High Bar Squat (Barbell)
A back squat with the bar high on the traps and the torso upright, sitting straight down. Also called High Bar Squat and High Bar Back Squat.
- Pattern
- Squat
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Works
- Quads, glutes, lower back
- Loads
- Hips, knees, ankles, lower back
If something hurts
Not medical advice. Sharp pain, numbness or swelling needs someone qualified to look at it.
Each swap below spares one joint.
Lower back Belt Squat
Loads the legs without the bar on the spine.
Hip Sissy Squat
Knee-only movement; the hip barely moves.
When it stalls, these usually help
Pausing in the hole builds strength out of the bottom, where squats usually stall.
More quad work without more load on the back.
A stronger lower back holds your position as the weight climbs.
How Swolver coaches it
This lift is read from your own sessions. When it goes flat for four weeks, Swolver names the likely cause in plain words, such as weekly sets that dropped, and the one change to make. The rules are all on the method page.