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Barbell squat

Gym (men) / Popular

Train squat depth, bracing, bar path, and progressive loading safely.

What coaches agree on

  • Take a deep breath into your belly and brace your core tight before you descend, holding that brace all the way through the rep.
  • Squat down to at least parallel depth - hip crease level with or below the top of your knee - on every working rep.
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  • Find your own stance width and toe angle through experimentation, since the right setup depends on your individual hip anatomy rather than one universal standard.

Common mistakes

  • Letting your lower back round and your pelvis tuck under at the bottom of the squat - often from limited ankle mobility - puts extra stress on the spinal discs and reduces the force your legs can produce.
  • Letting your weight shift toward your toes, whether from pushing off them, heels lifting, or hips rising faster than your chest, drags the bar forward off your mid-foot line and adds stress to your knees and lower back.
  • Letting your knees cave inward instead of tracking over your toes wears down knee cartilage and raises the risk of injuries like meniscus tears.
RP Low Bar Squat
Intermediate

RP Low Bar Squat

Coach's take: Good cues, just not much meat on the bone.

2.6