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Barbell Back Squat

Muscles worked

  • Quadriceps
  • Hip Adductors
  • Gluteus
  • Quadratus Lumborum
  • Long Calf
  • Short Calf
  • Calf (Gastrocnemius)
  • Calf (Soleus)

Equipment

Barbells
Barbells
Weight Plates
Weight Plates

Form Cues

  • Place the barbell on your back safely

  • Step into a comfortable roughly hip wide stance

  • Brace your core, keep the back engaged

  • Lower slowly by breaking at the hip and knees

  • Squat down until you can’t get deeper or your back starts to round

  • Pause briefly at the bottom

  • Come up with control

  • Avoid the knees dropping in or back rounding a the bottom (butt wink)

  • Turn your feet slightly outward, then drive the knees forward first and let the hip follow down

  • Knees traveling over the toes is safe and is what a clean, upright squat looks like, as long as your knees are healthy

  • Keep the torso upright without over-arching the back or pushing the chest out excessively

Common mistakes

Built into a program made for you

Every exercise here adapts to your goals, equipment and schedule inside the app.