Back Squat

A squat with the barbell resting across the upper back, allowing the heaviest loading of all the squat variations. It is a primary builder of lower-body and posterior-chain strength.

Standard: A valid rep begins standing tall with the bar on the back, descends until the hip crease is below the top of the knee, and returns to full hip and knee extension at the top.

How to do the Back Squat

1. Set the bar across the muscle of your upper back (not on the neck) and grip evenly outside the shoulders.
2. Step out to a stance about shoulder-width with toes turned slightly out.
3. Brace your midline, keep your chest up, and break at the hips and knees together.
4. Descend with knees tracking over the toes until the hip crease passes below the top of the knee.
5. Drive through the heels and mid-foot to stand back up.
6. Lock out fully at the top with hips and knees extended before the next rep.

Common faults

• Heels rising and weight drifting onto the toes.
• Hips shooting up faster than the shoulders, dumping the torso forward.
• Knees collapsing inward during the drive out of the bottom.
• Lower back rounding and losing the neutral spine under load.

Scaling & progressions

• Reduce the load to keep positions clean through full depth.
• Squat to a box set at parallel to confirm consistent depth.
• Use pause or tempo squats to strengthen the bottom position.
• Elevate the heels to accommodate limited ankle mobility.