Barbell Quarter Squat

The barbell quarter squat is a strength exercise that targets the lower body, particularly the quadriceps and glutes.

To perform the exercise:

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell across your upper back.
  2. Engage your core and keep your chest up.
  3. Lower your body by bending your knees to a quarter squat position, ensuring your knees track over your toes.
  4. Push through your heels to return to the starting position.

How to perform the Barbell Quarter Squat

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Quarter Squat using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your calves.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your calves rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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