Back Squat

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When thinking of the different variations of squats, the back squat is usually the first to come to mind. It's one of the big three in powerlifting, used by athletes as well as for general fitness, and is often used a metric for how strong someone is. It's popularity is most certainly warranted. Although it has a bit of a learning curve, the back squat is a powerhouse of an exercise that can build leg size and strength, core stability, and even cardiovascular health if done at higher reps.

The Basics

The back squat is primarily used as a strength exercise. It is classified as a squat movement. It is more generally classified as a lower push movement. Since it involves significant activation of multiple muscle groups, it is considered a compound exercise.

Form

Set Up

• Place your hands on the bar outside shoulder width apart
• Rest the bar behind your head on your upper traps
• Brace your core, pull your shoulderblades together and unrack the bar
• Take a step or two back and steady yourself
• Have your feet about shoulder width apart and turned slightly out
• Brace your core, keeping your spine neutral and chest up

Execution

• Squat down, bending at the knees and hips simultaneously
• Keep your knees tracking in line with your feet
• Think about sitting your hips down, back and between your legs
• Be sure to keep your core braced, spine neutral and chest up throughout
• Keep your weight balanced between your heels and the balls of your feet
• Squat down until the top of your thighs are parallel to the floor
• Push yourself back up, driving your hips and shoulders up simultaneously

Common Mistakes

Rounding Your Back

If is of the utmost importance to keep your core braced and spine neutral. Rounding your back, especially when using heavier weights, greatly increases the risk on injury.

Knees In

Allowing your knees to cave inward also increases your risk of injury significantly. Keep your knees out so that they track in line with your slightly turned out feet.

Additional Info

Resting the Bar on Your Back

Holding a heavy barbell on your back can be uncomfortable and even painful, especially if not done properly. When positioning the barbell on your back, be sure that it's resting on your upper traps, not on your spine. Pulling your shoulderblades together can help flex your traps so that the barbell has more to rest on.

If doing that is still not enough, using a foam barbell pad or padding is entirely acceptable. As you progress, you will get used to the weight resting on your back and your traps will become more developed.

Depth

To perform a proper back squat, you must squat down so that the top of your thighs is parallel to the ground. Not going to parallel makes the exercise significantly easier and would not be considered a proper back squat. It's also certainly possible, and even recommended, to go past parallel if you can do so comfortably and with good form.

Difficulty

The back squat has a bit of a learning curve and can be challenging for beginners if they haven't mastered the basic squatting movement pattern. Goblet squats are a great alternative that instills proper squat mechanics and gets you used to squatting with weight.

Related Exercises

Reviews

Performance Standard Ranks

The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.

Strength Standards

The tables show the one rep max* in pounds needed to reach each rank at different body weights (also in lbs). The 1RMs on the table are based on world records, balanced ratios, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized strength standards for every exercise, check out the Strength Standards page. You can also find your Strength Score to see how you rank as part of our Fitness Score System.

*Added weight if positive, assistance if negative. The planche and levers are also notable exceptions as they show the moment at the shoulder, not weight. For more info, check out the Moment Calculator page.

Muscular Endurance Standards By Body Weight With 1.0x BW Added Weight

The tables show the reps or isometric hold times (in seconds) needed to reach each of the muscular endurance ranks at different body weights. The reps on the table are based on world records, ratios, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized standards for every exercise, check out the Muscular Endurance Standards page.

The amount of weight used to test for muscular endurance of some of the exercises is a percentage of body weight. The percentage was chosen to be memorable and to require a Novice to Intermediate level of strength so that most trainees could reasonably use it while not having to do an excessive amount of reps.