Quads exercise
Band Split SquatHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings
- Equipment
- Band
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Band Split Squat?
- Stand on the middle of a band with one foot and rest the top of the other foot on a box behind you.
- Hold a band handle in each hand, arms long, hands by your front knee.
- Lower straight down until your front thigh is level with the floor.
- Keep your front heel down and your chest up.
- Drive through your front foot to stand up against the band; switch legs after the set.
Cues
- Straight down, not forward.
- Front heel heavy.
- Arms just hold the handles; the legs do the work.
Common mistakes
- Standing too close to the box.
- Pulling with the arms.
- Letting the front knee cave in.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
A rear-foot-elevated split squat loaded with a tube band, as the GIF shows: the band stands under the front foot and the hands hold the handles down at the front knee, so the band stretches as you stand up. The box behind is about knee height.
Starting position
A box about knee height behind you. Rest the top of the left foot on it, laces down. Stand on the middle of the band with the right foot about 0.75 m ahead of the box, feet hip-width side to side. Hold a handle in each hand, arms long, reaching down in front of the hips to the front knee. Stand tall.
The movement
Lower straight down until the front thigh is level with the floor, the rear knee dropping towards the floor, chest up. Push through the whole front foot against the band back up until the front knee is almost straight.
Breathing
Breathe in on the way down, breathe out as you drive up.
Tempo
2 s down, a 0.3 s pause, 1.5 s up, 0.5 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front knee at the bottom | 99–100° (thigh level) | 85–105° | |
| Front knee at the top | 6° | ≤ 10° | |
| Rear knee at the bottom | 115°, joint 12–13 cm off the floor | never touching the floor | |
| Trunk from vertical at the bottom | 8–11° | 0–15° | |
| Rear foot | laces down on the box, toes pointing back | stays put | |
| Band | straight up from under the front foot to the handles | never through the leg |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Band Split Squat is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- ExRx.net, "Barbell Single Leg Split Squat" and its bodyweight version (the top of the rear foot on a bench, lower the rear knee nearly to the floor, most of the load on the front leg, torso fairly upright, front knee in line with the foot)
- ACE Exercise Library, "Bulgarian Split Squat" (rear foot elevated, lower straight down, front heel down)
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016), ch. 15
