The Split Squat Question: When It’s Brilliant, When It’s Overrated, and How We Actually Use It

The split squat is one of the most overhyped and misunderstood movements in strength training.

Done well, it’s a fantastic tool for building strength and tolerance in deep knee flexion, cleaning up asymmetries, and supporting your squat. Done poorly, or used beyond its job description, it becomes a grind that stops delivering real returns.

At KILO, we like split squats. We just don’t treat them like the holy grail.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• What the split squat is for
  

• Where it shines (and where it doesn’t)
  

• How and when we move away from it
  

• Regressions, progressions, and variations we actually use
  

• How to think about split squats inside a long-term training system
  

What a Split Squat Is Actually For

In the KILO system, the split squat is primarily an assistance exercise for the squat.

Its main roles:

• Build loading capacity in deep knee flexion
  

• Improve stretch tolerance in the bottom range for the quads and hip flexors
  

• Strengthens the knee joint via a long, forward-directed pattern (knee over toes)
  

• Help you own the bottom of the squat with more confidence and control
  

Programmatically, we treat it as a knee extension dominant, bottom range biased assistance movement that helps set the table for better squatting, not as the centerpiece of a lower body program.

What a Good Split Squat Looks Like

When we talk about split squat strength standards, we’re not talking about half-reps with a short stance and a 90° knee angle.

A properly executed split squat at KILO looks like this:

• Long stance, not a tight 90/90 setup
  

• You move down and forward, not straight up and down
  

• The front knee travels over the toes
  

• Plenty of ankle dorsiflexion
  

• Front hamstring covers the calf at the bottom
  

• Back leg gets a rectus femoris stretch, but doesn’t need to be perfectly straight
  

• Upright torso, no hip shoot-back, no folding forward
  

• Same technique holds as the weight goes up, no cheating range to “chase numbers”
  

If technique collapses as load goes up, it doesn’t count toward the standard.

The KILO Split Squat Strength Standard

We use strength ratios as guides, not commandments. For the split squat, a useful reference is:

Split Squat  ≈ 41% of Back Squat

We typically don’t test a true 1RM split squat. Instead, we use training numbers (often sets of 6-8) and estimated 1RMs from software or standard formulas to compare both values.

Why this matters:

• If you’re well below that ratio, the split squat is a high-value tool to shore up the bottom of your squat.
  

• Once you’re at or beyond that range, continuing to drive the split squat heavier delivers diminishing returns for back squat performance.
  

At that point, the question isn’t “Can we load this more?” It’s “Does loading this more still move the main lift?”

Often, the answer is no.

When Split Squats Shine

1. Building Bottom-Range Strength for Squat Development

With early and intermediate phases, the split squat is a great way to develop:

• Strength in deep knee flexion
  

• Confidence in knee-over-toes positions
  

• Tolerance for quad-dominant loading in the bottom range
  

This is especially valuable if the athlete is:

• Weak out of the hole in a squat
  

• Lacking control in deep ranges
  

• Lacks mobility at the ankle, knee and hip joint
  

2. Cleaning Up Asymmetries

If there’s more than 10 percent difference between legs, the split squat is beneficial to:

• Load both sides through a full range of motion
  

• Emphasize the weaker leg (we start on the weaker side)
  

• Improve strength balance by matching the strong side performance to the weaker side
  

Even if someone is strong overall, we may keep split squats in longer purely to narrow that gap.

3. Knee Resiliency & Preparatory Work

Once top-range strength is in place, split squats help:

• Build resiliency around the knee joint
  

• Reinforce full-range knee extension strength
  

• Train the vastus medialis in a functional, knee-over-toes context
  

They’re especially useful after you’ve done the groundwork with step-up progressions and/or sled work.

Where Split Squats Fall Short

1. They Stop Transferring Past a Certain Point

Once an athlete reaches or exceeds that ~41 percent split squat to back squat strength ratio, we often alternate phases: one phase using the split squat, one phase removing it. If they continue well above this level with solid technique, pushing the split squat further rarely improves the squat, and at that stage we typically replace it with more productive assistance options.

At that point, further progress usually depends on:

• Squat technique refinement
  

• Intermuscular coordination (how muscles work together)
  

• Core bracing and abdominal force transfer
  

• Upper back strength and positional control
  

None of those are bottlenecked by your ability to split squat more.

2. They Don’t Fix Torso Collapse

If an athlete caves forward in the bottom of a squat due to weak posterior chain or upper back, split squats will not solve that. They’re too upright and too quad-dominant to fix that specific issue.

You’ll need:

• Squat variations
  

• Posterior-chain work
  

• Upper back emphasis
  

• Bracing drills and positional strength
  

3. They’re Not a Magic Mobility Exercise

Split squats are often oversold as a mobility cure.

Reality:

• Standard split squat programming (e.g., 3×8 @ 3010 tempo, once per week) gives very little total time in deep range.
  

• That volume isn’t enough to dramatically change true passive mobility, especially ankle dorsiflexion.
  

• What often improves first is motor control and coordination, not genuine tissue length.
  

Split squats can maintain range and help you express what you have, but they won’t magically turn 20° into 40° of dorsiflexion.

4. They’re Not Elite for Hypertrophy (Most of the Time)

Can you build muscle with split squats? Yes.

Are they our first choice for lower-body hypertrophy? No.

Reasons:

• Stability often fails before quads or glutes truly reach max effort.
  

• The movement is heavily bottom-range biased, especially without cables or special setups.
  

• For stronger lifters, load potential gets capped fast, especially with dumbbells.
  

A low-pulley one-and-a-quarter split squat is one of the better hypertrophy variants, but even that has a ceiling. For advanced lifters, bilateral lifts and machine work usually become the better hypertrophy engines.

When We Move Away from Split Squats

We don’t abandon split squats randomly. We move away when they’ve done their job.

We typically shift emphasis when we are alternating phases around the 41 percent strength standard, and permanently move away when:

• Technique is solid and consistent
  

• The athlete is above the 41% standard
  

• Asymmetry between legs is <5%
  

• The athlete’s squat limitations clearly lie elsewhere (posterior chain, core, upper back, technical issues)
  

From there, better progress usually comes from:

• Progressing to lunges (more dynamic, higher standard where we might use ~52% of back squat as a reference)
  

• Triple jumper step ups or more complex unilateral drills
  

• Squat specific variations: quad-dominant squat variations, specialty bar squats or squat variations with added specialty techniques
  

• Targeted posterior chain and trunk work
  

The split squat stops being the main assistant and becomes one of many options in the toolbox.

When Split Squats Are Not Appropriate (Yet)

If a client consistently has knee pain during split squats, it’s usually not “bad knees”, it’s poor preparation.

Common scenarios:

• Weak knee extensors in top range
  

• Lack of vastus medialis strength
  

• High bodyweight plus low strength
  

• Poor control in deep flexion
  

In these cases, we don’t force split squats. We build up to them.

Regressions We Use

1. Backward Sled Drags
   

• Concentric-dominant
  

• Easy to control and load heavily
  

• Great for building top-range quad strength
  

2. Step-Up Progressions
   

• Heel-Elevated Step Up (Poliquin step-up style) off the floor → then 2-6" elevation
  

• Side Step Up (height limited by ankle dorsiflexion)
  

• Front Step Up progressing to femur parallel, then add load
  

3. Bike Work for Severe Cases
   

• Post-surgery or high pain clients may start with a bike at resistance before stepping.
  

Progressions and Variations We Like

Once someone owns the basic pattern, we progress in load, implement, and complexity, not just reps.

Implement Progression

• Low pulley
  

• Dumbbells
  

• Barbell split squat
  

• Safety bar split squat
  

• Cambered bar split squat
  

• Front-rack split squat
  

Programming Details

• Remember: a split squat is not truly unilateral.
  The back leg is working isometrically, and both legs accumulate fatigue.
  

• When the trainee gets strong, take at least 30 seconds between legs so the second side isn’t undertrained.
  

• Once loads get heavy, the split squat should not become a grip test. Use straps or move to a barbell instead of letting the hands limit the legs.
  

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions

• Short, 90/90 stances with knees stuck over ankles → poor transfer, limited range
  

• "Don’t let the knee go over the toes" → outdated and counterproductive
  

• Treating split squats as a mobility cure with minimal time in range
  

• Using them as a forever main assistance even after the athlete is clearly strong enough
  

• Never loading them consistently enough to get strong
  

The split squat is a high-value tool if it’s loaded progressively and used within a system. It’s not magic, and it’s not meant to do every job.

How We Program Split Squats at KILO

In practice, we:

• Use split squats as a B-series assistance exercise to support the squat
  

• Load them progressively until the athlete is near the 41% standard, with good technique
  

• Keep them longer if limb asymmetries are significant or bottom-range strength is clearly a limiting factor
  

• Rotate in lunges and more advanced unilateral work as the next logical step
  

• Shift emphasis to more squat-specific bilateral exercises as the athlete becomes advanced
  

Final Thoughts: Use Split Squats Intelligently, Not Eternally

Split squats are a fantastic tool, for the right purpose, in the right phase, for the right athlete.

They help you:

• Build bottom-range capacity
  

• Strengthen individual legs
  

• Support squat performance in the early and intermediate stages
  

• Address asymmetries and knee resiliency
  

But they also have limitations:

• They stop transferring once the athlete is strong enough
  

• They don’t fix torso collapse or upper-back weaknesses
  

• They’re not an elite hypertrophy tool for most advanced lifters
  

• They don’t replace targeted mobility work
  

At KILO, we keep our options open regarding exercises. We use them to do a job. When that job is done, we move on to the next progression that will keep the main lifts climbing.

Use split squats as part of a system loaded with intent, progressed with purpose, and replaced when they’ve done their work.

Train with systems. Coach with clarity. Progress with purpose.