Exercise Guide

Front-Foot Elevated Split Squat

A split squat with the front foot on a plate or step. The extra height gives a deeper hip stretch and biases the glute over the quad.

BeginnerStrengthPushCompound
Form
Front-Foot Elevated Split Squat - Start position
Start
Front-Foot Elevated Split Squat - Mid position
Mid
Front-Foot Elevated Split Squat - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Quads

Equipment

Dumbbell

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Push

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

GlutesCore
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Place a plate or low step under your front foot and take a split stance.

  2. 2

    Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.

  3. 3

    Lower until your back knee is close to the floor and you feel a stretch in the front hip.

  4. 4

    Drive through the front foot to stand, completing all reps before switching sides.

Tips
  • Only a few centimetres of elevation is needed - more just makes balance the limit.
  • A slight forward lean is right here; it is what pulls the glute into the movement.
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