How to do a Back Squat
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Back Squat
Squat Rack
Barbells
Workouts with Back Squat
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Back Squat is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common lower body exercises. It’s a great compound exercise that can help build strength and muscle mass in your leg, especially your quadriceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking lower body strength in general.
- Set the barbell just below shoulder height and grab ahold the barbell outside shoulder-width.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and brace your core by breathing into your stomach and flexing your abdominal muscles.
- Quarter squat underneath the barbell to place it on the base of your neck before lifting and stepping back and planting your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your heels planted firmly on the ground, descend by hinging at your hips while keeping your chest up.
- Your knees should track outward and slightly forward as you descend and keep your spine neutral throughout the exercise.
- Once your thighs have reached parallel with the floor, return back to the starting position.
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Weak Hip Hinge
The hip hinge is a crucial part of the squat. Make sure you’re dropping your hips back first, and then bending your knees to drop into your squat. The same is true on the way up. Make sure you’re driving your hips forward, not just extending your legs.
Knees Caving In
Always make sure that your knees are tracking over your toes. Allowing your knees to cave inward places a ton of stress on them, and increases your risk of injury. If you're struggling with your knees caving in, focus on keeping your weight evenly distributed throughout your foot.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Back Squat standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps50lbs1 Rep Max65lbs
- intermediate8reps65lbs80lbs
- advanced8reps85lbs105lbs
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Alternative Exercises to Back Squat
1. Leg Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 33,700 TIMESLeg Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The exercise itself is fairly similar to a standard squat, with some key differences. The biggest of these differences is the added stability from supporting your back on the Leg Press Machine. The end result of these changes is a more stable movement that further emphasizes your quadriceps. Leg Press is an excellent exercise for anyone looking to build muscle mass or strength in their quads.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Press
2. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 18,809 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine
3. Dumbbell Squat
94.1 mSCORESWAPPED 13,006 TIMESDumbbell Squat is a variation of the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The advantage of using dumbbells rather than a barbell is that you have more freedom in your range of motion which can make this a more accessible variation for anyone with mobility limitations. With that freedom comes a bit more instability with this exercise though, which can help you further improve your squat for, and build the strength needed for heavier, or more complex variations.
4. Hack Squat
90.1 mSCORESWAPPED 12,938 TIMESHack Squat is a variation of squats that utilizes a specific machine to add resistance. Like other squat variations, this exercise primarily targets your quads. The use of a machine can assist you by redistricting your range of motion more than with the use of free weights, as well as adds more stability to the movement.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Hack Squat Machine
5. Smith Machine Squat
94.3 mSCORESWAPPED 12,146 TIMESSmith Machine Squat is a variation on the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your quads. The use of a Smith Machine restricts your range of motion, and adds significantly more stability to the movement. This makes this exercise a great choice for learning proper squat mechanics, and developing strength in your lower body.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Smith Machine
6. Machine Leg Press
95.1 mSCORESWAPPED 8,395 TIMESMachine Leg Press is a variation on the more standard Leg Press. Like the Leg Press, this is a compound exercise that primarily recruits the quadriceps. This is a great exercise for building strength and muscle mass in your quads. The use of a machine doesn’t change anything significant about this exercise, although your positioning may change depending on the machine you’re using.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Press Machine
7. Dumbbell Lunge
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 8,159 TIMESDumbbell Lunge is a variation on the more standard Lunge. Similar to other Lunge variations, Dumbbell Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads. The exercise itself is the same as a standard lunge except for the added weight from holding dumbbells in each hand. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their lunges a bit more challenging without adding more complexity to the movement.
8. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
87.9 mSCORESWAPPED 4,438 TIMESDumbbell Goblet Squat is a variation on the more standard Front Squat. Like other squat variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the quadriceps. Goblet squats are beneficial because they require less upper body mobility in order to keep the weight in the proper position compared to using a barbell.