Barbell Squat (on Knees)

Start by kneeling on the ground with your knees hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.

Place a barbell across your shoulders, gripping it with an overhand grip and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

Engage your core and keep your chest lifted as you slowly lower your body down by bending your knees, keeping your back straight.

Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go.

Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.

Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Losing tension in the core or lower back partway through the movement — because Barbell Squat (on Knees) loads multiple joints at once, a small breakdown in bracing at the hips or spine compounds through the whole chain.

Locking out too fast or letting the elbows drift outward under load — controlling the eccentric (lowering) phase is where most of the muscle-building stimulus happens.

Using an asymmetric grip or uneven bar path, which can quietly overload one side of the body over repeated sets.

Progressing the load or reps too quickly before technique is consistent across every rep of every set.