Barbell Back Squat

Muscles worked by the Barbell Back Squat

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Barbell Back Squat

1. Position the bar on your upper traps.
2. Unrack and step back, feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Brace your core and squat down until thighs are parallel.
4. Drive through your heels to stand back up.
5. Repeat.

Form tips

• Keep your chest up throughout the movement.
• Push your knees out in line with your toes.

At a glance

Barbell Back Squat in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Dumbbell Front Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat
• Front Squat
• Goblet Squat
• Hack Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "squat",
  "name_en": "Barbell Back Squat",
  "name_de": "Langhantel-Kniebeuge",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla Trasera con Barra",
  "description_en": "A compound lower-body movement targeting the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings.",
  "description_de": "Eine mehrgelenkige Unterkörperübung, die Quadrizeps, Gesäßmuskeln und Beinbeuger beansprucht.",
  "description_es": "Un movimiento compuesto de tren inferior que trabaja cuádriceps, glúteos e isquiotibiales.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength",
    "power"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "powerlifting",
    "leg_day",
    "big_three"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Position the bar on your upper traps.",
    "Unrack and step back, feet shoulder-width apart.",
    "Brace your core and squat down until thighs are parallel.",
    "Drive through your heels to stand back up.",
    "Repeat."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Lege die Stange auf den oberen Trapezmuskeln ab.",
    "Entracke und tritt zurück, Füße schulterbreit.",
    "Spanne den Core an und gehe herunter, bis die Oberschenkel parallel sind.",
    "Drücke durch die Fersen zurück in den Stand.",
    "Wiederhole."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Coloca la barra sobre tus trapecios superiores.",
    "Desrackea y da un paso atrás, con los pies al ancho de los hombros.",
    "Contrae el core y haz la sentadilla hasta que los muslos queden paralelos.",
    "Empuja a través de los talones para volver a la posición de pie.",
    "Repite."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep your chest up throughout the movement.",
    "Push your knees out in line with your toes."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Brust während der gesamten Bewegung oben.",
    "Drücke die Knie in Linie mit den Zehen nach außen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén el pecho arriba durante todo el movimiento.",
    "Empuja las rodillas hacia afuera en línea con los dedos de los pies."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/squat-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/squat-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "squat");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.