Exercise
BACK SQUAT
Form cues
About
The barbell back squat is one of the most effective compound strength exercises available, loading the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors simultaneously through a deep knee and hip flexion pattern. It is the primary lower-body exercise in most strength programs and serves as a benchmark for overall lower-body power. The technical demands are high — bar position, thoracic extension, hip alignment, and breath management all contribute to whether the squat is productive or harmful. Learning the movement progressively with appropriate load and a qualified eye is strongly recommended.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Set up the rack and bar
Set the J-cups to just below shoulder height. Stand under the bar and position it across your upper traps (high bar) or rear deltoids and traps (low bar). Place hands symmetrically wider than shoulder-width. Squeeze the shoulder blades to create a shelf of muscle for the bar to rest on.
Bar on muscle shelf, not the spineUnrack and walk out
Take a big breath, brace hard, and unrack the bar by standing tall. Take 2–3 short steps back — one step to each side and a small adjustment. Feet land slightly wider than hip-width with toes angled 15–30° outward. Do not walk out more than necessary.
Minimal walkout — 2–3 steps onlyBrace and initiate descent
Take a full breath into your belly and brace your core hard — 360° expansion (front, sides, and back). Break at the hips and knees simultaneously, sitting back and down. Maintain an upright chest and neutral spine throughout.
Big breath, brace, break hips and knees togetherReach depth
Descend until the hip crease is at or below the top of the knee (parallel) — or deeper if mobility allows without rounding the lower back. Drive the knees out over the toes throughout and keep the chest up.
Hip crease at or below knee = parallelDrive up and re-rack
Exhale and drive upward, pushing the floor away. Lead with the chest, not the hips — prevent the classic "good morning" fault where the hips rise faster than the chest. Squeeze glutes at the top. Re-rack only when fully locked out and stable.
Chest and hips rise at the same rateCommon mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Knees caving inward (valgus collapse)
Knee valgus at the bottom or during the ascent places severe rotational stress on the medial collateral ligament and meniscus, and indicates gluteus medius weakness.
Actively push knees outward (cue: "spread the floor with your feet"). Strengthening the glute medius with band walks and clamshells addresses the root cause.
Heels rising off the floor
Heels lifting indicates insufficient ankle dorsiflexion mobility. The body compensates by shifting weight forward, which moves the load off the hips and increases lower back stress.
Work on ankle mobility daily with wall ankle stretches and calf rolls. In the short term, a small heel elevation (1–2 cm plate) under the heels allows a more upright torso while mobility improves.
Hips shooting up first on the ascent
When the hips rise faster than the chest during the drive phase, the torso tips forward into a "good morning" position. This transfers the load from the legs to the lower back under maximal load — a significant injury risk.
Cue "chest up" aggressively through the first half of the ascent. Video from the side will show whether hips and chest are rising at the same rate — this is difficult to self-monitor without feedback.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Goblet Squat
Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at the chest and squat. The counterweight at the front helps maintain an upright torso and teaches the hip break and knee tracking patterns without spinal loading.
Front Squat
Bar rests across the front deltoids in a rack or cross-arm grip. Greater upright torso angle shifts emphasis to the quadriceps and requires thoracic and wrist mobility. A strong complement to the back squat for quad development.
Pause Squat
Descend to the bottom position and hold for 2–3 seconds before standing. Eliminates the stretch-reflex bounce, increases time under tension, and identifies any positional weaknesses that the bounce typically masks.