Single-Leg Barbell Squat
Trains the Quads.
- Equipment
- A barbell and a rack
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Advanced
How to do it
- Rack a barbell across your upper back and step back into clear space.
- Rest the top of one foot on a bench behind you, or hold it off the floor.
- Set the standing foot far enough forward that the knee stays over the middle of the foot.
- Lower by bending the standing knee until the thigh is about parallel with the floor.
- Keep the torso upright and the standing heel down.
- Drive back up through the standing foot, then finish the side before swapping.
Common mistakes
- Setting the standing foot too close. Under a bar, a foot that is too far back sends the knee a long way past the toes; a step further forward puts the load into the hip.
- Pushing off the rear foot. The rear leg holds the position; the front leg does the work, and if the rear one is helping the bench is too low or the foot too heavily loaded.
- Loading it against a two-leg squat. One leg under a bar is limited by balance long before it is limited by strength.
- Turning around under the bar to swap sides. Racking between sides costs a few seconds and removes the one moment where the load is least controlled.