How to do a Barbell Back Squat with Deep Partial Squat
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Barbell Back Squat with Deep Partial Squat
Barbells
Squat Rack
Workouts with Barbell Back Squat with Deep Partial Squat
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Integrates deep partial squats at the bottom of the traditional back squat to place greater emphasis on leg strength and mobility. This challenging variation pushes the muscles to work harder in a lower range of motion, increasing muscle activation and improving overall squat depth and performance. It's particularly effective for athletes looking to enhance their lower body power and resilience.
- Rack a barbell.
- Adjust the squat rack so the bar is slightly lower than your shoulders.
- Position yourself under the bar so the bar rests on “the shelf” between your shoulders and traps—not your neck.
- Raise the bar off the rack and step away from the rack.
- Position your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
- Engage your core, straighten your back, and keep your chest up to maintain proper form.
- Hinge your hips back and bend your knees to descend into a deep squat.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Engage your glutes, quads and hamstrings to slightly extend your legs and raise yourself out of the deep squat position.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Engage your glutes, quads and hamstrings again to fully extend your legs, and drive your hips forward to return to a standing position.
- Return the barbell to its starting position.
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Alternative Exercises to Barbell Back Squat with Deep Partial Squat
1. Back Squat
99.3 mSCORESWAPPED 8,311 TIMESBack 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.
2. Leg Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 3,017 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
3. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 2,456 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
4. Front Squat
93.4 mSCORESWAPPED 1,465 TIMESFront Squat is one of the most common variations of the more standard Back Squat. Like other squat variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your quadriceps. By racking the bar in front of your body instead of behind, you can further emphasize your quads. While the movements are fairly similar, Front Squat may translate better to applications in sports and other real world activities.
5. Dumbbell Squat
94.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,351 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.
6. Hack Squat
90.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,141 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
7. Machine Leg Press
95.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,124 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
8. Dumbbell Lunge
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 1,065 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.
9. Smith Machine Squat
94.3 mSCORESWAPPED 845 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
10. Dumbbell Squat To Shoulder Press
98.1 mSCORESWAPPED 699 TIMESDumbbell Squat to Shoulder Press is a combination of a Dumbbell Squat and a Shoulder Press. Both pieces of this exercise are compound movements that primarily target the quads and shoulders respectively. Combining these two movements is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s a very functional movement that has tons of practical applications, especially for sports. It’s also a great starting point for anyone looking to build the strength and conditioning needed for more explosive exercises like Thrusters, or eventually Olympic lifts.