5 Techniques to Boost Your Low Bar Squat Max
Squat 6 min Read“Practice the way you want to play.” But a max squat isn’t play. These five techniques helped me reach…
Everyone knows they should squat, but far fewer people know how to squat well. A big reason is that some of the most common squat cues are misleading, or right for one kind of squat and wrong for another. Here are seven cues we hear all the time, what’s wrong with them, and what to do instead. Our focus here is the low bar squat.
The short version
- The hips and knees should bend at the same time, not one before the other.
- Knees going past your toes is normal and necessary.
- For the low bar squat, aim for about parallel, not ass-to-grass.
- “Parallel” means the hip crease level with the top of the kneecap, not a 90-degree knee.
- Drive with the hips, but let your chest and hips rise together.
- Keep a neutral neck and turn your toes out about 30 degrees, knees tracking over them.
| Cue | The problem | Try this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Break at the knees before the hips | One joint leading throws off balance | Hips back and knees forward at the same time |
| Don’t let your knees pass your toes | Forces the lower back to compensate | Let the knees travel forward and out |
| Ass-to-grass | Too deep for a low bar squat | About parallel |
| Never go below 90 degrees | Often too shallow; wrong definition | Hip crease level with the top of the kneecap |
| Hip drive (overdone) | Hips shoot up, squat turns into a good morning | Chest and hips rise together |
| Look up | Strains the neck | Neutral neck, eyes a few feet ahead on the floor |
| Feet parallel | Not the strongest position for most | Toes out about 30 degrees, knees over toes |
1. “Break at the knees before the hips”
This cue is often used to correct the opposite fault: the knees shooting forward before the hips move back, which can overload the knees. But “hips first” isn’t right either. In a good squat, the knees bend and travel forward and out at the same time as the hips bend and travel back.
2. “Don’t let your knees go past your toes”
To squat down with balance, your hips, knees and ankles all need to bend. If you block your knees from traveling forward, your ankles can’t do their share, and your body makes up the difference somewhere else, usually your lower back. It’s normal and necessary for the knees to travel past the toes, and the deeper the squat, the further they go.
3. “Ass-to-grass”
This has come to mean squatting as deep as possible, until the hamstrings touch the calves. Plenty of lifters squat deep safely in other squat styles, but for the low bar squat it’s more depth than you need. Going that deep often makes the lower back round at the bottom (butt wink) and gives up leverage. Squat to about parallel instead.
4. “Never go below 90”
This usually refers to a 90-degree bend at the knee, which is shallower than a true parallel squat. We define parallel as the hip crease level with the top of the kneecap. That depth is plenty for most people and builds serious leg strength. Front squats, high bar squats and overhead squats can go deeper, but for the low bar squat, go to about parallel, and for many lifters a little above.
5. “Hip drive” taken too far
Driving with the hips is a useful cue; many lifters don’t use their hips enough. But overdone, the hips shoot up first and the squat turns into a good morning, leaving the bar behind. Aim for the hips and chest to rise together, with the whole body coming up as a unit.
6. “Look up”
This is the classic high-school weight-room cue, meant to stop the chest from dropping and the lifter tipping forward. But cranking the neck back isn’t what keeps you upright; good squat mechanics do. Keep your neck neutral, with your eyes on the floor a few feet in front of you.
7. “Feet parallel”
Some coaches teach squatting with the feet pointing straight ahead and driving the knees out hard, arguing it’s more stable for the knee. There may be some truth to that, but it isn’t the strongest squat position for most people, and it’s rarely how competitive lifters squat. Turning the toes out lets the thighs line up naturally over the feet. Aim for about 30 degrees of toe-out, with your knees tracking over your toes.
Coach’s tip
Film your squat from the side and the front. Most of these cues are easy to check on video: bar path, depth, knee tracking and neck position.
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad for your knees to go past your toes when squatting?
No. It’s normal and necessary for a balanced squat, especially as you go deeper.
How deep should a low bar squat be?
About parallel: hip crease level with the top of the kneecap, and for many lifters a little above.
Should my toes point forward when I squat?
For most people, turning the toes out about 30 degrees, with the knees tracking over the toes, is stronger and more comfortable.
New to squatting? Start with the best exercise for learning the squat and our complete low bar squat guide.
Want a coach to dial in your squat technique? Book a free strategy session at our Tallahassee, St. Petersburg or Tampa gym.