Blog

If you're new to strength training, you may have heard about barbell squats and for good reason!

They can be one of the most effective exercises for building lower body strength and power.

They target your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core muscles. But before you hit the squat rack and attempt to lift heavy weights, it's important to learn the proper form and technique to avoid injury and get the most out of your workout.

There are many different variations of this exercise you can perform but here's our step by step guide to the barbell squat:

1. Set up your equipment.

Make sure the squat rack is set up at the right height so that the barbell is about chest height. I would always prefer the bar to be a bit too low, rather than too high, as this will affect your ability to properly set up.

2. Place your hands.

Your hands should be positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the barbell with your palms facing away from your body.

Once your hands are on the bar, they shouldn’t come off until the set is done, so ensure you sort your hair/clothing out before stepping under the bar.

3. Step under the bar.

We recommend resting the bar on your trapezius muscles (i.e. the meaty part of your upper back/shoulders.)

4. Unpack the bar.

With your feet roughly shoulder-width apart unpack the bar by standing up and then take a couple of steps backwards.

5. Find your stance.

Your ideal squat stance will be unique to you but most people do well to have their feet just wider than shoulder width apart, with their toes turned out slightly.

6. Brace! 

Before each rep, we need to ‘brace’ accordingly - this is what’s going to create stability throughout our upper body and core so you can get the most out of the exercise.

Firstly, we think about squeezing your shoulder blades together, then pulling the bar down firmly into your upper back, then take a strong breath into your abdomen and ‘brace’ as if you were expecting to be punched in the stomach. That’s the ‘brace’ that you should aim to create before and during every rep.

7. Now we're ready to squat!

After taking this breath, squat down by pushing your hips back and keeping your knees out in line with your toes as best you can. Allow your torso to travel forward as much as necessary but aim to keep your spine neutral.

8. Find a comfortable depth. 

Aim for a depth that suits you but ideally get your thighs to dip below parallel with the ground. When you are first starting out your depth may be slightly above parallel but this is something to work on as you incorporate squats into your training programme and become more comfortable in this position. 

9. Push!

Stand up by pushing through your whole foot, aiming to extend your hips and knees simultaneously to return to the starting position. Exhale as you pass the ‘sticking point’ i.e. the hardest part of the movement on the way back up.

10. Start light.

If you're new to squatting, start with lighter weights to get used to the movement to learn good technique, which will set you up for better success and less chance of injury long term. Focus on maintaining proper form and gradually increase the weight as you become more comfortable with the exercise.

 

Conclusion

While the barbell squat is an effective exercise for building total lower body strength, it's important to note that there are no exercises that EVERYONE must include in their training, so if you don’t want to include the barbell squat in your training right now, then there are plenty of other exercises that hit the same muscles that might suit you better! 

We have recently demonstrated the barbell squat on our Instagram page which you can view here.