Split Squats
An intermediate mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Split Squats
- Being in a standing position. Jump into a split leg position, with one leg forward and one leg back, flexing the knees and lowering your hips slightly as you do so.
- As you descend, immediately reverse direction, standing back up and jumping, reversing the position of your legs. Repeat 5-10 times on each leg.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Split Squats
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
World's Greatest Stretch
An intermediate mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
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2
Seated Hamstring and Calf Stretch
An intermediate mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
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3
Intermediate Groin Stretch
An intermediate isolation mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
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4
Front Leg Raises
A beginner mobility exercise that works the hamstrings, needing no equipment.
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5
Hamstring-SMR
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the hamstrings, using a foam roller.
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6
Inchworm
A beginner compound mobility exercise that works the hamstrings, needing no equipment.
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7
Lying Hamstring
An advanced mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
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8
Runner's Stretch
A beginner mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
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9
Seated Floor Hamstring Stretch
A beginner mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
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10
Seated Hamstring
An advanced mobility exercise that works the hamstrings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do split squats work?
Split Squats primarily works the hamstrings. The calves, glutes and quads assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for split squats?
The source dataset does not record equipment for split squats. Check the instructions above before you set up.
Split Squats: is it suitable for beginners?
Split Squats is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.
What can I do instead of split squats?
World's Greatest Stretch, Seated Hamstring and Calf Stretch, Intermediate Groin Stretch train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
How do I log split squats in Fitnit?
As time held rather than reps. Fitnit records the seconds and credits them to the hamstrings on your body map, so you can see which muscles you train hard and never stretch.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
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