Legs · Barbell
Barbell Full Squat
How to do the barbell full squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Rack a barbell across your upper back and set your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down by pushing your hips back and bending your knees until your hips drop below your knees, then drive through your heels to stand all the way up.
- 1Your quads and glutes loading deep at the bottom
- 2Your hips dropping below your knees for full depth
- 3Your heels driving into the floor to stand
Common mistakes
- Letting your knees cave inward or your heels lift
- Rounding your lower back as you hit full depth
- Bouncing carelessly out of the bottom
Muscles worked
The barbell full squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell full squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.