Legs · Barbell
Barbell Sumo Squat
How to do the barbell sumo 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
Set up with a barbell on your upper back and take a wide stance with your toes turned out. Brace your core, sit your hips back and down between your legs, keeping your chest up and knees tracking over your toes. Drive through your heels to stand, squeezing your glutes and inner thighs.
- 1Feel your quads, glutes, and inner thighs working through the wide stance
- 2Push your knees out over your toes as you sit down between your legs
- 3Drive through your heels and squeeze at the top
Common mistakes
- Don't let your knees cave inward or your heels lift
- Avoid rounding your back or letting your chest drop forward
- Don't cut the depth short; sit your hips down between your legs
Muscles worked
The barbell sumo squat mainly works the quads, glutes, and adductors, with the lower back, hamstrings, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- AdductorsPrimary
- Lower BackSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the barbell sumo 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.