High Bar & Low Bar Squat

THE HIGH BAR VS LOW BAR BACK SQUAT

And you thought the back squat simply had you put the barbell on your back and lift. Well, that’s not too far from what you do but differences are made in your squat depending on where you place the barbell on your back. As you can guess, the high bar squat has the barbell sitting high on your back, while the low bar squat has the barbell sitting low on the back (we’ll get into the details below).

The bar placement is just the beginning of these differences, as it causes a significant change in the biomechanics of your squat. Due to the biomechanics being different, different muscles are activated to various degrees (kind of) to overcome the new forces.

Chances are that the back squat you are doing is the high bar squat, or somewhere in-between the high and low bar back squat, as that’s usually what’s taught at the beginner level. The reason being is it’s a bit easier to learn as the low bar squat requires more mobility. 

However, you’ll likely to see more powerlifters using the low bar squat, and it’s exclusively what’s taught by infamous strength and conditioning coach Mark Rippetoe, the founder of Starting Strength.

Does that mean one is better than the other? No. It doesn’t. It just means that they have different purposes (think bench press and incline bench press), and you should experiment with both to find what works best for you.

HIGH BAR VS LOW BAR BACK SQUAT - DIFFERENCES IN SET UP & FORM:

Understanding the differences between the high bar and low bar squat starts with the differences in form. We’ll examine how the high bar and low bar positions produce multiple differences.

1) BAR POSITION OF THE HIGH BAR AND LOW BAR

The bar position is the beginning of the differences between the high bar and low bar back squat. A difference of just a few inches sets off a chain reaction that causes the back squat to diverge into two different variations.

High Bar Position:

The high bar squat will see the barbell sit higher up on the back and rest on top of the traps. That being said, it’s important not to go any higher, or the bar will be sitting on the neck and spine. While the bar is high(er), be sure to keep it resting on the traps.

Low Bar Position:

Believe it or not, the low bar squat position will sit lower than the high bar. To be exact, the bar will sit 2 or 3 inches lower and will rest over the mid-traps and shoulder blades. The bar will rest somewhere just below the posterior delt. This means the bar will be running across the back, being pinned against it. 

2) BODY POSITION OF THE HIGH BAR AND LOW BAR

As the bar’s position dictates the name of these squats, you'd guess that it’s a pretty significant variable...and it is. This is due to the effect it has on the bar path. Actually, the bar path for both high bar and low bar squat are the same; straight down and above the middle of the foot. The main difference is going to be in the biomechanics of the two squats for them to keep the bar in the correct position. 

Keep in mind that many of the same cues apply to both the low bar and high bar squat. The hips will be pushed back for both until the thighs hit parallel. The difference comes from the flexion of the hips and torso lean that keeps the bar path going straight down. As the barbell sits on the back, it will also move backward as the hips move backward. However, the total displacement will vary depending on its location.

Generally speaking, most people will suggest that the high bar back squat is more quad dominant as the body is more upright with less hip flexion. And, since the torso is leaned over with more hip flexion during the low bar back squat, it produces greater muscle activation in the posterior muscles; the glutes and hamstrings. That makes sense and is kind of right.