LiftonicBarbell basics · Part 2 of 8
How to squat with a barbell
Set the bar on your upper back, brace, sit down between your hips until your hip crease is below your knee, and stand up with the bar over mid-foot. Here is each step in detail, with fixes for the usual problems.
What the squat trains
The back squat works the quadriceps, glutes and adductors hardest, with the hamstrings, lower back and abs working to hold your position. It is the lift most programs are built around, because it trains the most muscle through a long range of motion and can be loaded heavier than almost anything else except the deadlift.
Setting up in the rack
- Set the hooks at about mid-chest height, so you can take the bar out with a slight knee bend instead of standing on your toes.
- Set the safety arms just below the depth of your squat. Do a set with the empty bar to check them.
- Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders, as narrow as your shoulder mobility comfortably allows. A narrower grip makes it easier to tighten your upper back.
- Get under it. For a high-bar squat the bar sits on the meaty part of your upper traps. For a low-bar squat it sits a few centimeters lower, across the back of your shoulders. Either is fine; beginners often find high-bar more natural.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your elbows slightly down so the bar rests on muscle, not on your neck.
- Stand up to unrack, take two or three small steps back and stop. More walking wastes energy.
Stance
Place your heels about shoulder-width apart and turn your toes out 15 to 30 degrees. There is no single correct stance: hip shape varies a lot between people. A good test is to sit into a bodyweight squat and see which width lets you get deep with your heels flat and your back neutral.
Doing the rep
- Breathe and brace. Take a big breath into your belly, then tighten your abs as if expecting a punch. Hold that breath through the hardest part of the rep.
- Sit down between your hips. Bend your knees and hips at the same time. Let your knees travel forward and out in the direction of your toes.
- Keep the bar over mid-foot. Seen from the side, the bar should move in a straight vertical line over the middle of your foot. Your weight stays spread across the whole foot.
- Reach depth. A full squat brings the crease of your hip to at least the level of the top of your knee. Go as deep as you can while keeping your lower back from rounding.
- Drive up. Push the floor away and lead with your chest, so your hips and shoulders rise together. Breathe out near the top, then take a new breath for the next rep.
Useful cues
- "Spread the floor": push your feet outward to keep the knees tracking over the toes.
- "Chest up" out of the bottom: stops your hips shooting up first.
- "Big air, tight belt line": breathe and brace before every rep, not once per set.
Common mistakes and fixes
- Knees caving in on the way up. Lower the weight a little and think about pushing the knees out over the toes for the whole rep.
- Heels lifting. Usually stance or ankle mobility. Try a slightly wider stance, more toe-out, or shoes with a raised heel.
- Cutting depth as the weight goes up. Film a set from the side. If the hip crease stays above the knee, reduce the weight until it doesn't.
- "Good morning" squat, where the hips rise first and the chest falls forward. Often a sign the weight jumped too fast. Brace harder and lead with the chest.
- Losing tightness at the bottom. Don't relax or bounce at the bottom. Stay braced and change direction under control.
Squatting safely alone
Always squat inside a rack with the safety arms set. If you miss a rep, sit down under control until the bar rests on the arms, then crawl out. Without safeties, practise dumping the bar backwards with light weight first, and keep collars off only when you have a plan to bail.
Sets, reps and progress
Beginners do well with 3 sets of 5, two or three times a week, adding 2.5 to 5 kg (5 to 10 lb) each session while every rep looks the same as the first. Warm up with the empty bar and a few ramp-up sets (see the warm-up guide), and when the increases stop working, switch to the approaches in progressive overload.
These guides are general education, not medical advice. If a lift causes pain, stop and talk to a qualified professional.
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