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Exercises

Split squat alternatives: harder, heavier, or easier on your knees

Published October 23, 2026

The best split squat alternative depends on why you are swapping. To make it harder, raise your back foot and do the Bulgarian split squat; to go heavier, put a barbell on your back or use the Smith machine. For more glutes, do step-ups or reverse lunges; if the bottom bothers your knee, try the band Spanish split squat. With no equipment, do reverse lunges, then skater squats once those get easy.

What a dumbbell split squat alternative has to replace

The dumbbell split squat trains your quads and glutes one leg at a time with both feet planted. The load is hardest at the bottom, with your back knee near the floor and your front knee deeply bent.

How to do the dumbbell split squat

Harder or heavier

When your dumbbells feel light, raise the back foot or move the load to a bar.

Harder version with a bench

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Raising your back foot on a bench moves nearly all the load to your front leg, so the same dumbbells feel much heavier. The usual next step once split squats get easy.

How to do it

  1. Stand about two of your own foot lengths in front of a knee-height bench, a dumbbell in each hand, and set your back foot laces-down on the bench.
  2. Shuffle your front foot until it sits straight under your hip line, hip-width from the back foot, so you are not balancing on a tightrope.
  3. Brace, then drop your back knee straight toward the floor until it almost touches and your front thigh is at or below parallel.
  4. Drive through your whole front foot and stand back up without pushing off the back leg.
  5. Finish every rep on one side before you switch, and start each set with your weaker leg.

Cues

  • Back knee drops straight down
  • Whole front foot stays heavy
  • Back leg is a kickstand, not a motor

Common mistakes

  • Front foot too close or too far: if your front heel lifts, step it forward; if you feel a stretch in the front of the back hip and little else, step it back.
  • Bench too high: if your back knee cannot get near the floor, drop to a lower box or a stack of plates.
  • Pushing off the back foot: keep the back toes relaxed on the bench and slow the lowering until the front leg does the work.
Build a session with Bulgarian Split Squat

Heaviest swap

Barbell Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Same stance with the bar on your back, so you can load the split squat well past what you can hold in your hands. Pick it when grip limits your dumbbell sets.

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

Heavy one-leg swap on rails

Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The rails steady the bar, so you can load the harder rear-foot-elevated version heavy without wobbling.

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

Machines and cables

A cable to lean on or a machine to hold you, so balance never ends the set.

Cable swap that steadies you

Cable Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

The low cable pulling the bar out in front of you gives you something to balance against, so the split squat feels more stable in a gym.

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

  • Stay tall against the pull
  • 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

Machine swap, no balance

Single-Leg Leg Press

Quads

One foot on the platform trains each leg on its own with your back supported. Use it when your back or balance is the limit.

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. Bend your working knee and let the platform come back toward you with control until the knee is well bent and your hip stays on the seat.
  3. Press through that one foot to straighten the leg 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 your hips to finish the rep: drop the weight until both hips stay flat on the seat.
  • Starting with your stronger leg and doing extra reps: match the weaker side's reps on both.
Build a session with Single-Leg Leg Press

Dumbbells

Change how you hold the weight or which way you step.

Same lift with one dumbbell

Dumbbell Goblet Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Hugging one dumbbell at your chest keeps your torso upright and frees your grip. The swap when you only have one dumbbell.

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

Glute-heavy swap

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Driving up onto a knee-high box trains the same front leg and works your glutes hard at the top.

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.
Build a session with Step-Up

Same stance, add a step

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back into each rep adds a little balance and a little more glute work than a planted split squat. Use it to vary your one-leg work with the same dumbbells.

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 your torso twist or lean to the side as you tire: keep both dumbbells hanging straight down.
Build a session with Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Bands and bodyweight

No weights: a band to keep your shin upright, or one leg at a time to make bodyweight hard.

Swap that keeps your shin upright

Band Spanish Split Squat

Quads

The band pulls your front knee back so your shin stays near vertical and your quads carry the rep. Pick it when the bottom of a split squat bothers your knee.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a long loop band at knee height to a post or a closed door, and step your front leg into it so it sits just under the knee.
  2. Step back until the band pulls firmly, then take a split stance the other leg back.
  3. Lower straight down, letting the band hold your front knee back, until the front thigh is about level with the floor.
  4. Press through the front foot to rise. Finish the set, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Lean into the band
  • Front shin stays upright
  • Straight down, straight up

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close, so the band goes slack: step back until it pulls hard at the bottom.
  • Pushing off the back foot: keep most of your weight on the front leg.
Build a session with Band Spanish Split Squat

Best with no equipment

Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back keeps most of your weight on the front leg, so it trains the same quads and glutes with bodyweight alone. Hold a kettlebell at your chest once bodyweight gets easy.

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 weight: the next step once bodyweight reverse lunges get easy.

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

Two example sessions add a hamstring exercise for the back of your legs.

Hamstrings, to pair with the swaps

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Split squats and their swaps train the front of your thighs and your glutes. A curl covers the hamstrings.

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.

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

Example sessions without the dumbbell split squat

Session 1

Gym, split squats feel too light

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Leg Press, Lying Leg Curl

You train in a gym, and your split squats are limited by how heavy a dumbbell you can hold, not by your legs.

The barbell split squat takes the split squat's place at lower reps with long rest, because the bar lets you load it heavier. The single-leg leg press adds volume with no balance, and a leg curl trains the hamstrings. 10 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Split Squat1 warm-up set firstSets are per leg. 4 × 6–8 2 3 min
Single-Leg Leg PressSets are per leg. 3 × 10–12 1 90 s
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Start every set with your weaker leg.
How to progress
When every barbell set reaches 8 reps at the RIR shown, add the smallest jump your plates allow. On the other lifts, reach the top of the range first, then add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home, dumbbells, glutes first

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You train at home with a pair of dumbbells and a box or sturdy step, and you want your glutes to do more of the work.

The reverse lunge and step-up shift more of the load to your glutes than a planted split squat. A dumbbell Romanian deadlift trains the glutes and hamstrings from a stretch, and a goblet split squat finishes. 12 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge1 warm-up set firstSets are per leg. 4 × 8–12 2 90 s
Step-UpSets are per leg. 3 × 10–12 2 75 s
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Goblet Split SquatSets are per leg. 2 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Lean your chest slightly forward on the lunges and step-ups.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then move up a dumbbell. At your heaviest, slow the lowering to three seconds.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No weights, just a band

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

You train at home with a long resistance band and your bodyweight.

With no weight, every set goes close to failure at higher reps. The reverse lunge replaces the split squat, the skater squat is the hard one-leg squat, and the band Spanish split squat finishes your quads with your shins upright. 10 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse LungeSets are per leg. 4 × 12–20 1 1 min
Skater SquatSets are per leg. 3 × 6–10 1 90 s
Band Spanish Split SquatSets are per leg. 3 × 15–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Two or three times a week. Take each set within one rep of failure.
How to progress
Add reps to the top of each range, then slow the lowering to four seconds, then lower the knee touch on the skater squat or use a thicker band.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What can I substitute split squats with?

Reverse lunges and step-ups are the closest swaps with dumbbells. To make it harder, do the Bulgarian split squat; on a machine, the single-leg leg press.

Is the split squat an easier variation of the Bulgarian split squat?

Yes. Keeping your back foot on the floor makes it easier to balance and spreads the load a little between both legs. It is the usual way to work up to the Bulgarian.

Can I build legs without squatting?

Yes. The single-leg leg press, Romanian deadlift and leg curl train every major leg muscle without a squat, if you take sets close to failure.

Can I grow glutes without Bulgarian split squats?

Yes. Step-ups, reverse lunges and Romanian deadlifts all load the glutes hard. Use a slightly longer stance and a small forward lean on the one-leg lifts.

What is a good alternative to squats for a bad back?

The single-leg leg press keeps your back supported and the load off your spine. Split squats with dumbbells at your sides are the free-weight option, since nothing sits on your shoulders.

Split squat vs lunge: which is better?

Neither. The split squat keeps your feet planted, which makes it easier to balance and load; the lunge adds a step and a little more glute work. Use the one you can push closer to failure.