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Exercise library / Barbell Squat

Barbell Squat

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A more challenging exercise. Make it a goal if you like. “Show alternatives” below lists easier steps toward it.

The back squat: a barbell across your upper back and a deep sit down and up. A foundation lift for leg strength.

Main focus
Strength
Level
Building
Equipment
Barbell, A squat rack or stands
Load
Free weight
Stability
Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

A barbell and plates. For squats, presses and anything over your head, a rack or stands with safety catches set at the right height, or a spotter who knows the lift.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in the rack at about the height of your upper chest, with the safety catches set just below the bottom of your squat.
  2. Step under the bar so it rests on the muscles of your upper back, not on your neck. Grip it just outside your shoulders, lift it off the rack, and take two small steps back.
  3. Set your feet a little wider than your hips, toes slightly out. Take a breath in and brace your abdominal muscles.
  4. Sit back and down, knees tracking over your toes, chest up, until your thighs are about level with the floor or as low as you can keep a flat back.
  5. Drive through your whole foot to stand, breathing out as you pass the hardest point. Walk forward to re-rack the bar.

How much

To start: 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12 slow repetitions, resting 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

As it gets easier: 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions with good form, resting 1 to 3 minutes. Add load or repetitions gradually, no more than about once a week.

How it should feel: The muscles you are working should feel the effort. The last repetitions should be hard but controlled, never shaky or painful.

Make it easier

  • Use the empty bar, or squat holding a weight at your chest first.
  • Squat to a box or bench set at a depth you choose.

Make it harder

  • Add weight in small steps over weeks.
  • Pause for two seconds at the bottom.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Begin with the empty bar or very light weight and add weight in small steps.
More safety notes
  • Use collars on the bar, and keep the floor around you clear.
  • Set the safety catches or stand with a spotter so that if you cannot finish a repetition you can put the bar down safely.
  • If you are new to the lift, ask a qualified coach or trainer to check your form.
  • Keep your back long and neutral. Do not round your lower back under load.
  • Brace your abdominal muscles gently before you lift and keep the load close to your body.
  • Use a lighter load until your form is steady, and add weight slowly.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • You cannot complete a repetition with good form. Lower the bar to the catches or the floor and stop.
  • You feel your lower back round or your form break down.
  • You feel pain in your lower back, or your back rounds and you cannot correct it.
  • You feel pain, tingling or numbness that spreads into a leg.

Other ways to do this movement

Sign in and we will show other ways to do this, with other equipment or at a different level, chosen from your own answers. Sign in

Where this comes from

General guidance on build-up, warm-up, breathing and listening to your body is from the NIA and the CDC. The steps were written by Fitafter50; the equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general practice and are approved as a set by the reviewer.

This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.