Legs · Barbell
Barbell Wide Squat
How to do the barbell wide 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 a barbell across your upper back and stand with your feet wider than shoulder width, toes turned slightly out. Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat down until your thighs are at least parallel, then drive through your heels to stand.
- 1Feel your glutes, quads, and inner thighs working out of the bottom
- 2Push your knees out in line with your toes
- 3Drive through your heels and keep your chest tall
Common mistakes
- Don't let your knees cave inward
- Avoid rounding your lower back or letting your chest drop
- Don't let your heels lift off the floor
Muscles worked
The barbell wide squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the lower back, hamstrings, adductors, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell wide 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.