How to do the Split Squat
Step by step
- Stand in a split stance, one foot forward and one back, feet hip-width apart side to side.
- Keep your torso tall and most of your weight on the front foot.
- Bend both knees to lower straight down toward the floor.
- Lower until the back knee is just above the ground.
- Drive through the front heel to stand back up, then finish your reps and switch your feet.
The thing people get wrong
Move straight up and down in a fixed stance - do not let the front knee cave inward. Keep the front heel planted the whole time.
Coaching cue
Set your stance long enough that both knees can bend to about 90 degrees.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Rest one hand on a wall or rail until your balance is steady.
- Harder: Pause for two seconds at the bottom of each rep.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Quads, Glutes
- Secondary: Hamstrings, Core
What to do instead
Same job, different movement — useful if you don't have the equipment or it doesn't feel right today.
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.