Split Squats and Lunges

When it comes to lower body exercises, split squats and lunges are two fundamental movements that often find their way into workout routines. They both target the legs and glutes but have distinct differences in execution and offer some unique benefits. In this blog post, we'll dive into the disparities between split squats and lunges and explore the advantages of each to help you decide which one best suits your fitness goals.

Split Squats vs. Lunges: What Sets Them Apart?

Split squats (also known as stationary lunges or static lunges) are a unilateral leg exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. They involve a split stance with one foot forward and the other back. Both legs will work however the front leg will be targeted a bit more - roughly 60/40. Single leg exercises also work on improving and enhancing balance and core engagement. In terms of stability, split squats are slightly more stable than lunges. This is because you’re stationary in one position. This increased stability means that it’s easier to load heavier because your feet remain planted. If you’re in a strength phase, split squat may be a better choice due to the increased balance and stability.

In contrast, lunges are dynamic movements involving a forward, reverse or lateral stepping motion, which further challenges stability and coordination compared to a split squat. Lunges also differ from split squats due to their increased deceleration demands. This means that your quads, glutes and stabilizing muscles need to work harder than in a split squat in order to decelerate that forwards/backwards motion. This tends to be a favourable exercise for many athletes as most sports involve some sort of single leg deceleration.

Lunges also put more emphasis on the front leg while split squats tend to be a bit more balanced. If you have some muscular imbalances, it may be more effective to perform lunges in this case to really focus on improving the weaker side.

Which one is harder? In terms of technique and stability, lunges are harder. However, you can easily load more weight with a split squat which would have it’s own strength benefits over lunges and you can increase the difficulty that one.

Which one should you do? I’d say both! Variation in your program can be great for strength and muscle. If you’re new to working out or haven’t in a while, you should do split squats first. Once you build up some strength and coordination you can move up to doing either heavier split squats or switch to lunges!

Benefits of Split Squats and Lunges

1. Unilateral Strength: Split squats and lunges can help correct muscle imbalances between your legs by focusing on one leg at a time, making them ideal for athletes and injury recovery.

2. Stability and Core Engagement: The need for balance in split squats engages your core muscles, promoting better stability and posture.

3. Can Improve Mobility: Split squats and lunges can enhance flexibility and range of motion, especially in the hip flexors and hamstrings. If you have tight hips, performing split squats can help open up them up. This is because the split stance position stretches one leg’s hip flexor while the other promotes glute stretch and activation. When you do this to both legs they synergistically improve your hip mobility.

How to Manipulate the Movement to Target Different Muscles

These exercises can be performed with slightly different form in order to target one muscle group vs another. Performing split squats/lunges with an upright torso targets the quadriceps, while a more hinged position emphasizes the glutes and hamstrings.

You’ll see that remaining upright gives you a bigger range of motion through the knee joint because your knees are going further past your toes and your knee is flexed at more than the 90 degree standard angle.

On the other hand you have a more hip hinged position where your knee is basically flexed at 90 degrees but your hips are much more flexed. Practice each position so you know how they feel. Go slow at first so you can focus on doing them correctly and so you can feel the difference of muscle activation between the two.

Advanced Variation

You can take these exercises to the next level by adding some elevation to your front foot. You can use a low step for this one or put a weight plate (usually a 25lb plate or as high as a 45lb plate works well). What this does is increase the range of motion by 1-3 inches. This actually allows you to achieve a bigger range of motion in the hips AND the knee joint. It is a more advanced version.

Both split squats and lunges are effective lower body exercises that contribute to leg strength and muscular development. The choice between them depends on your fitness goals and preferences, and you can further tailor your workout by adjusting your torso position to focus on specific muscle groups. If you want to address muscle imbalances, improve stability, work on flexibility, or target the quads or glutes and hamstrings, these exercises offer versatile options for a well-rounded lower body workout that ensures balanced development and functional strength.