Legs · Barbell
Barbell Quarter Squat
How to do the barbell quarter 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 stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and hips to descend only about a quarter of the way down, then drive through your heels to stand back up. The short range lets you handle heavier loads.
- 1Feel your quads and glutes drive hard out of the shallow bottom
- 2Keep your chest tall and core braced under the heavier load
- 3Push through your heels and stand fully at the top
Common mistakes
- Don't let your knees cave inward or your heels lift
- Avoid rounding your back or letting your chest collapse
- Don't bounce at the bottom; control the short descent
Muscles worked
The barbell quarter squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the lower back, upper abs, lower abs, hamstrings, calves, and adductors assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the barbell quarter 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.