Barbell back squat

Why it's here

The back squat trains the quadriceps, glutes and adductors together, with a load that can keep rising for years. In a ten-week trial, full squats grew the quadriceps as much as half squats and grew the glutes and adductors more ^[1]. Squat training also carries over to squat strength better than leg press training does ^[2].

The evidence

• Training study Seventeen untrained men squatted twice a week for ten weeks, to full depth (140° of knee bend) or half depth (90°). Quadriceps volume rose similarly in both groups; the full-squat group gained more in the adductors and glutes. Neither group's hamstrings grew ^[1].
• Training study Over eight weeks, squat training improved maximum squat strength more than leg press training, while leg press strength rose with either — the authors conclude that strength transfers most to the exercise you train ^[2].

How to do it

1. Rest the bar across your upper back, not your neck. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out.
2. Brace your trunk, then bend at the hips and knees together, keeping the bar over the middle of your feet.
3. Go as deep as you can while your back holds its position and your heels stay down. In the trial above, deeper squats grew the glutes and adductors more ^[1].
4. Drive back up through the whole foot. Use safety bars or a spotter when sets get close to failure.

Stop an exercise that causes significant or unusual pain and have it assessed. This page describes the movement; it is not rehabilitation advice.

Making it harder over time

This is a large compound exercise in the Progressive Overload Calculator, which adds weight in steps of 2.5%–5% once every set reaches the top of your rep range, and adds reps until then.

Alternatives

• Smith machine squat — A squat with the bar on a fixed track. Machine training built muscle and strength about as well as free weights.
• Leg press — Heavy quadriceps work with nothing to balance, so sets can go close to failure and the load can rise in small steps.
• Bulgarian split squat — One leg at a time, rear foot on a bench. Needs only dumbbells or body weight, and matched the back squat for strength.