Wiki/Exercises/Barbell Back Squat

Barbell Back Squat

legsbarbell
Anatomical illustration of the four heads of the quadriceps femoris
Anatomical illustration of the four heads of the quadriceps femoris. Illustration by Didier-CTP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Primary muscle

legs

Equipment

barbell

Secondary muscles

glutes, core

How to perform

Set the bar on your upper back, either on the traps or across the rear delts. Unrack with your feet under the bar, step back, and set your stance roughly shoulder width with toes slightly out. Take a big breath, brace your core hard, and sit down and back. Descend until your hip crease passes below your knee, or as deep as you can go without your lower back rounding. Drive up through the middle of your foot, keeping your chest up and knees tracking over your toes. Common mistakes: knees collapsing inwards, hips shooting up faster than the shoulders, and cutting depth as the weight rises.

Technique video

How To Get A Huge Squat With Perfect Technique (Fix Mistakes) by Jeff Nippard, on YouTube. Embedded with no tracking cookies until you press play.