Standing Barbell Squat

Muscle Used: Glutes

How To Do It:

• Use a barbell with an appropriate weight.
• Rest the barbell on your shoulders, behind your neck.  Grasp the bar with a grip wider than shoulder width.
• Stand with with feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointing straight ahead.  Your knees should be inline with your toes during the whole movement.
• Draw in the belly button and maintain proper posture throughout the entire exercise.
• Begin to squat down (flex at the hip and bend at the knee), as if you're sitting in a chair.
• Keep your knees over your feet and go as low as you can without losing control.
• Stand back up, pushing through the heels and contracting your glutes.
• Use a spotter when lifting a challenging weight.

How Many To Do:

• General Fitness improvement: lift enough to reach muscle fatigue with 12-25 reps.  Complete 1-3 sets.
• Muscle Gain: lift enough to reach muscle fatigue with 6-15 reps.  Complete 1-3 sets.

did you know...?

• squatting is one of the most fundamental human movements. We do it hundreds of times a day. Train your body to do this correctly and it will pay off while walking up and down stairs, picking up kids and jumping tall buildings in a single bound.
• there are many alternative squatting techniques that are very risky for the knees and lower back. Always investigate and question the advice given to you (hey, including this one!).

Additional Information:

To avoid reaching a plateau, change exercises every couple weeks. For other exercises and variations, ask a trainer in the club!

Our Personal Training staff can build a custom routine designed to help you reach your goals quickly and safely.