Barbell squat variations are an ever present in most training programmes and deservedly so given their vast benefits.
Key Benefits:
Lots of Bang for Buck: for most, time and energy are huge barriers to consistency in the gym. Therefore, it is often better to dedicate your limited time and energy to exercises that will train a lot of muscles at the same time, hitting two (or more) birds with one stone.
You Can Load them up HEAVY: The benefit of using a barbell is that we can expose ourselves to high amounts of load and thus high intensities during our squats. This is beneficial as we get stronger due to the diminishing returns you will likely experience from training squats with other tools. For example, kettlebells, of which are eventually limited by our upper body strength to hold the weight up, instead of our lower bodies ability to lift it.
Strengthens The Legs: Squats are great for improving the strength of your legs, particularly the glutes and quadriceps, which is important for both athletes and the general population given their contribution to day to day and sporting functionality. For example, maintaining posture, running, picking up heavy objects or kicking a ball.
Top 5 Favourites Squat Variations:
1) Heel Elevated Barbell Cyclist Squat
How To:
Get under the bar, racking the bar onto your traps (preferably a high bar squat position for this exercise), pulling your elbows to the floor to squeeze the bar onto your back secure.
Un-rack the bar from the squat rack and place your heels onto a wedge or another bumper plater, with your feet together or in a close stance, feet facing forwards.
Keeping the bar above the midfoot, sitting your bum onto your heels, driving your knees forwards in a natural fashion.
Stand back up to complete the rep.
Benefits:
This is a great variation for those that struggle with a ‘true’ squat pattern, whether due to a lack of movement competency (technique) or hard or soft tissue barriers like having long femurs. The heel wedge constrains your movement, somewhat forcing you to be more knee dominant in your squat, when otherwise your technique or structures may have forced you to be more hip-dominant. This allows you to target the knees and quads more, when otherwise you may have found it difficult.
2) Traditional Back Squat
How To:
Get under the bar, racking the bar onto your traps (high bar or low bar depending on your preferences and goals), pulling your elbows to the floor to squeeze the bar onto your back securely.
Un-rack the bar from the squat rack and step away, placing your feet approximately shoulder width, facing slightly outwards (10 and 2 on a clockface is a nice guide)
Keeping the bar above the midfoot, sit your bum onto your heels, sitting between your knees.
Stand back up to complete the rep.
Benefits:
The traditional back squat, whether you choose high bar or low bar, is not only a great whole body strength exercise but is also a great KPI for measuring your strength versus larger populations, given the large amounts of data we have on it. This is certainly useful for elite sporting populations to see what they need to work on relative to competitors but also in the general population to see, statistically, how comparatively healthy they are. There is a large amount of nuance with this sort of normative data, but it can still be very informative, but just take it with a pitch of salt.
3) Zercher Squat
How To:
Wrap your elbows around the bar, racking the bar between your elbow creases. You can use a towel or bar pad to make this more pleasant if needed.
Un-rack the bar from the rack and step away, placing your feet approximately shoulder width, facing slightly outwards (10 and 2 on a clockface is a nice guide)
Keeping the bar above the midfoot, sit your bum onto your heels, sitting between your knees. Think about keeping your fists to the sky throughout.
Stand back up to complete the rep.
Benefits:
Not only does this variation blast your trunk/core more than a regular squat, it is also a great variation for teaching beginners how to squat. Firstly, it doesn’t require the mobility from the shoulders and thoracic to hold the weight on the back, nor the confidence to do so, which can be a barrier for the nervier gym goer. Secondly, the extreme anterior load of the barbell helps to constrain your movement enough to make it very easy to hit a traditional, knee dominant squat pattern.
4) Barbell Front Squat
How To:
Rack the bar on your front delts (front of your shoulders), with your hands outside the bar to keep it secure and elbows to the sky.
Imagine doing your best bodybuilding lat spread to help create a large platform for the bar.
Un-rack the bar from the squat rack and step away, placing your feet approximately shoulder width, facing slightly outwards (10 and 2 on a clockface is a nice guide)
Keeping the bar above the midfoot, sit your bum onto your heels.
Stand back up to complete the rep.
Benefits:
Front squats are often referred to as an essential movement for those that take part in Olympic lifting and while, other than one’s competition lifts or movements, there are no real essential movements, the front squat is certainly a very beneficial one for anyone interested in Olympic lifting.
The front squat strengthens the lower body in a very specific way to the positions hit in Olympic weightlifting. It also helps to reinforce a good front rack position, can allow you to practise ‘catching the bounce’ out of a squat (which can help with those heavy cleans that may be crushing you in the hole at the moment) and also forces you to adapt to high amounts of axial loading.
As a caveat, you do at least need to be ABLE to hit the positions in a front squat for high level Olympic lifts, but whether you deem it essential in your ongoing programme or not is up for interpretation.
5) Barbell Overhead Squats
How To:
Place the bar across your traps with your hands gripping the bar in a wide grip (typically a snatch grip but can be narrower or wider, depending on your goals).
Un-rack the bar from the squat rack and step away, placing your feet approximately shoulder width, facing slightly outwards (10 and 2 on a clockface is a nice guide).
Use momentum from your legs to help you press the bar overhead so that your arms are locked, and the bar is over the top of the crown of your head.
Keeping the bar above the midfoot, sit your bum onto your heels, sitting between your knees.
Stand back up to complete the rep.
Benefits:
Like the front squat, the positions required to do an overhead squat are essential positions for high level Olympic Weightlifters. But again, whether they are in your consistent programme once you can do a full overhead squat, is up to you or your coaches’ discretion.
The overhead squat is also a great exercise for the general population. Regular use of the overhead squat is a great way to maintain a good level of thoracic and shoulder mobility, which people often lack, which can be debilitating. This is a particularly common issue in the desk-based, office worker, thus making it a great exercise to work up to for non-athletes as well as athletes.
Conclusion
So, if you are wondering whether it is worth adding barbell squat variations into your training programme, then absolutely it is! They have great bang for buck and there’s a lot of different variations to choose from, based on your preferences, goals, or physical limitations.
It should be noted that there are no magic cues or ‘one-way fits all’ ways to learn an exercise. Everyone will look different and learn differently, but the cues above are nice verbal examples to get you started or to help you with your own clients if you are in the industry.
If you want any help or advice on your squatting, be sure to reach out to us today 😊
Author:
Ewan Hammond (Bsc; PhD Researcher; Professional Fitness Writer; Personal Trainer; Online Coach)
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