By Alex Beasley, Coach & Creator of Atlanta Women’s Barbell Club

So you’ve decided to start barbell squatting and, in searching for proper guidance on technique, you’ve come across the different types of squats and are unsure which is right for you. We’re here to demystify the basic differences and pros/cons between each of the variations! In doing so, we hope to shed light on where they belong in your program. While this won’t be an exhaustive coverage of every element of each lift, we do want to help you to think critically about how your specific technique lends (or doesn’t) to the goals you have. So let’s get into it!

The Basic Squat Types

The differences in the main squat types boil down to bar placement. The most familiar or intuitive of the squats is the high bar squat, where the bar is placed on the traps/high on the upper back. There is also the low bar squat where the bar is placed a little lower on the back, underneath the bony process called the spine of your scapula. Front squats position the bar on the front of the body, on top of the meat of the deltoids.

Before we get into the specific differences between the types as it relates to organizing the rest of your body, it’s reasonable to wonder how changing the bar position changes the squat itself. To answer that question, we have to take a quick detour to talk about a basic fundamental barbell principle.

Midfoot Compliance

In all barbell lifts (not just the squat) it is most efficient and the result of proper technique to move the bar in a straight vertical line over the middle of the foot*. This is not just efficient because it is the shortest path from Point A (the top of the squat) to Point B (the bottom), although that is true. When the bar is moved in a straight vertical line it is resisting the force of gravity alone, which acts in a straight vertical line perpendicular to the Earth.

When the bar is allowed to deviate from that path, other horizontal forces come into play that cause a change in balance on your feet. This represents a problem because the middle of your foot is where you are the most balanced, and your body is always going to prioritize balance (and avoiding a fall) over moving a heavy weight.

In other words, you will be in the best possible position to produce force when you are balanced and you will have decreased force production potential when you are not. The heavier a weight gets, the more balanced over your middle foot you have to be in order to successfully lift the weight. This is the most true at your theoretical one repetition maximum (1RM) where there can be essentially zero deviation from this balance point.

So when the position of the bar changes by either moving the bar up, down, or forward relative to your center of mass, your body has to organize in slightly different ways to accommodate this Midfoot Compliance Principle.

*To be more specific, you are actually moving your center of mass over the middle of your foot but it can be more helpful to use the bar path as an approximation. The approximation is useful both because it’s easy to visualize and also because the heavier the load, the closer your center of mass moves toward the load.

The Low Bar Squat

The bar positioning for the low bar squat is just below the bony process of your scapula called the spine of the scapula. When the bar is placed in this location, the lifter must lean over more to keep the bar over the midfoot. This more horizontal back angle lends to a more closed angle between the torso and the femur (the hip angle), and a relatively more open angle between the femur and the tibia (the knee angle), and the tibia and the foot (the ankle angle). Having a more closed angle on the hip means there is more relative stress on the hip and the muscles that produce flexion & extension for that joint versus on the knees or ankles. This type of squat does a better job of training the posterior chain muscle groups; the glutes, the hamstrings, the adductors, and the spinal erectors to name a few. This doesn’t mean that the knee extensors (the quads) are not involved, just that they are less involved compared with other squat variations.

More stress on the posterior chain tissues has a few benefits. First, there is a greater amount of muscle mass around your hips compared with your knees so for almost every lifter who trains the low bar squat, they are generally able to lift the most amount of weight in this position. The posterior chain is very undertrained in the general population, so this also makes the low bar squat a great choice for new lifters. Second, the greater stress on the lumbar spine means this squat does an excellent job at increasing the tissue capacity of that area. Increased tissue capacity means a lower risk of injury so this type of squat is an excellent way to mitigate future pain and get stronger at the same time! Third, the lesser stress on the knee joint means people with knee pathologies/pain are less likely to experience irritation in the low bar position while still getting the benefits of increased strength around the knee joint. Last, the low bar squat has the least demand on ankle mobility which in our anecdotal experience is quite prevalent for the general population.

The downsides of the low bar squat are that the low bar position can be uncomfortable or even painful for the lifter’s shoulders. For most the general discomfort will improve within a couple weeks of practicing the bar position, but it is possible that the low bar position will be inaccessible for some. Additionally, while the low bar squat is excellent for training strength, a lifter more concerned with quadricep hypertrophy may choose another variation as this squat is not as stressful to that area.

As a quick summary, low bar squats are best for:

The general population who want to get stronger;
Powerlifters who want to train the squat for maximal strength;
and those with ankle mobility concerns, or knee/low back pain/pathologies.

The High Bar Squat

The bar positioning for the high bar squat is up on the trapezius muscles, about an inch or two higher than the low bar position. When the bar is placed in this position, the lifter is slightly more vertical than when the bar is in the low bar position. This places a relatively lower stress on the hips & hip extensors, greater stress on the knees & knee extensors, and has a greater demand for ankle mobility to accomodate for the more forward knee positioning. While this type of squat still trains the posterior chain musculature, it generally trains the knee extensors to a greater degree (the quads). This makes it a popular choice in the bodybuilding community because this squat variation is great at adding muscle mass to the quads!

The higher bar positioning of this squat is more comfortable for most as well as more intuitive. Most people can achieve a high bar position on their first squat session with relative comfort. If you are squatting and have not thought very much about bar positioning before, you are probably doing a high bar squat; this type of squat is the most popular and prevalent. Because the muscles of the hips are less involved, the weight lifted in this position will be slightly less than can be achieved in the low bar squat positioning but many still lift heavily with success regardless. The high bar squat is a great middle ground between the low bar squat and the front squat, as you’ll see in a moment in the comparison with the front squat.

The downsides of the high bar squat are the increased demand on ankle mobility, the decreased involvement of the hip musculature, and a decreased ability to lift maximally.

As a quick summary, high bar squats are best for:

The general population who want to get stronger;
Those who can’t achieve a low bar squat position because of lack of shoulder mobility;
and those who want to stress the quadriceps to a greater degree.

The Front Squat

The bar positioning for the front squat is on top of the deltoids. When the bar is in this position, the lifter is much more vertical, with a lot less relative stress on the hips, and a lot more stress on the knees. This type of squat involves the quadriceps the most and places more demand on the thoracic spine extensors and abdominals as well. The front squat is most popular among Olympic weightlifting athletes because it is a necessary position for catching a clean, but it is also popular among those who want to add muscle mass to the quads.

The front squat has a greater demand on both ankle and upper extremity mobility than either of the other variants. For that reason it has the least accessibility for the general population. That doesn’t mean it’s inaccessible entirely, but that it is a position many have to train for to achieve comfortably. Lifters generally lift the least weight in this position when compared with the high bar and low bar squats, so it may not be the best choice as a sole variation for general strength athletes.

As a quick summary, front squats are best for:

Olympic weightlifting athletes or those who want to maximally train the quadriceps in a squat variation;
and those who just want to train it - front squats can be fun!

Conclusion

There are many squat variations to choose from and each achieves different results. This article only covers three variations, but in reality there are many, many more! If you are just learning to lift it is helpful to consider what you are hoping to achieve from lifting and choose one variation to hone in on for some time. You may explore other options down the road and perhaps incorporate all three of the main varieties. If you are a more seasoned lifter looking for specific adaptations from your squats, it may be time to add another variant or switch your main squat for a training block to work on a specific goal. While this was a more general look at the squat variation differences, there actually is quite a bit more nuance in optimizing a squat variation for your goals specifically. If you’d like to hear more on this topic in the future, comment below & let us know!

The Squat Types: Which Do I Choose?