Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Glutes

Barbell Back Squat

Also called Squat, High-bar squat

BarbellCompoundTakes some practice
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Quads, Glutes

Also adductors, lower back, abs

You need

Barbell, Squat rack

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Bottom
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Brace hard before each rep
  2. 2Sit down between your heels
  3. 3Go as deep as you can with a neutral back

Most common mistake

Cutting depth to load more plates.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Ranked #3 for American football
  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched
  • Easy to keep adding weight
  • Carries straight over to American football

Compare with

vs Leg Pressvs Barbell Hip Thrustvs 45° Back Extension
A
For cycling
#7 of 16
See the full list →
Research
73
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 73
TransferExcellent
Injury protectionGood
PracticalityGood

Heavy leg strength for the pedal stroke. More technical and tiring than the machine options.

Research behind these criteria

  • Transfer: Seitz et al., 2014 · Markovic, 2007 · Blagrove et al., 2018 · Rønnestad & Mujika, 2014
  • Injury protection: Lauersen et al., 2014 · van Dyk et al., 2019 · Harøy et al., 2019 · Webster & Hewett, 2018
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • ABulgarian Split SquatDumbbell
  • AHack SquatMachine
  • ALeg PressMachine
  • ATrap Bar DeadliftBarbell

Takes

None yet
needed to post
280