6 Squat Variations That Are Better Than Back Squats

By: Josh Proch, CSCS, Pn1

For most clients Back Squats are one of those exercises that can do more harm than good and result in low back, neck, shoulder, hip, and/or knee injury. The reason is do to the high level of technique, the body positioning required and bar placement that the movement requires to be done correctly.

When the weight is placed on the back of the body it is moved behind the midline of the body and creates higher compressive forces on the spine. This is only a problem when proper body position cannot be maintained. Meaning that the client cannot place the bare bar, with no pad, in a low position on the upper back, create proper thoracic (upper back) extension without creating excessive lower back extension, has the shoulder mobility to hold the bar in tight in the low position, has the core stability to maintain a 45 degree trunk position throughout the movement, has the hip mobility to get to a squat position without the butt rolling under (aka butt-winking), and then has the ability to ankle dorsi flex (bend the ankles forward) to keep the feet flat on the floor.

In my 18 years of coaching clients past the age of forty, probably only about 5% are able to do a Back Squat properly. And my guess is that this number is going to decrease as the population becomes more sedentary and continues to develop the curved seated posture.

So instead of placing them in a high risk exercise, we program different variations of the squat that will keep the body healthy and produce the same results. Here are six great alternatives.

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6 Squat Variations That Are Better Than Back Squats