Back Squat | A Step-by-Step Guide from Ben Smith
Once you’ve mastered the basics of the air squat, try taking your squat to the next level by incorporating the back squat.
What Are Back Squats Good For?
The back squat is basically an air squat with added weight. It’s Crossfit Games Athlete Ben Smith’s favorite exercise for building strength. Back squats allow your body to work harder and develop greater strength. Squats are widely known to be great at building lower body strength, but they can actually improve your upper body strength as well. When squats are done properly, they produce an environment within the body that promotes muscle building. Squats also increase mobility and prime the body for real life applications.
How to Back Squat
Proper back squat form is critical for staying injury free and getting the most benefit from the movement. It’s important to choose a weight that feels heavy, but still allows you to move consistently and maintain good form.
Materials Required:
- Squat Rack
- Barbell
- Weights
Back Squat Steps:
- Place barbell with weights onto the squat rack
- Bring your body under the bar
- Rest barbell over your traps and shoulders
- Make sure hands are even on each side of the bar
- Keep your feet in the same position as they would be for an air squat
- Brace your midline and keep your chest up
- Take a big breath and fill your stomach with air
- Unrack the bar
- Take a step back away from the rack
- Take another big breath and hold
- Stay nice and tight
- Bend knees and use the same range of motion as you would in an air squat to drop down into the bottom squat position
- Exhale as you push up out of the bottom back squat position
- Repeat for multiple reps
After completing back squats or any training exercise, it’s important to allow your body to recover. During exercise, your muscles break down. During the recovery process, they rebuild and get stronger. Recovery also allows helps prevent injuries, perform at your best, and reach your goals. Marc Pro is the recovery tool of choice for over 100 pro teams and countless elite athletes. Discover why Marc Pro is so effective for recovery.