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Exercises

Bulgarian split squat alternatives for balance, no bench, or home

Published October 23, 2026

The best Bulgarian split squat alternative is the dumbbell split squat: the same one-leg squat with your back foot on the floor, so it needs less balance and no bench. If balance is the problem in a gym, do the Smith machine Bulgarian split squat or a single-leg leg press. For more glutes, use step-ups or reverse lunges; with no equipment, reverse lunges and skater squats still load one leg at a time.

What a Bulgarian split squat alternative has to replace

The Bulgarian split squat puts nearly all of the load on your front leg, so it trains your quads and glutes one side at a time and makes light dumbbells feel heavy. It loads them hardest at the bottom, with your front knee deeply bent and your back hip stretched.

A good replacement keeps one leg doing most of the work and lets you reach that same deep bottom.

How to do the Bulgarian split squat

In the gym: swaps that steady you

If the Bulgarian ends because you tip over, let a machine or a cable hold you in place. Your legs then decide when the set is over.

Same lift, balance taken care of

Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The rails hold the bar steady, so you get the full Bulgarian split squat without wobbling. Pick it when balance, not your legs, ends your sets.

How to do it

  1. Put a bench behind the Smith machine, set the bar on your upper back, and rest one foot on the bench behind you.
  2. Place the front foot far enough forward that your shin stays close to vertical at the bottom.
  3. Unhook the bar and lower straight down until your back knee is close to the floor.
  4. Drive through the front heel to stand up, finish the set, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Front foot well forward
  • Straight down on the track
  • Heel stays heavy

Common mistakes

  • Setting the front foot too close so the knee travels far forward: move it out before you load the bar.
  • Pushing off the back foot: it only rests on the bench.
Build a session with Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

Machine swap, no balance at all

Single-Leg Leg Press

Quads

One foot on the platform trains each leg on its own with your back supported. It is the swap when you want one-leg work and nothing to balance.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the press and set one foot in the middle of the platform, the other resting on the floor or frame.
  2. Lower the platform with control until your working knee is well bent and your hip stays on the seat.
  3. Push the platform away with that one foot without twisting your pelvis.
  4. Finish all reps on one side, then switch.

Cues

  • Hips square
  • Same depth on both legs
  • Smooth, not jerky

Common mistakes

  • Rotating the hips to cheat the platform up: drop the weight until both hips stay flat.
  • Starting with your stronger leg and doing extra reps: match the weaker side's reps on both.
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Cable swap that steadies you

Cable Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Holding a bar on a low cable gives you something to lean against, which makes a split squat easier to balance. Both feet stay on the floor.

How to do it

  1. Clip a straight bar to the bottom pulley, hold it in both hands with an overhand grip and back away from the stack.
  2. Step into a long split stance, front foot flat and back heel up, with the bar hanging in front of you and the cable pulling forward.
  3. Keep your chest tall and lower your back knee straight toward the floor until your front thigh is about level.
  4. Push through your whole front foot to stand, finish the reps on that leg, then switch.

Cues

  • Lean back against the cable
  • Straight down, straight up
  • Front heel heavy

Common mistakes

  • A stance so short your front heel lifts: lengthen it before the first rep.
  • Letting the cable pull you forward onto your toes: stand a little farther from the stack and stay tall.
Build a session with Cable Split Squat

Heavier barbell swap

Barbell Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Same split stance with the back foot on the floor, and the bar on your back lets you load it well past what you can hold in your hands.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar on your upper back and step into a long split stance, front foot flat, back heel up.
  2. Brace and lower your back knee straight toward the floor.
  3. Stop with the back knee an inch above the floor and the front thigh about level.
  4. Stand up through the front foot without stepping, and finish one side before switching.

Cues

  • Long stance
  • Straight down and up
  • Weight over the front foot

Common mistakes

  • A short stance that pushes the front knee far forward and lifts the heel: lengthen it.
  • Rocking forward and back instead of moving vertically: picture an elevator.
Build a session with Barbell Split Squat

Dumbbells, no bench needed

All of these keep your back foot on the floor. Start with the split squat, then add the lunge or step-up for more glutes.

Closest swap: back foot on the floor

Dumbbell Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The same one-leg squat with your back foot on the floor instead of a bench. It needs less balance and no bench, and it is the easier version to learn first.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and take a long step back with one foot, landing on the ball of that foot.
  2. Check your stance: feet about hip-width apart side to side, like two rails, and your front foot flat from heel to toes.
  3. Brace, then bend both knees and lower straight down until your back knee is a couple of inches from the floor.
  4. Push the floor away with your whole front foot and stand up to just short of locking out, without moving your feet.
  5. Do every rep on one leg, then switch, starting each set with your weaker side.

Cues

  • Elevator down, not forward
  • Front foot flat, heel down
  • Back knee nearly kisses the floor

Common mistakes

  • Feet on a tightrope: if you wobble, widen your feet sideways until each sits under its own hip.
  • Stance too short: if your front heel lifts at the bottom, slide the back foot further back before the next set.
  • Rocking forward instead of dropping: keep your weight between both feet and let the back knee travel straight down.
Build a session with Dumbbell Split Squat

One dumbbell, held at your chest

Dumbbell Goblet Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

A split squat with one dumbbell hugged to your chest. Holding the weight in front keeps your torso upright and frees your hands from gripping two dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Hug a dumbbell upright against your sternum and step into a split stance with your back heel lifted.
  2. Keep your torso straight and lower until your back knee nearly touches the floor.
  3. Push up through the front foot, keeping the dumbbell close.
  4. Finish the reps on one side, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Dumbbell tight to the chest
  • Back knee to the floor
  • Front heel stays down

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbell drift away from your body: it pulls you forward and costs balance.
  • Short, choppy reps: go to the floor every time.
Build a session with Dumbbell Goblet Split Squat

Glutes and quads, no bench

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back each rep puts the load on your front leg like a Bulgarian, with both feet on the floor. A slightly longer step and a small forward lean move more of the work to your glutes.

How to do it

  1. Start tall with a dumbbell hanging from each hand and your feet under your hips.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until your back knee is just above the floor and your front thigh is near parallel.
  3. Keep your front heel flat and your chest tall.
  4. Push through your front foot to bring the back foot forward to the start, then alternate or finish all reps on one side.

Cues

  • Front shin stays vertical
  • Back knee kisses the floor
  • Drive through the front heel

Common mistakes

  • Taking a short step so the front knee shoots forward and the heel lifts: step farther back.
  • Letting the torso twist or lean to the side as you tire; keep both dumbbells hanging straight down.
Build a session with Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Glute-heavy swap with a box

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Driving up onto a knee-high box trains the same front leg and pushes your glutes hard at the top. Use it when the bench is there but the split stance is not working for you.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing a sturdy bench or box at about knee height, a dumbbell hanging at each side.
  2. Plant your working foot flat in the middle of the box, close enough that your heel is fully on it.
  3. Lean your chest slightly over that knee, then push down through the whole foot and stand tall on top.
  4. Let the trailing foot come up beside the working one without pushing off the floor to get there.
  5. Lower the trailing foot back to the floor slowly, keeping the working leg bent and in charge the whole way.
  6. Do every rep on one leg before switching, and start with your weaker side.

Cues

  • Back foot is a passenger
  • Whole foot on the box
  • Lower in two to three seconds

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing off the back foot: lift the toes of the trailing foot before each rep so it cannot help, and lighten the dumbbells until you can.
  • Box too high: if your hips shift sideways or you have to lurch to get up, drop to a lower box until you can rise straight.
  • Dropping down: if the trailing foot lands with a thud, you skipped the lowering; slow it down and count it.
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Easiest swap for beginners

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Both feet on the floor and one dumbbell at your chest, so there is no balance to learn. It trains the same quads and glutes, just on two legs.

How to do it

  1. Pick up one dumbbell, stand it on end and cup the top plate in both palms so it rests against your breastbone.
  2. Set your feet a little wider than your hips with your toes turned out slightly, and point your elbows at the floor.
  3. Take a breath and brace, then sit straight down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes.
  4. Go as deep as you can while your heels stay down and the dumbbell stays against your chest; your elbows should finish just inside your knees.
  5. Drive your whole foot into the floor and stand up tall, then breathe and brace again before the next rep.

Cues

  • Dumbbell glued to your breastbone
  • Sit down between your heels
  • Elbows inside your knees at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbell drift away from your chest: your arms tire before your legs and you tip forward, so keep it pinned and pick a weight you can hold for the whole set.
  • Heels lifting at the bottom: stop the rep a little higher or put a small plate under each heel.
  • Knees falling inward on the way up: push them out toward your little toes and use your elbows as a guide at the bottom.
Build a session with Goblet Squat

Bodyweight

No weights at all: one leg at a time makes your bodyweight enough.

Best with no equipment

Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back keeps nearly all your weight on the front leg, so each rep is close to a one-leg squat. Both feet stay on the floor, so there is no bench and far less to balance.

How to do it

  1. Start tall with feet hip-width apart, hands on your hips or holding a kettlebell at your chest or a weight in each hand.
  2. Shift your weight onto one foot and step the other foot straight back about two feet, landing on the ball of the foot.
  3. Lower your back knee toward the floor until it nearly touches, with your front shin close to vertical and your chest up.
  4. Keep most of your weight in the front foot and push through its whole sole to stand and bring the back foot forward.
  5. Finish standing tall on both feet, then repeat on the same side for all reps or alternate legs.

Cues

  • Weight stays in the front foot
  • Back knee straight down
  • Push the floor away to stand

Common mistakes

  • Stepping back too short: if your front knee shoots far past your toes and your heel lifts, take a longer step.
  • Pushing off the back foot: the back leg only balances you; drive up through the front heel and mid-foot.
  • Front knee caving in: keep it tracking over your middle toes; slow the descent or reduce the weight until it does.
Build a session with Reverse Lunge

Hardest bodyweight swap

Skater Squat

Quads, Glutes

A one-leg squat to a knee touch with no bench and no weight. It is harder than a Bulgarian, so strong lifters can still reach failure at home.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one foot and bend the other knee so that foot is behind you, arms straight out in front as a counterweight.
  2. Push your hips back and lean your chest forward as you bend the standing knee.
  3. Lower until the back knee is just above the floor.
  4. Drive through your standing foot to stand tall; sets are per leg.

Cues

  • Arms forward as the counterweight
  • Chest leans, back stays flat
  • Back knee to a folded towel

Common mistakes

  • Only going down a few inches: put a folded towel or cushion where your knee should land and touch it every rep.
  • Letting the standing knee collapse inward: track it over your toes, and slow the lowering if it wobbles.
Build a session with Skater Squat

Hamstrings to pair with them

Each example session adds one exercise for the back of your legs.

Hamstrings, to pair with the swaps

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

The Bulgarian and its swaps train the front of your thigh and your glutes. A curl covers the hamstrings in the same session.

How to do it

  1. Set the machine so your knees line up with the pivot point when you lie face down, and move the ankle pad to sit on your lower calves, just above your heels.
  2. Lie flat with your kneecaps hanging just past the end of the bench, hold the handles and press your hips into the pad.
  3. Bend your knees and pull the pad up in a smooth arc until your heels are as close to your glutes as the machine allows.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top without letting your hips lift off the bench.
  5. Lower the pad over about two seconds until your legs are almost straight, and start the next rep before the stack touches down.

Cues

  • Hips glued to the pad
  • Heels to glutes
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips as the weight gets heavy: your lower back takes over and the hamstrings do less. Drop the load until your hips stay down on every rep.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: that cuts out the part of the rep where your hamstrings are longest. Let your legs come back to almost straight before you curl again.
  • Swinging the pad up: a kick from the bottom hands the hardest part of the rep to momentum. Count two seconds down and start each rep from a dead stop.
Build a session with Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings and glutes with dumbbells

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The hinge to pair with a dumbbell leg day, so the back of your thighs gets trained too.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, one dumbbell per hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Unlock your knees slightly, pull your shoulders down and back, and take a breath into your stomach.
  3. Push your hips straight back and let your chest tip forward, sliding the dumbbells down the front of your legs with your back flat and knees barely changing angle.
  4. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched and your hips will not travel back any farther, typically with the dumbbells somewhere between the knee and mid-shin.
  5. Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall, finishing upright without leaning back.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells skim your legs
  • Stand tall, don't lean back

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees more as you go down: that turns the hinge into a squat; keep the knee bend you started with and let the hips do the moving.
  • Rounding the back to reach lower: end the rep where your hips stop going back, even if the dumbbells are only at your knees.
  • Letting the dumbbells drift forward: keep them brushing your thighs and shins so the load stays over your feet and off your lower back.
Build a session with Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings with no equipment

Nordic Hamstring Curl

Hamstrings

Lunges and one-leg squats leave the back of your thighs mostly out. Lowering your body forward from your knees loads your hamstrings hard with only a partner or a couch to hold your ankles.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on a pad and have a partner hold your ankles down, or hook your heels under something heavy like a couch.
  2. Push your hips forward so your body makes one line from knees to head.
  3. Tip forward from the knees as slowly as you can, letting your hamstrings brake the fall.
  4. When you can no longer hold it, catch yourself on your hands.
  5. Give a small push off the floor and pull with your hamstrings back up to kneeling.

Cues

  • Hips forward, body straight
  • Slowest possible lowering
  • Hands catch, then barely help

Common mistakes

  • Folding at the hips to make it easier: squeeze your glutes and keep the line from knees to shoulders.
  • Dropping as soon as it gets hard: fight the fall the whole way down, since the lowering is the rep.
Build a session with Nordic Hamstring Curl

Example sessions without the Bulgarian split squat

Session 1

Gym, but balance limits your Bulgarians

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentSmith Machine, Leg Press, Adjustable Cable, Lying Leg Curl

You train in a gym and like one-leg work, but you wobble before your legs tire on a bench-supported split squat.

The Smith machine Bulgarian split squat keeps the lift and removes the wobble. The single-leg leg press adds one-leg volume with no balance, the cable split squat finishes with something to lean on, and a leg curl covers the hamstrings. 11 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat1 warm-up set firstSets are per leg. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Single-Leg Leg PressSets are per leg. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Cable Split SquatSets are per leg. 2 × 12–15 1 1 min
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Start every one-leg set with your weaker side.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of its range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home, dumbbells but no bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You have a pair of dumbbells at home and nothing to rest your back foot on.

The dumbbell split squat takes the Bulgarian's place with your back foot on the floor. The reverse lunge adds more glutes, the goblet squat trains both legs at once, and a dumbbell Romanian deadlift covers the hamstrings. 13 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Split Squat1 warm-up set firstSets are per leg. 4 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Reverse LungeSets are per leg. 3 × 10–12 2 75 s
Goblet Squat 3 × 12–15 2 75 s
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. If your dumbbells are light, slow the lowering to three seconds.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then move up a dumbbell. At your heaviest, add a one-second pause at the bottom.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No equipment

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You train at home with only your bodyweight.

Bodyweight is light for two legs, so the squats work one leg at a time. The skater squat is the hard one-leg squat and goes first, the reverse lunge replaces the Bulgarian, and the Nordic curl trains your hamstrings. 10 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skater SquatSets are per leg. 3 × 6–10 1 90 s
Reverse LungeSets are per leg. 4 × 12–20 1 1 min
Nordic Hamstring Curl 3 × 3–6 1 2 min
How to run it
Two or three times a week. Take each set within one rep of failure; with no load, the last reps are the ones that count.
How to progress
Add reps until you reach the top of each range, then slow the lowering to four seconds. On the skater squat, lower the knee target; on the Nordic curl, catch yourself later each week.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good replacement for Bulgarian split squats?

The dumbbell split squat is the closest: same one-leg squat, back foot on the floor, no bench. Reverse lunges and step-ups also work one leg at a time and shift a little more of the load to your glutes.

How do you modify a Bulgarian split squat?

Lower the bench, hold onto a rack with one hand, or drop the back foot to the floor and do a split squat. The Smith machine version keeps the lift and removes the balance.

Is a Bulgarian split squat the same as a leg press?

No. Both train quads and glutes, but the Bulgarian works one leg at a time and needs balance, while the leg press uses both legs on a machine. The single-leg leg press sits between them.

Are Bulgarian split squats necessary?

No single exercise is. Any one-leg squat or lunge that you take close to failure through a deep knee bend trains the same muscles.

What is a Bulgarian split squat alternative for glutes?

Step-ups and reverse lunges with a slightly longer step and a small forward lean put more of the load on your glutes. Pair them with a dumbbell Romanian deadlift.

What is a Bulgarian split squat alternative at home?

With dumbbells, do split squats or reverse lunges. With no equipment, do reverse lunges and skater squats taken close to failure.