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As a Clinical Myotherapist, I often work with patients who perform back squats as part of their exercise routine, and at the question: “What’s your goal with a back squat?” the answer is often vague and not specific to what this exercise is for. The reason why the answer is not specific is simply because they don’t know what the difference is between high and lower bar squat, and don’t know that the back squat, as long as it is an amazing functional movement, doesn’t train all the lower body muscles at the same level. That’s where, to prevent injury, to perform better squats, and to strengthen more evenly all the lower body muscles, I would suggest them to do exercises like: Quads curl, Hamstring curl, Cable Machine Adduction and Diagonal Extension (Glute Medius). Back Squat: The Foundation of Strength The back squat is such a great form of exercise because it trains multiple joints and multiple muscles all at once, but also allows us to use our innate capacity of squatting, which is a functional movement, to move high loads, therefore achieving more strength gains. However, this leaves us with more responsibility to train smartly. So let’s start to break down the two main types of back squat: High-Bar Back Squat (Upper Bar Position) The bar rests on the upper traps The torso remains more upright Greater emphasis on the quadriceps muscles Ideal if your goal is quad strength and knee-dominant movement patterns Ideally, you are standing with your heels elevated from the ground The fact that the bar is sitting on the upper traps, and that the torso sits straighter, would lead to a descending movement where your back thigh (hamstrings) would lean on calf muscles, and from there you will stand back up. This is why you put more force throughout the quads. Indeed, the combination of a higher bar, a straighter torso, and a reduced descending position allows the weight to sit in the middle of the centre of gravity, which is placed more posteriorly than in a lower-bar back squat. Low-Bar Back Squat (Lower Bar Position) Bar rests lower on the rear deltoids Torso leans forward slightly more Greater load on the glutes and posterior chain Favoured by powerlifters Best for developing hip strength and glute activation Ideally, your feet are nice and flat on the ground from heel to toes. On the other hand, the lower-bar back squat, as anticipated, is more for the posterior chain muscles, like the gluteus max. This is possible because the bending forward of the trunk stretches more muscle fibres in their origin point (the posterior aspect of the ilium (the pelvic bone), the sacrum, and the coccyx), allowing more fibre contraction in the ascending movement. Also, the lower position of the bar and the bending of the torso maintain the weight in the middle of the centre of mass, which is pushed forward at this time. How about if I cannot squat deep? The depth of a squat is the distance that you can cover from a standing position to the lowest point you can reach. How deep you can squat will definitely change which muscle groups you can activate, but not everyone can squat deep —and that’s absolutely ok. Each of us has biomechanics that are different, due to differences in how the skeleton is shaped. Without going into many details in this blog, we can definitely say that those who have a longer femur would have a harder time going for a deep squat, compared to those who have a shorter femur. The femur’s length is compared to that of the torso. But this is not all, indeed, there are also other femur and hip characteristics that can limit how deep you can squat, such as an anteverted or retroverted femur head. Other conditions that can get in the way while you squat are hip impingement. Accessory Work for a Complete Lower Leg Program So, knowing when and why to use each back squat variation can help tailor your program toward specific goals or help rehab muscle imbalances through focused intent. No squat is right, no squat is wrong; it is all about your goal. However, we need to add work more specifically with other exercises for strength symmetry, muscle activation, and injury prevention. Quad Curl (Leg Extension) Isolates the quadriceps Improves knee tracking and squat depth Essential in rehab for knee pain or quad weakness Quads curl can be done in many ways, with a cable machine or on a bench with a quads curl attachment, but even with a kettlebell or resistance band. It all depends on your setup. As per all the exercises, be consistent with your set-up and progressions. What I prefer most for my training, and what I offer to my patients during the fitness class, is to do quad curls on a bench with the attachment for quad curls. The advantages of this set-up are: Confort Easy progressions Easy set-up Inclination of the back at about 45° to 65° and slight elevation of the quads. The last point is essential to ensure we engage both ends of the quadriceps femoris, which is one of the four quads, that crosses both the hip and knee joints. Hamstring Curl Focuses on the hamstrings, which during a squat are often undertrained Strengthens the back of the thigh and supports knee stability A must-have for runners and athletes prone to hamstring strains As per the quad curl, even the hamstring curl can be done with different variations; there is never one way to train those muscles, but again, it is all about the efficiency and the amount of load that we can put through the muscle, which makes a difference. And again, what I can offer at Melbourne Massage and Treatment, in Fitzroy North, is to do these exercises on a bench, using this time a lower inclination for the upper body (which is now in a prone position) so that the origin of […]