High Bar Squat
Olympic squat with the bar high on the traps. Quad-dominant. 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 High Bar Squat
- Set the bar high on your upper back, on top of the traps, with the elbows under the bar and the chest up.
- Unrack, step back and set the feet about shoulder width with the toes slightly out.
- Squat straight down with an upright torso, letting the knees travel forward over the toes, as deep as the heels stay down.
- Drive up through the mid-foot; the high bar position keeps you upright and puts the quads in charge.
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 High Bar 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 High Bar 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.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does High Bar Squat work?
It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back and calves.
How do you do High Bar Squat?
Set the bar high on your upper back, on top of the traps, with the elbows under the bar and the chest up. Unrack, step back and set the feet about shoulder width with the toes slightly out. Squat straight down with an upright torso, letting the knees travel forward over the toes, as deep as the heels stay down. Drive up through the mid-foot; the high bar position keeps you upright and puts the quads in charge.
What is a good High Bar 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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