Barbell Back Squat
The cornerstone lower-body lift. Builds quads, glutes and adductors while training your whole body to brace under load.
Muscle activation
- Quads40%
- Glutes25%
- Adductors15%
- Lower back10%
- Hamstrings5%
- Lower abs5%
Approximate share of work; varies with grip, stance and tempo.
Step by step
1. Start position
Set the bar in the rack at about mid-chest height.
2. Mid-rep
Push the knees out so they track in line with your toes.
3. End of the movement
Descend until your hip crease is at or below knee height while keeping a neutral spine.
4. Common mistake
Knees caving inward on the way up
Ways to do it
Squat on 9 different setups — pick whatever is free in your gym. Progress is tracked separately for each.
How to do it
Setup
- 1Set the bar in the rack at about mid-chest height.
- 2Step under and rest the bar across your upper traps, hands just outside the shoulders, elbows pulled down.
- 3Stand up to unrack, take two or three steps back, and set feet about shoulder width with toes slightly out.
- 4Take a big breath into your belly and brace before every rep.
Execution
- 1Break at the hips and knees together and sit down between your heels.
- 2Push the knees out so they track in line with your toes.
- 3Descend until your hip crease is at or below knee height while keeping a neutral spine.
- 4Drive up through the whole foot, keeping the chest and hips rising together.
- 5Stand fully upright and re-brace before the next rep.
Breathing
Breathe in and brace at the top, hold the breath through the descent and the hardest part of the ascent, then exhale at the top.
Tempo
3-1-1-0 (eccentric-pause-concentric-pause)
Muscles worked
Primary
Quads, Glutes
Secondary
Adductors, Hamstrings, Lower back, Lower abs
Key form cues
- Big breath, brace hard
- Knees out over toes
- Sit between your heels
- Chest and hips rise together
Common mistakes
Knees caving inward on the way up
Actively push the knees out over the toes and reduce the load until you can hold it.
Hips shooting up first so it becomes a good morning
Lead with the chest out of the bottom and strengthen the quads with paused or front squats.
Heels lifting off the floor
Keep weight over the mid-foot, widen the stance slightly or try squat shoes or a small heel lift.
Range of motion
From standing tall to hip crease at or below the top of the knee, with a neutral spine and heels down.
Variations
Easier
Goblet squat or box squat
Harder
Paused back squat or front squat
At home
Goblet squat with a heavy backpack, or tempo bodyweight squat
Machine / cable
Hack squat or leg press