Dumbbell split squat

What it is

Set up as for a split squat — one foot well forward, one well back, back heel off the floor — holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.

Lower straight down until the back knee is close to the floor, then press back up. Complete the set on one side before swapping.

Holding the weights at your sides rather than at your chest is the simplest version and puts the least demand on your upper body.

What it demands

Single-leg strength through a full range, at bodyweight plus whatever you are holding.

Hip extension range on the trailing leg, which is often the actual limiter.

Grip, for the duration of the set.

Much less absolute weight than a two-legged squat needs. This is the practical point and the reason this movement matters at home: one leg is doing most of the work, so a pair of modest dumbbells produces a genuinely hard set. Loading a two-legged squat to the same effect needs far heavier weights than most people own.

What usually goes wrong

Stance too short, as in the unloaded version — the back hip cannot extend and the front knee is crowded.

Leaning forward. Straight down, not forward. Weights at the sides make this easier to get right than a front-loaded version.

Wobbling. Usually a narrow front-to-back stance. Feet on two parallel lines rather than one.

Doing the strong side first and matching it. Start with the weaker side and let it set the number.

Where it sits

The most efficient loaded leg movement available to someone with a limited set of dumbbells, and that argument is worth stating plainly: halving the number of legs doubles the load without buying anything.

It follows the unloaded split squat directly, and leads to the reverse lunge, which adds the step. The step-up is the other loaded single-leg option and loads the front leg differently.