High-Bar vs. Low-Bar Squat: Which Is Best for Building Lower-Body Muscle?

When you’re a back squat beginner, you probably don’t put much forethought into your barbell’s positioning. There’s a good chance you place the bar in a spot on your backside that feels the most comfortable, adjust your grip then power through your reps without a worry.

It may seem insignificant, but the exact placement of the barbell really does matter. Whether you rest the bar on your upper traps (aka a high-bar squat) or on your rear deltoids (aka a low-bar squat) can alter your technique and, in turn, some of the benefits the lower-body move has to offer.

Ahead, strength experts break down everything you need to know about high-bar versus low-bar squats, including the differences in form and muscle activation. Plus, they share the instances in which you’re best off using a high-bar squat over a low-bar version and vice versa.

A high-bar squat is a type of barbell back squat in which the bar rests on your upper traps, which act as a “muscular shelf,” Michael Mash, DPT, CSCS, founder of Barbell Rehab, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

During any loaded squat, the goal is always to keep the weight in line with your midfoot, Erin Taylor, CPT, CSCS, a powerlifting coach, tells LIVESTRONG.com. “That’s our strongest position,” she says. “When we shift forward and the bar is over our toes or we shift backward and more of our weight is in our heels, we’re not as strong.” To maintain this alignment, you’ll need to tweak your squat technique slightly, depending on where, exactly, the load is situated.

During a high-bar squat, the bar is already well-aligned with the midfoot, so your torso will stay upright throughout the movement, Taylor says. By maintaining this upright torso, your knees will drive forward more over your toes and your ankles will experience more dorsiflexion (read: your shins will draw closer toward the tops of your feet), Mash says.

Need help visualizing the exercise? Watch Taylor demonstrate the high-bar squat below and pay careful attention to the bar’s location on her back and the position of her torso, knees and ankles.

Performing the high-bar squat will help you target specific muscle groups in your lower body without causing upper-body joint strain or discomfort, according to Mash and Taylor. Here’s what to know.

Because the high-bar squat allows your knees to drive forward more than a low-bar squat, the exercise targets your quadriceps (the muscles that run along the front of your thigh) slightly more than its counterpart, Taylor says.

“The quads are still utilized in the low-bar squat, but with more knee flexion, you might have a higher emphasis on the quads,” she says.

The high-bar squat is generally the more comfortable technique for beginners and folks with limited mobility, Mash says. Because the bar sits higher up on your back, barbell newbies may feel like it’s more secure and less likely to fall off their body, Taylor adds.

Plus, it doesn’t require too much shoulder, elbow and wrist mobility to grasp onto the bar, making it ideal if you lack upper-body mobility or are experiencing tightness in those areas, Mash adds.

A low-bar squat is similar to a high-bar squat, but the barbell will rest slightly lower on your back, across your rear deltoids, Taylor says.

To keep the bar aligned with your midfoot, you’ll need to shift your hips back further (increasing hip flexion) and lean your torso forward slightly. This technique tweak reduces the amount of forward knee drive and ankle dorsiflexion, according to Mash.

To get a better idea of the move, watch Taylor demonstrate the low-bar squat below, taking note of the bar’s location on her back and the position of her torso, knees and ankles.

By practicing the low-bar squat, you’ll target the muscles along the backside of your body and potentially hit a new PR for your barbell load, the experts say. Here’s what to know.

Because the low-bar squat is a hip-dominant exercise, you’ll rely more heavily on your hip extensors, like your glutes and hamstrings, to complete the move, according to Mash.

“When you shift the barbell down on your back, you’re forcing yourself to use more flexion at the hips,” Taylor says. “The barbell is just further away from the midline of your body, so your posterior chain is going to have to work more to move that load.”

Your posterior chain is a group of muscles that run along the back of your body, including your low back, glutes, hamstrings and calves, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). And training these muscles can help ease low-back pain, per a March 2021 review in ‌Sports Medicine Open‌, support good posture, reduce injury risk and ensure peak performance, according to a medical report in the July/August 2017 issue of ‌ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal‌‌.‌

Again, these muscles will all be called upon during a high-bar squat, but they may activate slightly more during a low-bar variation.

There’s a reason powerlifters often use low-bar squats: You’re generally able to handle more load with the bar resting across your rear deltoids than when it’s on your traps, Taylor says. In fact, a small July 2019 study in the ‌Journal of Strength and Conditioning‌ ‌Research‌ found that exercisers could lift more load when performing low-bar squats than they could with a high-bar technique.

This perk may be thanks to the higher engagement of the hip extensors, the researchers noted. So, if you’re looking to lift as heavy as possible, low-bar squats should be your go-to.

There’s no right way to barbell back squat, and either bar placement can help you achieve your goals of building strength and muscle. That said, there are a few instances in which you may want to opt for a high-bar versus low-bar squat and vice versa.

Both Taylor and Mash typically teach barbell newbies to back squat with a high-bar technique.

“It’s a little bit more difficult to teach somebody the low-bar [variation] because they tend to feel like the bar is rolling off their back,” Taylor says. “And if you don’t have big upper-back musculature already, it can be difficult to create a shelf for the bar [to rest on] with the low-bar squat.”

Essentially, it’s easier for a beginner to position the bar on their traps — and keep it there as they squat.

The goal of powerlifting is to lift (specifically, squat, bench press or deadlift) as much weight as you possibly can for one single rep (called a one-rep max). That’s why these athletes will want to train using a low-bar technique, which generally allows you to lift slightly more weight, according to the experts.

“All of your competition lifts are going to be [based on] how much max effort you can put on your back and squat,” Taylor says. “So, if somebody is wanting to get into the sport of powerlifting, chances are, we are going to have them play around with the low-bar squat at some point.”

To ensure your squat is as pain-free as possible, try the high-bar variation if you’re lacking mobility in your shoulder or wrist joints, according to the experts.

When the bar is positioned lower on your back, across your rear deltoids, it’s typically more difficult to position your hands on the bar and hold them there comfortably, particularly if you have upper-body mobility limitations, Mash says.

The high-bar squat requires good ankle mobility, as the movement involves a high amount of flexion in the joint, Taylor says. That’s why “if somebody has tight ankles or is recovering from an ankle injury, they’ll be able to do a low-bar squat more comfortably than a high-bar squat,” Mash adds.

That said, if you have ankle issues but want to prioritize high-bar squats, you can still practice the exercise. Just wear sneakers that have a higher heel lift while using the high-bar technique, as this feature allows you to maintain an upright torso and still keep the bar aligned with your midfoot without aggravating your ankles, Taylor says.

The low-bar squat requires you to lean your torso forward and places a bit more stress on the lower back. That’s why you may want to opt for the less-taxing high-bar variation if you have low-back discomfort or pain, Mash says.

Dealing with knee discomfort or injury? Try the low-bar squat, Mash suggests. “With an inclined torso, the knees don’t come as far forward,” he says. “So, a low-bar squat puts less stress on the knees compared to a high-bar squat.”

In the high-bar versus low-bar squat debate, there’s no clear winner; both squat variations are worthy of a spot in your routine, the experts say.

During your first lower-body workout of the week, you could do a few sets of five or so low-bar squats with heavy loads to challenge your strength. Then during your next lower-body session, you could reduce the load, add on a few reps and switch to high-bar squats to promote muscle growth and ease the lower-back stress, Taylor says.

A high-bar squat might be a better option than a low-bar squat in some circumstances, and the opposite may hold true, as well. But ultimately, you should choose the back squat variation that feels most comfortable for you and syncs with your goals, according to Taylor.

“It’s really about finding the bar placement that works the best for your body type and your anatomy,” Taylor says. “One that helps you achieve your main goal, such as advancing in your sport or loading the most weight on the bar possible.”