straddlySafety Bar Squat
Muscles worked
Main muscles
- Gluteus Maximus
- Vastus Intermedius
- Vastus Lateralis
- Vastus Medialis
Also working
- Adductor Magnus
- Erector Spinae
- Rectus Femoris
- Trapezius (Upper)
What it is
A back squat with a safety squat bar, which has padded yokes and forward-angled handles. It is kinder to the shoulders and puts more work on the upper back and quads. Keep the chest up against the bar's forward pull.
Technique tips
- Hold the handles low and in front
- Brace hard and keep the chest up
- Squat to depth
- Push the upper back into the bar as you stand
How to track your progress
Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.
