Split squats are a great exercise for building unilateral lower-body strength—but they’re not always easy to embrace when legday rolls around. The balance challenges, awkward adjustments, and reduced range of motion due to these factors often turn it into a circus.
That’s where the Hatfield Split Squat comes in. This unilateral variation gives you the best of both worlds: the muscle-building benefits of unilateral training with the added stability of arm support. Using upright racks or safety bars keeps you balanced, allows you to train with a deeper range of motion, and enables you to load heavier without sacrificing control.
If you’re ready to take your single-leg strength to the next level, this is the move that’s been missing from your leg day. Here we’ll cover what it is, how to do it, the muscles trained, the benefits, common mistakes, and complete with programming tips.
What is the Hatfield Split Squat?
The Hatfield Split Squat is a single leg squat variation that combines the benefits of unilateral training with improved stability. By performing inside a squat rack using a safety squat bar and bars for support, you’ll train one leg at a time while maintaining an upright torso.
Instead of wobbling, the increased stability allows for a smoother, deeper and stronger split squat. Support makes it easier to lift heavier loads and train with a greater range of motion, leading to better form.
How to do the Hatfield Split Squat
Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting it right.
- Place a safety squat bar across your upper back and traps and get into a split position with your front leg flat and your back leg raised on the toes.
- Position yourself inside a squat rack so you can lightly grip the uprights or barbells.
- Keeping your torso upright and core tight, lower into a split squat.
- Your back knee should hover just above the floor while your front thigh reaches parallel.
- Drive through the front foot to propel yourself back, using the hand rests for light guidance.
- Repeat for all reps on one leg before switching sides.
Trained Hatfield Split Squat Muscles
The Hatfield Split Squat is a powerful exercise for lower body strength and development, and here’s what it targets:
- Quadriceps: The quadriceps do most of the work during both the eccentric and concentric phases.
- Gluteus: It does most of the work when pushing back from the bottom to the starting position.
- Adductors: Help stabilize the hips and help control the entire range of motion.
- Stems: Assist the glutes when pushing out at the bottom of the squat.
- Calves: Provide ankle stability.
- Core: It is concerned with maintaining upright posture and resisting rotation.
- Erector Spinae: Help maintain proper spinal alignment.
Benefits of The Hatfield Split Squat
It’s still a one-sided exercise, so there’s an element of sucking. But the benefits below will keep you from thinking about it and help you focus on sweet, sweet gains.
More Load + More ROM = More Strength and Muscle
The Hatfield Split Squat eliminates instability as a limiting factor by allowing you to brace with your hands. This added support enables you to lift heavier weights and move through a greater range of motion – as essential for hypertrophy as it is for strength.
Improved focus on the working leg
Without worrying about balance, your working leg takes center stage. You can focus on technique, push off the front leg, and feel your quads and glutes working harder with each rep.
Placing savings together
The combination of the safety squat bar, upright torso and increased stability reduces stress on the lower back and helps keep your campers knees happy. This makes this variation ideal for athletes who want to train hard without hitting their joints—especially those with a history of lower back or knee pain during regular split squats.
Friendly after restoration
The Hatfield Split Squat is an effective bridge between recovery and lower body training. The manual setting offers extra control and confidence, which is essential when recovering from an injury or regaining confidence in your body without losing the ability to build strength.
Common Hatfield Split Squat Mistakes and Corrections
As with almost all exercises, there are mistakes that reduce its effectiveness. Watch out for these common mistakes.
Excessive use of hands
By gripping the bar very tightly and pulling yourself up instead of using your legs, the Hatfield Split Squat turns into an upper body cheat rep.
The Fix: Think of your arms as stabilizers, not lifters. Use a light touch with your fingers, just enough to maintain posture and balance.
Cutting the range of motion short
It’s very tempting to go heavy, but in doing so, many lifters don’t squat deep enough, depriving them of glute and quad gains.
The Fix: Focus on lowering until your back knee is hovering just above the floor and your front thigh is at least parallel to the floor. If you fail to do this, remove some weight from the bar.
Excessive forward lean
The trunk tilt shifts the movement toward a more hip-dominant exercise and can redirect muscle tension away from the quadriceps.
The Fix: Keep your shoulders down and chest up, your core tight and your back straight. Use the braces to keep your torso upright throughout the repetition. Inconsistent foot position
If your split position is too wide or narrow, you will lose stability, reduce power output, and risk excessive forward lean.
The Correction: Keep your front foot flat with your heel down, making sure your stance allows for vertical movement without leaning too far forward. Adjust the distance between your feet until it feels right.
PROGRAMMING SUGGESTIONS
The Hatfield Split Squat can be your main movement or an accessory exercise to improve your barbell squats and deadlifts. Here are some general recommendations for improving strength and muscle.
For Strength: 3–4 sets of 4–6 reps per leg and rest 60–90 seconds between legs and 2–3 minutes between sets.
For the muscles: Perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps per leg, using moderate weights, and focus on full range of motion and a three-second descent. Add a pause at the bottom for more fun.
