Barbell Squat

Rest the bar across your shoulders and stand with your feet at a comfortable width. Set your ribs slightly down and brace your abs so your torso does not wobble.

Send your hips back and bend your knees and hips together as you lower. Keep your whole foot planted and let your knees track toward your toes.

Drive through your whole foot to return to standing. Rise at the same speed through your torso and hips instead of letting them move separately.

Make sure your quads and glutes are working together. Focus on driving the floor away with your feet rather than lifting the bar.

If pressure shifts toward your toes or heels, stress on your knees and lower back increases. Before each rep, check that your entire foot is firmly planted.

Inhale and brace your abs before lowering, then exhale as you rise. If your breathing falls apart, pause and reset your position first.

A side-view video makes it easy to check whether the bar travels over the middle of your foot. Before adding weight, practice repeating the same depth every rep.