One Leg Barbell Squat

What you'll gain

• Loads one leg at a time so a weaker squat cannot hide.

• The elevated rear foot lets you squat deep on the front leg without a hanging pistol.

• A barbell on the back scales the lift past what most people can goblet.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Set a low box behind you and unrack a barbell onto the upper back.

2. 2

   Place the rear foot on the box and plant the front foot far enough forward to squat without the knee collapsing.

3. 3

   Brace the trunk and keep the front heel down.

4. 4

   Lower by bending the front knee until the thigh is near parallel, rear knee traveling toward the floor.

5. 5

   Drive through the front foot to stand without locking the knee hard at the top.

6. 6

   Finish the set, then switch legs and match the same depth.

Common Mistakes

• Setting the rear foot too high, which dumps the low back into extension.

• Letting the front knee cave inward on the way down.

• Leaning the torso far forward so the lift becomes a hinge.

• Starting heavy before a bodyweight or dumbbell version is stable.

About This Exercise

The one-leg barbell squat in this catalog is a rear-foot-elevated split squat: the back foot rests on a low box, the barbell sits on the upper back, and the front leg squats until the thigh is near parallel. The front quadriceps do most of the work; the glute, adductors, and hamstrings assist. Elevating the rear foot shifts load onto the grounded leg and takes some balance demand off a free-leg pistol. The approved clip uses a low box, not a tall bench, and a loaded barbell. For app builders this is the barbell Bulgarian / RFESS page, useful in barbell lower-body blocks, unilateral squat progressions, and pages that need a split stance rather than a hanging-leg pistol.

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