Legs · Barbell
Barbell Low Bar Squat with Rack
How to do the barbell low bar squat with rack, 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
Set the bar in a squat rack and position it low across your rear delts. Unrack it, step back, and squat down by sitting your hips back and bending your knees until your thighs reach at least parallel, then drive up through your heels.
- 1Sit your hips back and feel your glutes and quads load
- 2Keep your chest braced and drive up through your heels
- 3Spread the floor with your feet to keep your knees tracking out
Common mistakes
- Don't let your knees cave inward or your heels lift
- Avoid rounding your lower back or pitching too far forward
- Don't bounce uncontrolled out of the bottom
Muscles worked
The barbell low bar squat with rack mainly works the quads and glutes, with the lower back, hamstrings, upper abs, lower abs, calves, and adductors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the barbell low bar squat with rack 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.