What muscles does the back squat work?

The quads do the work of straightening the knee. The glutes assist out of the bottom, and the hamstrings, lower back and midsection hold your position. When the soreness lands in your lower back instead, your torso folded forward on the way down.

How deep should you back squat?

To at least parallel, meaning the hip crease level with the top of the knee, provided you can hold your back position there. Deeper is fine if your hips allow it. Depth bought by the pelvis tipping under at the bottom is coming from your spine, not your legs.

Why do my heels come up when I squat?

Your ankles are not giving the knees enough forward travel, so your body finds the range by rolling onto the toes. Widen your stance, turn the toes out more, or squat in flat shoes rather than cushioned ones.

Back squat or front squat, which is better?

Neither outright. The back squat lets you load far more weight, which is why it is the main lift for most people. The front squat forces an upright torso and keeps the work on the quads, at a much lighter load.

Should you squat with a belt?

A belt gives your midsection something to brace against and can let you handle more weight. It is not a substitute for being able to brace without one. Learn to hold position unbelted first, then use the belt for your heaviest work if you want it.

Is the back squat bad for your knees?

No. Loading a knee through its range is how it gets stronger, and letting the knees travel forward over the toes is normal in a squat, not an error. If something hurts and keeps hurting, that is a question for a physiotherapist.

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Barbell · intermediate · upper legs

Barbell back squat

Also called Barbell squat, Back squat, High bar squat, High-bar back squat.

The short answer

The back squat sits you down between your feet with the bar across your upper back, and stands you up again. Your quads push you back up, with your glutes helping you out of the bottom. Your lower back and midsection hold your position without shortening. How deep you go and where the bar sits change how much the hips take on, but the knee straightening is what makes it a squat.

How to do it

Step onePosition a barbell on your upper traps and step back from the rack with feet shoulder-width apart.
Step twoPoint your toes slightly outward and keep your chest up and core braced.
Step threeDescend by bending your knees and pushing your hips back until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Step fourDrive through your heels to extend your knees and hips and return to the standing position.

What usually goes wrong

Each starts with what you would notice.

Your hips shoot up first and it turns into a good morning.

WhyThe legs cannot drive you out of the bottom at that weight, so the hips rise early and leave the bar for your back to carry up.

FixThink about driving your shoulders up rather than your hips back, and keep your torso angle the same coming up as it was going down. If it still happens on the first rep, the weight is the answer.

Your heels lift off the floor at the bottom.

WhyThe ankles are not letting the knees travel forward far enough, so the body finds the range by rolling onto the toes.

FixWiden the stance a little and turn the toes out further, which reduces how much ankle range you need. Squatting with the heels raised on a wedge or in lifting shoes, or simply not going as deep, are both better than lifting the heels.

Your knees fall inward as you stand up.

WhyThe hips are not holding the thigh bone in position under load, so the knee follows the path of least resistance.

FixScrew your feet into the floor as if spreading it apart and push the knees out in line with your toes on the way up. If they still cave, the set is over.

You feel it in your lower back rather than your legs.

WhyEither the torso is folding forward as you descend, or the ribs are flaring so the spine is holding a longer lever than it should.

FixBrace before you unrack, not after. Keep the chest up and the descent between your feet rather than over your toes. Your back holds position on a squat, it should not be the thing that tires first.

Back squat or front squat

The bar on your back lets you lean forward and use your hips, which is why you can load a back squat heavier than anything else you squat. The trade is that the further you lean, the more of the lift your hips and back take on.

A front squat puts the bar on your shoulders in front, so leaning forward would drop it. That forces an upright torso, which keeps the load on your quads and asks a great deal of your upper back to hold position. You will use noticeably less weight.

Neither replaces the other. Back squat for load, front squat when you want the quads worked with no hiding place. If your back is what tires on your back squats, the front squat will show you why.

How deep should you squat

Parallel means the crease of your hip level with the top of your knee. Going to at least that depth is what most people should aim for, because stopping short lets you load weight your legs never actually move through a full range.

Below parallel is fine if your hips and ankles let you get there while keeping your back position. Deeper brings the glutes and adductors in further. What is not fine is buying depth by tipping the pelvis under at the bottom, which people call butt wink, because the range is then coming from your spine.

Depth is individual. Hip shape decides how deep you can go with a neutral spine, and no amount of stretching changes the shape of a hip socket. Squat to the depth you can hold position at, and let that be the number.

Nobody is required to back squat

The back squat is routinely called the king of exercises, and credited with building the whole body, raising your testosterone and being mandatory for anyone who wants to be strong. That last one is the claim worth dismantling.

It is an excellent way to load the legs, and the fact that you can put more weight on it than most exercises is the reason it earns its reputation. But it is not the only way, and it is not compulsory. If your hips do not let you set a good position, split squats, front squats and hinges will build legs perfectly well.

It is also not a back exercise, an abdominal exercise, or a fix for your posture, however hard it is to hold position under a heavy bar. Holding a position is not the same as training the thing that holds it.

What it is for

The barbell back squat is the foundational lower body compound exercise targeting the quadriceps. With a barbell on the upper back, it trains the entire leg and builds functional strength, muscle mass, and athletic power.

Questions people ask

What muscles does the back squat work?: The quads do the work of straightening the knee. The glutes assist out of the bottom, and the hamstrings, lower back and midsection hold your position. When the soreness lands in your lower back instead, your torso folded forward on the way down.
How deep should you back squat?: To at least parallel, meaning the hip crease level with the top of the knee, provided you can hold your back position there. Deeper is fine if your hips allow it. Depth bought by the pelvis tipping under at the bottom is coming from your spine, not your legs.
Why do my heels come up when I squat?: Your ankles are not giving the knees enough forward travel, so your body finds the range by rolling onto the toes. Widen your stance, turn the toes out more, or squat in flat shoes rather than cushioned ones.
Back squat or front squat, which is better?: Neither outright. The back squat lets you load far more weight, which is why it is the main lift for most people. The front squat forces an upright torso and keeps the work on the quads, at a much lighter load.
Should you squat with a belt?: A belt gives your midsection something to brace against and can let you handle more weight. It is not a substitute for being able to brace without one. Learn to hold position unbelted first, then use the belt for your heaviest work if you want it.
Is the back squat bad for your knees?: No. Loading a knee through its range is how it gets stronger, and letting the knees travel forward over the toes is normal in a squat, not an error. If something hurts and keeps hurting, that is a question for a physiotherapist.