Today's focus is barbell back squats. This exercise is going to target all parts of your quads, with some emphasis on your glutes, adductors, and erector spinae. There are two fundamental ways to perform this, and the difference lies in where you rest the bar. A high bar placement rested on your upper traps has been shown to slightly increase quad activation, while a low bar placement on your rear delts has been shown to slightly increase activation of the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Nonetheless, both utilize a very similar technique, so just choose the one most comfortable for you once you've done that.
It's time to initiate the setup. First, adjust the hooks to place the bar at chest height and clip the weight evenly onto both sides. Then drive your palms into the bar with either your thumbs wrapped over or around it, with a grip as close as your shoulder mobility allows for. From here, slide your head down below the bar, placing your feet level directly underneath. Then pull your shoulder blades down and back to create a shelf in either your upper traps or rear delts for the bar to Lyon.
Hold this tension in your back, then take a big breath in and stand up with the weight by driving your hips forward. Then take a few steps back, placing your feet just outside your hips with your knees and toes.
Your elbows are behind your body, the bar is parallel to the ground, and the weight is evenly distributed over your midfoot. Now it's time for the descent. Take another big breath in, expanding your diaphragm and pushing your stomach out. Then hinge your hips back and push your knees forward in the direction of your toes, while keeping your chest up, your back tight, and your breath held from the side. The bar should travel in a straight line perpendicular to the ground until your hip crease is at or below your knees and your knees are a few inches in front of your toes. Then, without pausing at the bottom, immediately begin the ascent evenly.
Applying pressure into your heels and toes so that your hips hinge forward at the same rate your chest rises up. Remember to keep your knees pointed out and drive the bar in a straight line perpendicular to the ground. After you're comfortable you've gotten the weight up, exhale your breath and get back into the starting position for the next Rep ideally, you want to control the descent for around one to two seconds and explode up for the ascent with as much force as possible.
