Barbell Squat
The fundamental barbell squat. The king of leg and total-strength exercises. It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back and calves.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 1.7× bodyweight (135 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 1.2× (72.5 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Barbell Squat
- Set the bar on your upper back, grip it firmly, brace your core and unrack it; take two steps back with feet about shoulder width, toes slightly out.
- Sit down by bending the hips and knees together, keeping the chest up and the whole foot on the floor.
- Go as deep as you can with a flat back, ideally until the hips are below the knees.
- Drive through the mid-foot to stand up, pushing the knees out over the toes; exhale at the top.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Quads | Quadriceps femoris |
| Primary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
| Primary | Adductors | Adductores |
| Secondary | Lower back | Erector spinae |
| Secondary | Calves | Triceps surae |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- The base of leg size
- Whole-body strength and a real metabolic cost
- Bracing that transfers to every other lift
Strength standards for Barbell Squat
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 1.1× | 0.8× | 87.5 kg | 47.5 kg |
| Gold | 1.7× | 1.2× | 135 kg | 72.5 kg |
| Platinum | 2.25× | 1.55× | 180 kg | 92.5 kg |
| Diamond | 2.8× | 1.95× | 225 kg | 117.5 kg |
| Obsidian | 3.5× | 2.45× | 280 kg | 147.5 kg |
| Painite | 4.2× | 2.95× | 335 kg | 177.5 kg |
| Antimatter | 5.6× | 3.9× | 447.5 kg | 235 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Barbell Squat, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
See also: strength rank calculator and squat standards.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Barbell Squat work?
It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back and calves.
How do you do Barbell Squat?
Set the bar on your upper back, grip it firmly, brace your core and unrack it; take two steps back with feet about shoulder width, toes slightly out. Sit down by bending the hips and knees together, keeping the chest up and the whole foot on the floor. Go as deep as you can with a flat back, ideally until the hips are below the knees. Drive through the mid-foot to stand up, pushing the knees out over the toes; exhale at the top.
What is a good Barbell Squat for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 1.7× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 1.2× for women, Diamond at 2.8× and 1.95×. For an 80 kg man that is a 135 kg and a 225 kg one-rep max.
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