In a high bar squat the bar sits on your traps, so you stay upright and use more quad. In a low bar squat it sits a couple of inches lower, across your rear delts, so you lean forward and use more hip. Pick high bar for quad work. Pick low bar to move the most weight.
This is general training information, not medical advice. If you have shoulder, elbow, back or knee pain, talk to a qualified professional before changing how you squat.
Where does the bar go in each squat?
High bar: the bar rests on your upper traps, just under the bony bump at the base of your neck. Squeeze your shoulder blades a little and the traps give the bar a nice meaty shelf.
Low bar: the bar goes lower, across the back of your shoulders, sitting on the rear delts just under the ridge of your shoulder blades. Pull your shoulder blades back hard and you can feel the shelf form. It is a smaller shelf, so your hands do more work keeping the bar there.
Both squats use the same bar, the same rack and the same idea. The bar position changes everything that happens below it.
How does each squat move differently?
To stay balanced, the bar has to stay over the middle of your foot the whole way down. Move the bar lower on your back and your body has to fold forward more to keep it there.
The clearest summary we know of is a 2017 review in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research by Glassbrook and colleagues. In our own words, it found:
- High bar has more knee bend, less hip bend, a more upright torso and usually a deeper squat.
- Low bar has more hip bend and more forward lean.
- The force into the floor was not very different between the two.
So high bar looks like someone sitting straight down between their heels. Low bar looks like someone sitting back onto a bench that is a little too far behind them. Both are correct squats. Neither one is a good morning, no matter what the guy in the next rack says when you film from the side.
Which muscles does each squat work more?
The same review found low bar squats tend to show more activity in the lower back muscles, the adductors and the glutes, while high bar squats show more quad activity. That lines up with the angles. More hip bend means the hips and lower back do more. More knee bend means the quads do more.
Both squats still train your whole lower body. You will not lose your quads by switching to low bar, and high bar does not skip your glutes. The difference is how the work is shared, so pick based on what you want more of.
Can you lift more weight with a low bar squat?
Often, yes. A 2019 follow up by the same group, The High-Bar and Low-Bar Back-Squats: A Biomechanical Analysis, looked at experienced powerlifters and weightlifters squatting up to their max. The authors concluded that low bar may be the better choice when the goal is lifting the greatest load possible, because it puts more emphasis on the strong hip muscles.
That is why so many powerlifters squat low bar on meet day. The shorter lever on your back and the bigger role for your hips usually let you put a bit more on the bar. How much more depends on you. We are not going to make up a number, and you should be wary of anyone who promises one.
Why do Olympic weightlifters squat high bar?
Because the snatch and the clean finish in an upright, deep squat. The 2019 study noted that high bar is better at copying that upright torso position. If you catch a clean in a deep front squat, training a high bar back squat that looks similar makes sense.
If you train Olympic lifts, check our guide to finding an Olympic weightlifting gym. You will notice the regulars there squat high bar, wear lifting shoes with a raised heel, and look personally offended by partial reps.
Is low bar squatting bad for your shoulders or elbows?
It can be rough on them if your shoulders are tight. Holding the bar lower needs more shoulder rotation, and if your shoulders will not go there, your elbows and wrists end up taking the strain. The classic sign is the lifter who racks a low bar squat and spends the next minute shaking out his elbow like it owes him money.
A few fixes help:
- Widen your grip. A wider grip takes stress off tight shoulders. You give up a bit of upper back tightness, so find the narrowest grip that does not hurt.
- Keep your wrists straight. Your back holds the bar. Your hands just keep it in place. If your wrists bend way back, the bar is sitting in your hands instead of on your shelf.
- Thumbs over the bar. A lot of low bar squatters wrap the thumb on top so the wrist can stay in line with the forearm.
If your elbows still complain after a few weeks of trying, high bar is a perfectly good answer. Nobody is checking your bar position at the door. Our guide to wrist wraps covers support for the wrists, but wraps do not fix a bar that is in the wrong place.
Which squat is better for beginners?
The one you can do with good form without pain. For a lot of new lifters that is high bar, because the position feels natural and it is easier on the shoulders. Some popular novice programs teach low bar on purpose, though. Starting Strength is built around it, for example.
Our take: start with whatever your program teaches. If it does not say, start high bar. Learn to brace, hit depth and keep the bar over your midfoot. You can learn low bar later in a few sessions once you can squat well. Going the other way, from a sloppy low bar to anything, takes longer.
Can you do both high bar and low bar squats?
Yes, and plenty of lifters do. A common setup is low bar as the main competition style and high bar as a lighter second squat day for more quad work. If you train both, keep them separate in your log. A high bar squat and a low bar squat are different lifts, and comparing the numbers is like comparing your bench to your incline.
Whatever you pick, stay consistent within a training block. Switching styles every week means you never get good at either.
Is low bar squat legal in powerlifting meets?
Yes. Powerlifting federations allow both high bar and low bar. Rulebooks do set a lowest point the bar may sit on your back, so if you squat very low, read your federation's rules before your first meet. Our guide to finding a powerlifting meet can help you pick a federation, and powerlifting meet commands covers what the judges will say to you.
What gear and gym setup helps with each squat?
- Shoes. High bar squatters often wear weightlifting shoes with a raised heel, which helps the knees travel forward. Low bar squatters often wear flat shoes. Try both and keep whatever lets you hit depth with your heels down.
- A stiff bar. A power bar with center knurling helps the bar stay put on a low bar shelf. Our guide to power bars, Olympic bars and deadlift bars explains the differences.
- Chalk. Low bar lifters sometimes chalk the back of their shirt and their hands so the bar does not slide. If your gym does not allow chalk, check chalk friendly gyms or our guide to which gyms allow chalk.
- A belt. Both styles use one the same way. See how to use a lifting belt.
Heavy low bar squats feel best in a gym with proper squat racks or a monolift. Gegns Gym in San Diego lists monolifts and chalk buckets, and Fortis Fitness East in Toronto lists a monolift too. Not sure what a monolift is? Read what is a monolift. For more places to train, browse gyms in Ontario or the gym map.
How do you know which squat is right for you?
Film a few sets of each from the side, at the same easy weight, after a week of practice. Then ask yourself:
- Which one hits depth more easily?
- Which one feels better on your shoulders, elbows and lower back?
- Which one fits your goal? Upright and quads, or the most weight on the bar?
If the answers point the same way, you are done. If they split, pain beats everything else. If one of them hurts, you will start finding reasons to skip squat day. Once you have picked, our guide on how to increase your squat and how to warm up for heavy squats will take it from there.
Common questions
Is high bar or low bar squat better?
Neither is better for everyone. High bar suits upright, quad focused training and Olympic lifting. Low bar suits lifters who want to move the most weight, like powerlifters. Pick the one that fits your goal and does not hurt.
Does low bar squat work glutes more?
Research summarized by Glassbrook and colleagues found more glute, adductor and lower back activity in low bar squats, and more quad activity in high bar squats. Both styles still train your whole lower body.
How far down is the low bar position?
The bar sits a couple of inches lower than high bar, across the rear delts just under the ridge of the shoulder blades. It should rest on muscle, not on bone or your hands.
Why does low bar squat hurt my elbows?
Usually because tight shoulders push the strain into your elbows and wrists. Try a wider grip, keep your wrists straight and let your back hold the bar. If it still hurts, high bar is a fine choice.
Can you switch from high bar to low bar?
Yes. Start light, expect the new position to feel odd for a few sessions, and log the two styles separately. Do not compare your low bar numbers to your old high bar numbers in the first few weeks.
Keep reading
How to increase your squat: form fixes and the best accessories
How to add weight to your squat: brace properly, pick a stance that suits you, hit depth, squat often enough, and use accessories that fix your weak point.
How to warm up for heavy squats
A simple squat warm up that works. A few minutes of light movement, empty bar sets, then ramp up with fewer reps as the weight climbs. How many warm up sets to do, how big the jumps should be, and whether you should stretch first.
Sumo vs conventional deadlift: differences and which to pick
How the sumo and conventional deadlift differ in stance, grip, range of motion and muscles used, what the research shows, and how to choose the style that suits your body and goals.
