How many sets and reps of the safety-bar squat should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps at a weight noticeably lighter than your straight-bar back squat, since holding the torso upright against the forward camber is its own skill. Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets. Add weight in small increments only once you can keep the chest tall and the bar over mid-foot for every rep without the upper back rounding.

What can replace the safety-bar squat without a safety squat bar?

A front squat gives a similar upright-torso, quad-and-upper-back demand using a standard barbell. A goblet squat or a pair of heavy dumbbells held at the shoulders is a good substitute with no barbell at all, especially for anyone avoiding overhead shoulder positions.

What is the safety-bar squat good for, and when is a straight barbell the better pick?

It builds quads and upper-back strength while sparing shoulders that can't tolerate a straight bar across them, useful for lifters with cranky shoulder mobility. It's a poor choice for beginners with no squat experience, since fighting the bar's forward pull is harder to learn than a standard back squat.

Intermediate

Safety-Bar Squat

The safety squat bar has padded shoulder yokes and a forward-set camber, so it rides higher and pushes the torso to work harder to stay upright, splitting the difference between a back squat and a front squat. Because the handles sit in front of you, it removes the shoulder mobility demand of a straight bar, making it a joint-friendly option for lifters with cranky shoulders. It builds the quads and upper back hard while teaching you to hold position against a bar that constantly wants to tip you forward.

Equipment: Barbell
Body part: Quads
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
Browse by movement: Squat

How to do it

1
Set the safety bar at upper-chest height and duck under so the padded yoke rests across your traps and shoulders.
2
Grab the handles in front of your chest, stand the bar up, and step back into a shoulder-width stance.
3
Point the toes slightly out, take a big breath, and brace your core.
4
Break at the hips and knees together and squat down while fighting to keep the chest up.
5
Descend to at least parallel with the knees tracking over the toes.
6
Drive through the mid-foot to stand tall, keeping the upper back tight throughout.

Tips

Actively pull the chest up the whole rep; the forward camber will round your upper back the moment you relax.
Let go of the handles and grip the uprights of the rack instead if you want even more upper-back challenge.
Keep the bar centered over mid-foot rather than letting the camber drag you onto your toes.

Variations

Common mistakes

The elbows drop low and pull down on the handles for leverage instead of simply holding position, which quietly assists the lift and masks a fading upper back.
Ducking under the yoke off-center lets one shoulder carry more of the pad's forward pull than the other, tipping the bar from the very first inch of the descent.
The knees shoot forward early in the descent as if this were a front squat, when the camber is already pulling the torso forward more than a straight bar would.
Bracing only once at the start of the set instead of resetting the breath every rep lets the trunk go soft right when the forward-pulling camber needs it most.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the safety-bar squat should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps at a weight noticeably lighter than your straight-bar back squat, since holding the torso upright against the forward camber is its own skill. Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets. Add weight in small increments only once you can keep the chest tall and the bar over mid-foot for every rep without the upper back rounding.
What can replace the safety-bar squat without a safety squat bar?: A front squat gives a similar upright-torso, quad-and-upper-back demand using a standard barbell. A goblet squat or a pair of heavy dumbbells held at the shoulders is a good substitute with no barbell at all, especially for anyone avoiding overhead shoulder positions.
What is the safety-bar squat good for, and when is a straight barbell the better pick?: It builds quads and upper-back strength while sparing shoulders that can't tolerate a straight bar across them, useful for lifters with cranky shoulder mobility. It's a poor choice for beginners with no squat experience, since fighting the bar's forward pull is harder to learn than a standard back squat.

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