Split squats

“In a normal split squat, your knees are going way past your toes and you’re aiming for full flexion of your front knee while keeping your hips aligned,” says Pennie. “The more forwards your knees are, the more you’re going to be strengthening your knees, hip flexors and quads. If you’re more upright and straight, you end up working more glute. You probably want to do a mix of both in your sessions.”

For a beginner, perform the exercise bodyweight and elevate your front foot by placing it on a step, bench or plate. For those who are more advanced, you can use a barbell and keep both feet on the floor.

How to do a split squat

For the knees-over-toes split squat variation, stand with your feet hip-width apart and take a big step forwards with one foot. It should be a little wider than your usual split squat position.
Slowly bend your front knee and lower your back leg towards the ground. Remember – the further forward you lean, the more this will work your knees, but only move through your available range.
Squeeze your back glute to keep the back leg as straight as possible while in the end position.
Press through your front foot to stand back up.

Strength training: Why you should put your knees over your toes during exercise for stronger joints