Barbell Squat
Also known as: back squat
- Secondary muscles
- Quads, Hamstrings, Calves
- Body part
- Upper Legs
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
Track this exercise in SetGrip — no account needed
The barbell squat, also called the back squat, is done with a barbell across your upper back: you sit down by bending your hips and knees together, then stand back up. It is usually set up in a squat rack. It works the glutes, with the quads, hamstrings and calves assisting.
How to do the Barbell Squat
- Set the bar on your upper back, step back from the rack and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Brace your abs and keep your chest up.
- Bend your knees and hips together and sit down until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, or as low as you can go with a flat back.
- Drive through your whole foot to stand up, keeping the bar over the middle of your foot.
Muscles worked
Primary
Glutes · Legs
Secondary
Common mistakes
- Knees caving in — push them out in line with your toes on the way up.
- Heels lifting — keep your weight over the middle of the foot; if your heels rise, widen your stance or reduce the depth.
- Chest dropping first — if your hips rise faster than your shoulders, the load shifts to your lower back; lighten it.
Where it fits in a workout
Do it first on a leg day, while you are fresh.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Logging the Barbell Squat in SetGrip
SetGrip logs it as weight and reps. Enter the bar and plates as one total, and SetGrip keeps an estimated one-rep max record from your sets.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without barbell
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
Track the Barbell Squat in SetGrip
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. Text: SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.