Barbell Full Squat

The squat is one of the best-known exercises for the legs. It is a compound exercise; an exercise that involves multiple joints and muscle groups. This is also evident from the long list of muscles involved, as listed above.

There can be many differences in how the squat is performed, such as with or without added weight, the type of weight, and where the weight is placed. There is much debate about the depth of the ‘ideal’ squat. In the case of the full squat, the hip joint should be below the knee joint at the lowest point of the exercise.

Barbell Full Squat execution

Place the barbell with the selected weight in the squat rack’s hooks (lock the plates). Choose a height that allows you to easily step out with the weight (approximately level with the bottom of your chest; see ‘Safety’!).

Step under the barbell and place it across the upper back or at neck level (see below).

Make sure you are positioned exactly in the middle of the barbell. Center your head and place your hands parallel on the barbell (by looking at the markings on the barbell).

Stand with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.

Push yourself up to lift the barbell out of the hooks and carefully take a few small(!) steps backward to create space for the exercise.

Lower yourself slowly as if sitting on a chair that could be pulled away at any moment. Continue lowering until you are fully squatted.

Push yourself up by pressing your feet forcefully into the floor.

Barbell Full Squat

Muscles involved:

Legs:

Quadriceps (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris)
Hamstrings

Glutes:

Gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus

Pelvis:

Iliacus (hip flexor)
Psoas major (hip flexor)

Calves:

Gastrocnemius
Soleus

Abdomen:

Rectus abdominis (abdominal muscle)
Obliquus externus abdominis (external oblique muscle)
Obliquus internus abdominis (internal oblique muscle)
Transversus abdominis (transverse abdominal muscle, ‘corset muscle’)

(Lower) back and spine:

Erector spinae
Lumbar multifidus
Quadratus lumborum

Barbell Full Squat technique

Safety

Make sure the plates are secured with collars.
Do not place the hooks that hold the barbell too high. On a final heavy repetition, you should not have to stand completely upright to return it to the hooks.
Make sure there is a possible resting point (the rack’s safety bars) for the barbell at a point slightly lower than where it reaches at the lowest point. It is reassuring to know that you can push yourself to the limit without worrying about the weight on your neck. Therefore, stand inside the squat rack and not in front of it.
When starting the exercise, do not take large steps backward with the barbell; take small steps.
Increase the weight gradually. The squat involves multiple large muscle groups and joints, all of which must be prepared for the required exertion.

Technical execution. Full squat vs. parallel squat:

There is much debate about the correct technical execution of the various forms of the squat. One of the biggest points of debate is how deep you should lower yourself in the squat. Before taking too many motivational memes on Instagram about ‘ass to the grass’ to heart, it is worth realizing that many people are physically unable to do this. For example, a short Achilles tendon can prevent some people from squatting without falling forward. Squatting is very normal for babies and people in some non-Western countries. For many others, however, there is nothing natural about sitting in a squat, let alone with a barbell across the neck.

Apart from the fact that you may not be able to perform this exercise as deeply at all, it is also questionable whether you should do so if you can.

A coach should be able to explain which execution is most suitable for you. At fitsociety.nl, you can find several articles that discuss this in detail. For good background knowledge on the execution, we therefore gladly refer you to these articles.

Squatting with long legs

Five common mistakes when squatting

Weightlifting shoes: Benefits when squatting

Squatting: Knees past the toes?

Squat for women

At a glance