Back Squat

The back squat is the king of leg exercises. You put a barbell on your upper back, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and sit down and stand back up.

Simple? Yes. Easy? No.

The squat is one of the most natural human movements. Sitting down and standing up is something you do every day. The back squat just adds weight and asks you to do it perfectly.

Why it matters:

• Builds strength in your legs, hips, and back
• Teaches your body to produce force from the ground up
• Carries over to almost every sport — running, jumping, tackling, throwing
• Builds bone density and connective tissue strength

The goal: Sit down until your hip crease is below your knee. Stand back up. Keep your back straight, your chest up, and your weight on your heels.

Setup:

• Stance: shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out
• Bar: resting on the upper back (not the neck), hands outside shoulders
• Chest up, back arched, midsection tight
• Weight on heels

Execution:

• Take a breath, brace your core
• Send your butt back and down
• Knees track over your feet (don’t let them cave in)
• Descend until your hip crease is below your knee
• Drive through your heels, squeeze your glutes, stand back up
• Return to full extension at the hips and knees

Primary Points of Performance:

• Lumbar curve maintained
• Weight in heels
• Depth below parallel
• Knees track over feet

Common Faults & Fixes:

Biomechanics:

• The back squat is a closed-chain, multi-joint movement involving ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion, and hip flexion/extension.
• Bar placement: High-bar (above the spine of the scapula) vs. low-bar (below the spine of the scapula). High-bar produces more knee flexion and a more upright torso; low-bar produces more hip flexion and forward lean.
• Moment arms: The load creates a moment about the hip and knee. A longer torso increases the hip moment; a longer femur increases the knee moment.
• Depth: Below parallel (hip crease below knee) is the standard for full recruitment of the glutes and hamstrings.

Programming:

• Novice: Linear progression — add weight every session. 3×5 is a common starting point.
• Intermediate: Weekly or bi-weekly progression. Introduce light/heavy days, or undulating periodization.
• Advanced: Block periodization, conjugate method, or daily undulating periodization.

Intensity Guidelines:

• Max strength: 80–90% 1RM, 3–6 reps, 3–5 sets
• Hypertrophy: 65–80% 1RM, 6–12 reps, 3–4 sets
• Power: 30–60% 1RM, 3–5 reps, fast concentric

Kinetics & Kinematics:

• The squat involves a triple extension at the ankle, knee, and hip during the ascent.
• Ground reaction forces (GRF) peak during the eccentric phase and reverse during the concentric phase. The bar path should be as vertical as possible to minimize shear forces on the spine.
• Spinal loading: The squat produces compressive and shear forces on the lumbar spine. Proper bracing (Valsalva maneuver) increases intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), reducing spinal compression and improving force transfer.

Neuromuscular:

• Motor unit recruitment: High-threshold motor units are recruited as load increases.
• Rate coding: Trained lifters achieve higher firing rates.
• Intermuscular coordination: Synchronized activation of quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, adductors, erector spinae.

Connective Tissue & Bone:

• Tendon adaptation: Collagen synthesis increases in response to mechanical loading. Tendon stiffness improves force transfer but requires longer recovery than muscle.
• Bone density: Axial loading stimulates osteoblast activity.

Programming Science:

• Volume-load: Sets × reps × load. Meta-analyses suggest ≥10 hard sets per muscle group per week for hypertrophy.
• Frequency: 2–3× per week per muscle group is optimal for most athletes.
• Deload: Every 4–8 weeks, reduce volume 40–60%, intensity 10–20%, stay at RPE 5–7.