How To Back Squat: High Bar Back Squat Tutorial For Beginners

The high-bar back squat is one of the best strength exercises as it helps to build absolute strength and power in the lower body and core. In this article, we'll go over the basics of the high-bar back squat technique as well as the top 3 most common mistakes beginners often make when performing the high-bar back squat.

What’s The Difference Between The High-Bar & Low-Bar Back Squat?

First, let's define the high-bar back squat. It's a squat variation in which the barbell is positioned on the upper back, near the base of the neck. This position allows for a more upright torso, as compared to the low-bar back squat, which requires a more forward lean, with the bar placed on the rear delts.

How To Execute The High-Bar Squat:

To properly execute the high-bar back squat, start by setting up the barbell on a squat rack at a height that allows you to safely unrack the bar, without needing to calf raise or start in a half squat. Unrack, walk 1-2 steps back, and move your feet to roughly shoulder width with your feet slightly turned out. Adjust your stance as needed to allow for the deepest possible squat while maintaining midfoot pressure and an upright torso.

Take a deep breath, brace your abs by pushing your stomach out, and descend into the squat. Focus on keeping your chest up and your balance midfoot. Aim to squat to the deepest possible position while maintaining midfoot balance, upright torso, and braced core, before standing up as fast as possible, mirroring the descent.

Common Mistake #1: Not Hitting Full Depth

One common mistake when high-bar back squatting is not being able to reach full depth. If this is something you struggle with, try to pause where you normally squat to, hold for 2 seconds, then try to squat a little lower, hold for another 2-3 seconds, then stand up. This will help you build comfort and strength in your newfound range of motion.

Common Mistake #2: Improper Timing

Another common mistake is lack of proper timing and speed in the squat. Many new lifters will initiate the squat too fast, causing the bar to break from the shoulders slightly and crash back on the lifter mid-squat, making the lift feel way harder than it needs to. Instead, try to initiate the squat smoothly, not suddenly, and you will notice the difference!

Similar to initiating the squat too soon, dropping into the squat too fast will cause the bar to crash on you at the bottom of the lift, which makes it harder to utilize a stretch reflex, and therefore makes the lift much harder. Aim to make your down(eccentric) speed slower than your up (concentric) speed to allow for more control on the eccentric, and more explosiveness on the concentric.

Common Mistake #3: The Good Morning Squat

Another common mistake in the squat is called the “good morning squat” in which the lifter’s torso falls forward as they stand up from the bottom of the squat. This places the bar over the ball of the foot instead of the more ideal midfoot, making the lift less efficient and placing more strain on the lower back.

Try using the cue “drive your traps into the bar” to make sure that the upper body and lower body work together instead of independently. Often this can fix most issues here, but if not, it may be a strength issue. With lighter weights, try using a tempo squat in which you use both a 4-second eccentric AND 4-second concentric, with the goal of taking the extra time to correct any forward lean on the way up. Combining this with specific quad isolation exercises and lower back exercises can also help shore up any specific weaknesses causing this forward lean.

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