Execution
1. Stand with a barbell across your shoulders, feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Slowly bend your knees until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
3. Straighten your legs to return to the start (upright) position.
Muscles Involved
Primary: Quadriceps, gluteals.
Secondary: Hamstrings, adductors, spinal erectors, abdominals.
Range of motion:
As the weight is lowered, stop when your knees bend to a 90-degree angle and your thighs are parallel to the floor. Squatting below parallel increases the risk of knee and spine injury.
Tips:
Pull your shouders back so that the bar can rest comfortably on the shelf created by your shoulder blades.
Your lower back should be naturally arched.
Brace your core.
The tops of your thighs should be parallel to the floor or lower.
Your torso should stay upright as possible.
Wide-Stance barbell squat
Perform a squat with your feet set at twice shoulder width.
Performing using a wider stance forces your hip adductors to work harder, strengthening your groin.
Barbell Front squat
Hold the bar with an overhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder width.
Raise your upper arms until they’re parallel to the floor
Allow the bar to roll back so that it’s resting on the fronts of your shoulders
Slowly lower your body until the tops of your thights are at least parallele to the floor.
Pause, then push your body back to the starting position.
Barbell hack squat
Hold a barbell at arm’s length behind your back, using an overhand grip. Place each heel on a 25-pound weight plate.
Lower your body as far as you can.