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Exercise guide

Olympic Squat

How to do the Olympic Squat with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

CompoundBarbellIntermediatePush
Primary muscles

Quads

Secondary

Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings

Equipment

Barbell

Step by step

How to do the Olympic Squat

  1. 1

    Begin with a barbell supported on top of the traps. The chest should be up, and the head facing forward. Adopt a hip width stance with the feet turned out as needed.

  2. 2

    Descend by flexing the knees, refraining from moving the hips back as much as possible. This requires that the knees travel forward; ensure that they stay aligned with the feet. The goal is to keep the torso as upright as possible. Continue all the way down, keeping the weight on the front of the heel.

  3. 3

    At the moment the upper legs contact the lower, reverse the motion, driving the weight upward.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Olympic Squat set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your quads volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More quads exercises

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