Barbell Back Squat
At a glance
- Equipment
- Barbell + squat rack
- Suggested reps
- 3–5 sets of 5–8 reps
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Common mistakes
You let the knees cave inward on the way up instead of pushing them out over the toes.
You cut the descent high because the load is heavy, turning a squat into a quarter squat.
You lift the hips first out of the hole so the bar tips you forward into a good morning.
You lose your brace at the bottom by exhaling early instead of holding air through the sticking point.
What to focus on
Take a big breath and brace into your belt line before every rep, not just the first one.
Keep the bar traveling in a straight vertical line over mid-foot from top to bottom.
Control the descent for two to three seconds so you own the bottom position rather than bouncing out of it.
Related strength moves
Sources & further reading
- 1.Quadriceps effort rises with squat depth while hip-extensor effort rises with both depth and load — deep squats maximally load the quads — J. Strength and Conditioning Research (2012), Bryanton et al.