# Barbell Squat

The barbell back squat — bar across the upper back, sit down between the
heels, stand back up.

- **Category:** Main circuit
- **Type:** Free-weight compound squat
- **Targets:** Quadriceps, glutes, adductors, trunk
- **Prescription:** 4 × 6–8
- **Defaults:** 4 × 6 weighted

## Setup

Set the bar on your upper traps (not the neck), hands just outside the
shoulders, and step back from the rack. Feet shoulder-width, toes slightly
out, brace before every rep.

## Execution

1. Sit down and back — hips and knees bend together, chest stays up.
2. Descend until the thighs reach at least parallel, knees tracking over
   the toes.
3. Drive the floor apart and stand back up to full lockout.

## Cues

- Big breath and brace at the top; exhale at the finish.
- The bar stays over mid-foot — watch the sideways bar path, not the mirror.
- Elbows down under the bar, not flared behind it.

## Common Mistakes

- Knees caving inward out of the bottom.
- Heels lifting — weight drifting onto the toes.
- Chest collapsing forward into a good-morning.

## Progression

Master the Bodyweight Squat and Goblet Squat first; add weight in small
jumps only while depth and knee tracking hold.