Leg day has and always will be defined by the back squat. No other exercise builds the quads, glutes, hamstrings, groin, and the rest of the posterior chain like this whole-body movement. But you would surprised to see how many bodybuilders have terrible back squat form.
Former powerlifter and renowned strength coach Mark Rippetoe simply calls the back squat exercises “the best strength exercise there is.”
If you look around the gym, you’ll see folks performing the back squat differently. This is because everyone has different limb and torso lengths, as well as unique hip-socket shapes and femur heads. This affects how each person’s hip, knee, and ankle joints fold and how the hip joint articulates during squatting.
Put simply: Everyone is different, and therefore there is no one, perfect way to squat. There are, however, some basic back squat form rules that all lifters would be smart to abide by:
For optimal depth, bring the tops of your thighs below parallel.
You don’t have to sit on your ankles (aka ass to grass).
Keep your arches up and knees straight—don’t let either cave in toward the midline.
Maintain bar and midfoot alignment.
Regardless of body shape or bar placement, the barbell should be maintained over the midfoot throughout the exercise to maximize the levers and biomechanics of the lifter.
However, when a lifter does not have proper squatting form mechanics, the back squat will exhibit movement patterns that may lead to injury. Here, we will cover some of the most common back squat form errors and complaints that lifters experience while back squatting and provide alternatives to try instead. Each person’s squat is going to look different, but we can give these five guidelines for all lifters and all squatting variations.
Pitching forward minimizes the hip angle, moving the barbell ahead of the midfoot and thus shifting the center of mass forward. This can occur during a low-bar squat (where the barbell is resting lower on the back) when the lifter tries to remain too upright during the descent. When driving up, the lifter’s hips will shoot back and up, pitching the torso forward. This can occur during a high-bar squat when the lifter lacks dorsiflexion (backward bend) ankle mobility.
Squatting Form Fixes:
Allow yourself to lean forward from your hips as you initiate the descent. Your hips will travel back as your knees bend. This smaller hip angle will actually keep the bar over your midfoot and prevent your hips from shooting out of the hole.
During the high-bar squat, try squatting with a half-inch plate beneath your heels or invest in a pair of squat shoes (with a ¾-inch lift in the heels).
Go lighter and focus on technique.
Substitute with a barbell front squat, goblet squat, double kettlebell front squat, or safety squat bar squat.
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Wrist Pain When The Bar Is Racked
Some lifters report pain and discomfort in the wrists when the bar is racked in the low-bar position, whereas most do not find wrist pain when the bar is racked in the high-bar position.
Squatting Form Fixes:
Improve your shoulder and thoracic spine mobility. When your shoulders lack the necessary mobility to properly rack a bar lower on your back, the wrist will compensate by overextending, which will create joint discomfort, especially as the weight starts to increase. Target your pecs and lats for flexibility issues and work on improving your upper-back extension ability with band pec stretches, rack lat stretches, and thoracic spine foam rolling.
Use wrist wraps to help support your wrist joints.
Try using either a thumbless or pinkieless grip.
Move from a low-bar squat to a high-bar squat.
Trying using a Duffalo bar—a curved barbell that sits naturally on the shoulders. Because of its curve, the lifter doesn’t need to externally rotate the shoulders to an extreme position.
Switch to a safety bar squat instead.
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Lumbar Rounding At The Bottom of the Squat
Referred to as “butt wink,” as the lifter approaches the bottom of the squat, his lumbar spine will flex while the pelvis posteriorly tilts, giving the appearance of a rounded lower back. This is a mechanical no-no and definitely should be avoided. Spinal flexion plus a compressive load is a recipe for disk disaster, SI joint and pelvic ligament strains, and spinal damage.
Squatting Form Fixes:
Cueing the lifter to reduce the range of motion to the point at which butt wink doesn’t occur can be all the lifter needs. Perhaps squatting to parallel or just below or above parallel will work wonders. You’ll just have to give it a try and see.
Sometimes this issue can be resolved by switching to a front-loaded squat variation, such as the front squat. Front loading the body will demand more core bracing, which might provide the body with enough stability to squat below parallel with no issue.
Squatting to a box above the point at which butt wink occurs is also another option. You can use the box as a reference point and just tap it, or you could pause on the box to remove all momentum.
As you learn how to squat to this depth without butt winking, it might be possible to successfully squat deeper if your squat skills begin to improve.
Remember, “ass to grass” squats aren’t necessary for everyone. However, do not take this as permission to set an 18-inch box and fool yourself into thinking that is a full-range squat. You should be aiming for a thigh position that is as close to parallel to the floor as possible.
If you cannot reach that depth, you should incorporate a healthy dose of goblet squats and shin boxes to help loosen your hip joints.
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Back Pain On All Barbell-Loaded Squats
For some lifters, all bilateral squatting variations will lead to lower-back pain either during or after training. If you have tried every variation without success, you can try changing up your stance.
Squatting Form Fixes:
Try a staggered-stance squat. This stance removes the mechanical demands of the bilateral squat because it allows one heel to lift. It takes some practice to figure out your new balance point, but this variation can be very effective at improving squat depth.
Try a split squat or lunge-stance squat. This exercise looks like a lunge but is performed without stepping forward or backward.
Try a Bulgarian or rear-foot-elevated split squat. The split squat has been shown to produce the same strength benefits as the barbell squat but without the same associated loading on the spine.
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Learning The Squat Pattern
At this point, it should be obvious that the back squat is a complex movement that requires good biomechanics, body awareness, and coordination for proper execution. Many online programs suggest that all lifters must back squat, but many don’t have access to coaches or teach themselves. This may lead to injuries, especially if egos aren’t in check. We suggest learning squat mechanics first before moving to the back squat. It is much easier to start with the goblet squat. Like the split squat, the goblet squat is a less glamorous move that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. The front-loaded nature of the movement forces the lifter to sit tall into the bottom of the squat and can reinforce bracing of the abs, which, in itself, is a whole other skill. Lastly, many new lifters can be nervous about falling backward and sacrificing depth. The goblet squat can help with this fear and teach balance as the lifter squats deep.
