Back squat: how to do it
Main muscles: Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus. Helpers: Hip adductors (inner thigh), Erector spinae (lower back), Sartorius. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Barbell
Reps
8–12
Rest
105 s
Muscle group
Legs
How to do it
- Bar on the traps, feet slightly wider than the shoulders, toes turned out a little.
- Send the hips back and down, knees tracking over the toes, back flat.
- Depth is at least thighs parallel to the floor; stand up pushing through the whole foot.
Common mistakes
Knees caving in, heels coming up, rounding the back at the bottom.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus
- Secondary
- Hip adductors (inner thigh), Erector spinae (lower back), Sartorius
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Programs that use it
- Full body, 2 days3 × 8–12
- Full body, 3 days3 × 8–12
- Push, pull, legs — 3 days4 × 8–12
- Upper/lower, 4 days4 × 8–12
- 5-day split4 × 8–12
- Strength 5×5, 3 days5 × 5
- Lower body focus, 3 days4 × 8–12
Alternatives: similar exercises
Goblet squat
Dumbbells · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus
Bodyweight squat
Bodyweight · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop), Gluteus maximus
Front squat
Barbell · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop)
Leg press
Machine · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop)
Hack squat
Machine · Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis (outer quad), Vastus medialis (teardrop)
Sumo deadlift
Barbell · Gluteus maximus, Rectus femoris, Hip adductors (inner thigh), Erector spinae (lower back)
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
Free forever for the first 500