Back squat

Why it earns a spot

It loads the quads, glutes and trunk together through a long range, so it moves total leg strength faster than most machines.

How to do it

1. Set the bar at upper-chest height and step under it so it sits on your upper traps, hands just outside your shoulders.
2. Unrack, take two steps back, and set your feet about shoulder width with toes turned out slightly.
3. Breathe in, brace your trunk as if bracing for a punch, and keep that brace for the whole rep.
4. Sit down between your hips, pushing your knees out over your toes, until your hip crease is at or just below your knee.
5. Drive the floor away and stand up with your chest and hips rising together.

Common mistakes

• Letting the hips shoot up first so the lift turns into a good morning; keep chest and hips rising at the same rate.
• Knees caving in on the way up; push them out in line with your toes.
• Cutting depth as the weight climbs; pick one depth standard and hold it every set so your numbers stay comparable.

How to program it

Add 2.5 kg (5 lb) once you hit the top of your rep range on every set, or add one rep per week until you do. Log the same depth each time so the trend means something.

Routines that use it

Swaps and alternatives