Legs · Barbell
Barbell One Leg Squat
How to do the barbell one leg squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Hold a barbell across your upper back and balance on one leg with the other lifted slightly off the floor. Push your hips back and bend the standing knee to lower as far as you can control, keeping your chest up. Drive through the standing heel to return to the top.
- 1Quad and glute of the standing leg doing all the work
- 2Steady balance through the mid-foot
- 3Knee tracking in line with your toes
Common mistakes
- Letting the standing knee collapse inward
- Rushing the descent and losing balance
- Rounding your back as you reach the bottom
Muscles worked
The barbell one leg squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the barbell one leg 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.