Legs · Barbell
Barbell Back Squat
Start · standing tall, bar resting behind the neckBefore your first rep
- Set the rack hooks at roughly mid-chest height so you're not on tiptoes to unrack.
- Set the safety bars at the height of your lowest squat position, every time, without exception.
- Bar rests on the muscle of your upper back, never on the bony part of your neck.
- Feet shoulder-width, toes turned out 15 to 30 degrees. Take two steps back, no more.
The movement
- 1Set the bar on the meat of your upper back, not your neck, and step back out of the rack.
- 2Take a shoulder-width stance, brace your stomach, and sit down between your hips.
- 3Squat until your thighs are about level with the floor, then drive up through your whole foot.
Watch out for
Worth getting coached before loading this heavily. Always set the rack safeties at the height of your lowest position.
0/3
Start here
First time doing this
3 sets·5-8 reps
No history for this one yet. Start lighter than you think you need — you should finish every set feeling like you had four or five more reps in you. You can always add weight next session; a strain costs you weeks.
Set the pin low for your first set and add from there. Nothing is lost by starting too light on day one.
Weight
lb
Reps