Squat exercise
Back Squat
Build maximal bilateral lower-body strength, the foundation of scrum drive and contact.
- Equipment
- Barbell, rack, plates
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- 30X0
Setup
Barbell in a rack at upper-chest height, bar on the upper traps or rear delts, feet shoulder-width with toes slightly out.
How to do it
- Brace hard before you unrack, then walk out and set your feet.
- Descend under control keeping your knees tracking over your mid-foot, to a depth you can hold your spine neutral through.
- Drive the floor away with your chest and hips rising together, and stay braced until the bar is racked.
- Use a spotter or safety pins on any heavy set.
Coaching cues
- Brace before you descend, not on the way up
- Knees track over the mid-foot
- Chest and hips rise together
Common mistakes
- Heels rising during the descent
- Losing depth as the load climbs, so the range keeps shrinking
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 80 to 95% of 1RM | 3 to 5 | 2 to 5 | 4 min |
| Size | 65 to 80% of 1RM | 3 to 5 | 6 to 10 | 2 min |
Tempo 30X0: Take 3 seconds to lower it, no pause, lift it as fast as you can, no pause before the next rep.
Related exercises
- Front SquatBuild quad and trunk strength in the upright posture the clean catch demands.
- Box SquatTeach the squat pattern and standardise depth across a squad.
- Trap Bar DeadliftBuild whole-body pulling strength with a shorter learning curve than the conventional deadlift.
- Conventional DeadliftBuild maximal posterior chain and whole-body pulling strength.
- Rear-Foot-Elevated Split SquatBuild heavy single-leg strength with almost no spinal load.
- Split SquatLearn the single-leg pattern and expose side-to-side differences.