Pin Squat

How to perform the Pin Squat

1. Set the safety pins in the rack at the height that matches your target squat depth, usually around parallel.
2. Unrack the bar and set up over the pins with a normal back-squat stance and brace.
3. Descend under control until the bar settles onto the pins, then relax the downward drive so the load rests fully on the pins.
4. Come to a genuine dead stop on the pins, releasing the stretch reflex before you reverse, which is what distinguishes this from a pause squat.
5. Re-brace hard while the bar sits static, then drive up from a fully dead start with no bounce off the pins.
6. Because the concentric starts from zero stored energy, expect to use lighter loads than a touch-and-go squat.

Suggested working range: 3–6 reps. Default progression: linear.

Common mistakes

• •Bouncing the bar off the pins instead of coming to a genuine dead stop and re-driving from zero.
• •Setting the pins so high that the squat becomes a shallow partial well above parallel.
• •Failing to re-brace while the bar rests on the pins, so the ascent starts loose.
• •Keeping downward tension on the bar rather than letting it rest fully on the pins.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or the main lift has stalled.

Barbell Back Squat

Quads · Barbell

Leg Press

Quads · Machine

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads · Dumbbell

Goblet Squat

Quads · Dumbbell

Leg Extension

Quads · Machine