Skip to content
ascend.
Exercise guide

One Leg Barbell Squat

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

CompoundBarbellExpertPush
Primary muscles

Quads

Secondary

Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings

Equipment

Barbell

Step by step

How to do the One Leg Barbell Squat

  1. 1

    Start by standing about 2 to 3 feet in front of a flat bench with your back facing the bench. Have a barbell in front of you on the floor. Tip: Your feet should be shoulder width apart from each other.

  2. 2

    Bend the knees and use a pronated grip with your hands being wider than shoulder width apart from each other to lift the barbell up until you can rest it on your chest.

  3. 3

    Then lift the barbell over your head and rest it on the base of your neck. Move one foot back so that your toe is resting on the flat bench. Your other foot should be stationary in front of you. Keep your head up at all times as looking down will get you off balance and also maintain a straight back. Tip: Make sure your back is straight and chest is out while performing this exercise.

  4. 4

    As you inhale, slowly lower your leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor. At this point, your knee should be over your toes. Your chest should be directly above the middle of your thigh.

  5. 5

    Leading with the chest and hips and contracting the quadriceps, elevate your leg back to the starting position as you exhale.

  6. 6

    Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

  7. 7

    Switch legs and repeat the movement.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every One Leg Barbell 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

Ascend Club

The app is free. Club adds the coach, leagues and analytics.

Core tracking stays free forever — the climb, streaks, logging and your league tiers. Club is for when you want the full coach, worldwide competition and the depth, at about the price of one coffee a month.

See Club plans

14-day free trial · no card to start

 FreeClub
Tracking, the climb and streaks
Per-set logging, PR detection, wearables
Muscle-league tiers
The AI coachnudgesFull conversation
Worldwide leagues and challenges
PR projections and deep analytics
Unlimited crews
Themes, export and higher AI limits