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Exercise guide

Squat with Bands

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

CompoundBarbellIntermediatePush
Primary muscles

Quads

Secondary

Adductors, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back

Equipment

Barbell

Step by step

How to do the Squat with Bands

  1. 1

    Set up the bands on the sleeves, secured to either band pegs, the rack, or dumbbells so that there is appropriate tension.

  2. 2

    Begin by stepping under the bar and placing it across the back of the shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your elbows forward, attempting to bend the bar across your shoulders. Remove the bar from the rack, creating a tight arch in your lower back, and step back into position. Place your feet wide for more emphasis on the back, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings. Keep your head facing forward.

  3. 3

    With your back, shoulders, and core tight, push your knees and butt out and you begin your descent. Sit back with your hips as much as possible. Ideally, your shins should be perpendicular to the ground. Lower bar position necessitates a greater torso lean to keep the bar over the heels. Continue until you break parallel, which is defined as the crease of the hip being in line with the top of the knee.

  4. 4

    Keeping the weight on your heels and pushing your feet and knees out, drive upward as you lead the movement with your head. Continue upward, maintaining tightness head to toe, until you have returned to the starting position.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Squat with Bands 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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