Barbell Back Squat

How to perform the Barbell Back Squat

1. Set the bar in the rack just below shoulder height; duck under it and place it either on the upper traps (high bar) or on the rear delts across the spine of the scapula (low bar).
2. Grip the bar evenly outside shoulder width to create a shelf with the upper back; squeeze the elbows down and the chest up.
3. Unrack the bar with both feet under it, take two or three steps back to clear the rack, and set your feet roughly shoulder-width with toes slightly turned out.
4. Take a deep breath into your belly, brace your core hard, then break at the hips and knees simultaneously, sitting between your legs rather than pushing the hips straight back.
5. Descend until your hip crease is at or below the top of the knee, keeping the knees tracking over your toes and the bar path vertical over the mid-foot.
6. Drive up by pushing your feet through the floor and standing tall; lead with the chest and the hips rising together, not the hips shooting up first.
7. Re-rack only when both feet are under the bar and you are walking forward into the J-hooks — never let go until the bar is fully seated.

Suggested working range: 5–8 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the knees cave inward (valgus collapse) at the bottom or during the drive out of the hole.
• •Shooting the hips up first out of the bottom so the torso pitches forward and the squat turns into a good morning.
• •Cutting depth short by a quarter or half squat instead of breaking parallel.
• •Letting the heels lift off the floor at the bottom, usually a sign of ankle mobility limitations or a too-narrow stance.
• •Letting the chest drop and the upper back round under heavy load.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.