Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Position the bar across your upper traps (high bar) or rear deltoids (low bar), retract your scapulae to create a muscular shelf, and unrack the bar with a controlled walkout of 2-3 steps.

2. 2

   Set your feet shoulder-width or slightly wider with toes turned out 15-30 degrees, and take a deep diaphragmatic brace before descending.

3. 3

   Initiate the squat by simultaneously breaking at the hips and knees, keeping the bar over your mid-foot throughout the descent.

4. 4

   Descend until your hip crease passes below the top of your kneecap, maintaining a neutral spine and upright chest position.

5. 5

   Drive out of the hole by pushing the floor away through your full foot, leading with the chest to prevent forward lean.

6. 6

   Extend the hips and knees together to return to full standing, maintaining the brace until the rep is complete.

Common Mistakes

• Initiating the ascent with a hip shoot (good-morning squat), causing the chest to drop and shifting excessive load onto the lower back.

• Allowing the knees to cave inward (valgus collapse) during the ascent, indicating weak hip abductors or poor motor control.

• Cutting depth short above parallel, reducing glute and adductor recruitment and limiting overall strength development.

• Losing midline stability by exhaling prematurely or failing to brace, which compromises spinal integrity under heavy loads.

About This Exercise

The barbell back squat is the most effective compound exercise for developing the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and adductors, while demanding significant trunk stabilization from the erector spinae and abdominal complex. High-bar placement biases the quads through a more upright torso, whereas low-bar placement increases hip hinge demand and posterior chain loading. Proper depth—hip crease below the top of the knee—is essential for full muscular recruitment and joint health.