Place the barbell on your upper back, below your traps. Position your feet shoulder-width apart. Engage your core, squat down by bending your knees and pushing your hips back, keeping your back straight. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then push through your heels to rise back up to the starting position. Maintain a tight grip on the barbell throughout the exercise. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

How to perform the Barbell Low Bar Squat

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Low Bar Squat using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your quadriceps.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your quadriceps rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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Variations of Barbell Low Bar Squat

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