your knee joints.

Avoid it: Don’t try to keep your shoulders squared over your hips throughout the exercise. Keep your spine neutral, not rounded, but lean your shoulders slightly over your front thigh. Allow your hips to drive back, which will encourage your torso to naturally lean forward as you go into the bottom of the movement.

How to Progress the Dumbbell Split Squat

Beyond the most common methods of adding weight and/or increasing repetitions, the dumbbell split squat can be modified by manipulating tempo (rep speed), altering the range of motion, or deliberately adding instability.

Tempo or Rep Speed

Altering tempo is a great first step to progressing the dumbbell split squat. Tempo is just another word for the speed of each repetition. By specifically decreasing the speed you lift and lower your body, you are spending more time under tension, which can trigger more muscle growth. (2). Taking three to five seconds to rise into the top position and another three to five seconds to reach the bottom can be a high intensity way to train.

Moving with slower, more controlled movements is also a great way to be connected to an exercise and really focus on technique. This can help you avoid momentum and zone-in on muscle recruitment.

Adjusted Range of Motion

By adding blocks, steps, or stacked weight plates, you can change the range of motion, which can increase or decrease the difficulty. Adding elevation under your front foot, your back foot, or both feet will increase the range of motion and make the dumbbell split squat harder. This will create a much larger stretch on your leg muscles while you are sitting into the bottom position and there will be more work in the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement.

Adding something under your back knee will limit the range of motion and make the exercise less challenging. This is an effective modification if you have limited hip mobility because it helps to restrict the amount of stretch needed throughout the exercise.

Added Instability

Adding an element of instability will also challenge your nervous system which has its benefits as well. You can place a foam pad or thick-folded towel under your front foot to provide more of a stability challenge.

If you don’t have that equipment, you can instead set up with a narrow stance. While that was previously listed as a potential mistake, it can be used intentionally — only after you’ve mastered the basic movement — to add variety and increase the challenge without using heavier weights.

Benefits of the Dumbbell Split Squat

Many people overlook the benefits of single-leg training, including the dumbbell split squat, and overfocus on bilateral (two legged) squat variations. Here’s why you should incorporate the dumbbell split squat into your training program.

Single-Leg Power, Strength, and Size

It’s important to do unilateral lower body training work, including the dumbbell split squat, to address each leg individually. Traditional squats are a well-respected classic for a reason, but they are bilateral movements working both legs simultaneously. This can make it easy to compensate with your stronger leg when you are squatting — and every body has one leg slightly stronger or more developed than the other. With two-legged squats, your hips are squared off and your feet are planted symmetrically with a much more even base of support.

When you do a dumbbell split squat, you are changing your base of support, which then challenges your center of gravity, core stabilizers, and it changes the way your hips will work together. Single-leg training is also shown to possibly help reduce the risk of lower body injuries and improve power output compared to two-legged squatting. (3)(4)

Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Split Squat

The dumbbell split squat prioritizes most of the lower body muscles while also recruiting your upper body to stabilize and control the weight.

Quadriceps

Your quadriceps, or quads, are your front thigh muscles. These work to extend and lockout your leg as you rise into the top position. Your quads are generally considered the primary muscle during the dumbbell split squat.

Glutes and Hamstrings

As hip extensors, your glute and hamstring muscles work together to bring your lower body into alignment with your upper body. These muscles are put into a significant stretch in the bottom position of the dumbbell split squat, and they are activated to initiate the rise upward.

Allowing your upper body to lean forward during the hip hinge motion will more significantly recruit your glutes during the exercise.

Abductors and Adductors

Your abductor (“outer thigh”) and adductor (“inner thigh”) muscles work to stabilize your legs and control any side-to-side knee movement during the dumbbell split squat. These muscles are constantly firing during the exercise to prevent your knees, particularly your front knee, from either caving in or shifting to the outside.

How to Program the Dumbbell Split Squat

Everyone’s individual goals and programming needs are different. The thing that matters most is getting the right exercises throughout a training program to help you feel as strong as possible. However, there are some “best practices” that can help to efficiently fit the dumbbell split squat into your current training plan.

After Bilateral Exercises

Generally, it’s more effective to do bilateral movements before unilateral movements because you can have more focus on the bigger lifts and you can potentially use more weight before fatiguing your muscles with unilateral training.

For example, do dumbbell split squats either during leg day or as a part of a full-body workout after doing several sets of front squats. Performing the exercises in the opposite order — with dumbbell split squats before front squats — will take energy away from the potentially heavier lifting which can affect progress in the long-term.

Light to Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetition

The dumbbell split squat isn’t an exercise that allows the use of very heavy weights because your grip, core, and upper back will be the weak link before you can target your relatively stronger leg muscles. So it’s best to use a weight that allows a moderate amount of repetitions. Aim for two to four sets of eight to 15 repetitions per leg.

Dumbbell Split Squat Variations 

Once you’ve learned the basic dumbbell split squat, or if you’re looking for a “similar but different” single-leg exercise, there are a few top choices to consider.

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat might be all the rage with influencers on TikTok, but this rear-foot elevated movement was around long before social media. Having your back leg at a higher elevation increases the focus and muscular stress on your front leg.

A bulgarian split squat is a great example of progressing the basic dumbbell split squat by increasing range of motion while also adding instability — having your rear leg perched on a bench is less stable than keeping it flat on the floor. If you want to get really cruel, you can adjust the tempo and take several seconds for each phase of the repetition.

Dumbbell Step-up

Step-ups are another great option for single-leg training. The can be performed alternating legs with each repetition, which can give more of a cardio-type training effect, or by performing all reps with one leg at a time, which increases the time under tension and can trigger more muscle growth.

The step-up still focuses on using a good hip hinge while performing single-leg work. It’s more dynamic than the dumbbell split squat and can even be performed almost explosively with power, exploding into the top position, for greater strength and athleticism.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Andrew Revak, Keith Diers, Thomas W. Kernozek, Naghmeh Gheidi, Christina Olbrantz; Achilles Tendon Loading During Heel-Raising and -Lowering Exercises. J Athl Train 1 February 2017; 52 (2): 89–96. doi: https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-52.1.04
2. Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
3. Speirs, Derrick E.1,2; Bennett, Mark A.3; Finn, Charlotte V.4; Turner, Anthony P.2. Unilateral vs. Bilateral Squat Training for Strength, Sprints, and Agility in Academy Rugby Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 30(2):p 386-392, February 2016. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001096
4. Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo & Burgos, Carlos & Henríquez-Olguín, Carlos & Andrade, David & Martínez, Cristian & Álvarez, Cristian & Castro-Sepulveda, Mauricio & Marques, Mário & Izquierdo, Mikel. (2015). Effect of Unilateral, Bilateral, and Combined Plyometric Training on Explosive and Endurance Performance of Young Soccer Players. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29. 1317–1328. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000762.

Feature Image: antoniodiaz / Shutterstock

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