Quads · Barbell

Olympic Squat

High-bar back squat, upright torso, hit full depth.

Olympic Squat exercise demonstration
QuadsSecondary: GlutesBarbell

How to do it

  1. Rack the bar high on your traps with a tight grip.
  2. Brace your core and sit straight down keeping your chest tall.
  3. Drop below parallel with knees tracking over your toes.
  4. Drive up through the whole foot to stand.

The one cue that matters

Stay upright and let your knees travel forward, this is meant to be deep and quad-focused.

Muscles worked

Racking the bar high on the traps keeps your torso near vertical, which sends the knees forward and the hips straight down, loading the quads through the deepest range a barbell squat allows. The glutes join hard out of the bottom, but this is the quad squat, the pattern weightlifters live in because it mirrors the catch position of the clean and snatch. Full depth is not a bonus here, it is the entire assignment.

FAQ

What is the difference between an Olympic squat and a low-bar squat?

Bar position and everything that follows from it. High bar keeps you upright, deep, and quad-dominant, low bar tips the torso over and shifts load to the hips and posterior chain, most lifters are a little stronger low bar but get more quad from high bar.

Should I wear lifting shoes for Olympic squats?

A raised heel helps a lot, it buys ankle range so you can stay upright at full depth. If you squat deep and upright regularly, lifting shoes are one of the few pieces of gear genuinely worth the money.

Is squatting below parallel with knees forward safe?

Deep knee bend is a position you train like any other, build the range gradually, control the descent, and load progressively. Lifters squat this way daily for entire careers, the depth is a skill, not a hazard.

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