3 Easy Steps To Barbell Back Squat

12 Apr 2025 · 1 min

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1:05

In this concise instructional video, fitness coach Eric Roberts addresses common squat form frustrations and offers three concrete adjustments to enhance barbell back squat performance. First, he recommends lowering the bar from the neck to the rear shoulder area to improve balance and allow deeper squats. Second, he advises widening the stance and angling the toes outward to open the hips, increasing range of motion. Third, he introduces a cue to initiate the movement by ‘karate‑chopping’ the hips back before descending, promoting proper hip hinge and a smoother squat descent. These tips aim to help viewers feel more confident and effective in their squat execution.

Chapters

If you are doing this exercise and no matter what, even if you watch every form video, you still never feel like you're doing them right, well, try these 3 things out. They just might help. First, instead of placing the bar on your neck, move the bar lower down on the back of your shoulders. This helps you have better balance and you can get lower down in your squat. Second, do not have your feet pointing straight forward. This limits your range of motion and how low you can get. Instead, get your feet wider apart, slightly point your toes out, and this will open up your hips, allowing for more range of motion. And third, instead of thinking about going straight down, I want you to think about slightly karate chopping your hips back first. First, and then you can drop straight down into your squat.