What It Works

The barbell back squat trains the quads, glutes, and core. It is one of the most useful lower-body strength movements we have — sitting down and standing back up with a load on your upper back.

In everyday life this is the same pattern as sitting down into a chair and standing back up, or picking a child up off the floor by dropping the hips instead of rounding the back.

How to Perform

Set the bar on the rack at about mid-chest height. Step under the bar so it sits on the meat of the upper back (not on the neck). Unrack it, take two or three small steps back, and set your feet about shoulder-width with toes slightly out.

Brace your core. Sit the hips down and back, keeping the chest proud and the knees tracking over the toes. Lower until the hips are at least as low as the knees if your mobility allows. Drive the floor away and stand back up.

Setup & Movement – Quick Bullets

• Bar on the upper back — not the neck
• Feet about shoulder-width, toes slightly out
• Core braced before you sit
• Hips down and back
• Knees track over the toes
• Chest stays proud
• Drive the floor away to stand

Common Mistakes

Common issues include letting the chest collapse, the knees caving in, rising onto the toes, and cutting the squat too high because the weight is too heavy.

Watch Out For

• Chest dropping forward
• Knees collapsing inward
• Heels lifting off the floor
• Cutting the squat short

Quick Fixes

• Brace before every rep
• Think “knees out” as you sit
• Keep the whole foot on the floor
• Choose a weight you can squat to depth

Key Cue

Sit down. Drive the floor.

The squat is just a loaded sit-to-stand. Keep the chest proud and push the ground away to come back up.

Scaling

Easier: Use the goblet squat or a box squat to a comfortable height.

Harder: Slow the lowering phase or add a brief pause at the bottom.