Split Squat Exercise
Builds unilateral lower-body strength in a stationary stance before adding external load or stepping demands.
How to Do the Exercise
Setup
Stand in a comfortable split stance with one foot forward and one foot behind. Keep a sturdy support nearby if needed for balance.
How to perform it
Lower the body by bending both knees while keeping most of the effort through the front leg. Descend through a comfortable controlled range, then press through the feet to return to standing.
Dosage
3 sets, 8–10 repetitions each leg, Tempo 3-1-2, Rest 60–90 seconds
What to Focus On
Key cues
- Keep most of the effort through the front leg
- Lower straight down through a comfortable range
- Keep the front knee tracking with the foot
- Use support only as needed
Why use it
Builds unilateral lower-body strength in a stationary stance before adding external load or stepping demands.
When to use it
Useful when bilateral squat strength is established and greater unilateral loading is appropriate without adding a stepping task.
Common mistakes
- Shifting most of the work to the rear leg
- Letting the front knee collapse inward
- Using a stance length or depth that changes control
- Dropping quickly into the bottom position
Know When to Progress or Scale Back
Use your movement quality and symptom response to decide whether the current version still fits.
Progress when
- The current depth is smooth and controlled
- You can complete the full set with minimal support
- Symptoms settle appropriately afterward
Scale back if
- You need substantial hand support
- The front knee buckles or movement quality deteriorates
- Pain or swelling remains meaningfully worse afterward
Was This the Right Challenge Today?
Use the same three signals that matter inside Therapeutic Edge recovery plans: how challenging the exercise felt, how well you controlled it, and how your body responded afterward.
Answer after the exercise and, when possible, after you know your later or next-day response. This checks one exercise today; it does not change or save a rehab plan.
One quick question
Help us make this clearer.
Your response helps us improve our guidance and make the next step easier to understand.