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Squat alternatives: what to do instead of the barbell back squat

Published October 23, 2026

The best squat alternative for most people is the leg press, because it trains the same quads and glutes with your back on the pad and nothing to balance. With a barbell, the front squat or box squat changes the position without losing the load. With dumbbells, do goblet squats or Bulgarian split squats; with no equipment, Cossack squats work one leg at a time.

What a barbell back squat alternative has to replace

The barbell back squat trains your quads, glutes and inner thighs together, with your lower back holding your torso in place. It loads them hardest at the bottom, where your hips and knees are most bent, and it lets you lift more weight than almost any other leg exercise.

A good replacement trains the same three muscle groups through a deep bend. It does not need to be a barbell lift.

How to do the barbell back squat

Machines

If your lower back or balance is what stops your squat, a machine takes both out of the lift so your legs set the limit.

Best swap when your back is the limit

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

Your back rests on the pad while your legs push, so you train the same quads and glutes with nothing on your spine. Most lifters can push the press closer to failure than a barbell squat.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your back and hips flat against the pad and set the seat so your knees can bend to about 90 degrees or more.
  2. Place your feet flat on the platform about shoulder width, toes turned out a little, and hold the side handles.
  3. Press the platform away and free the safety stops, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
  4. Bend your knees under control and let them come toward your chest, stopping before your lower back peels off the pad.
  5. Drive through your whole foot until your legs are nearly straight, without locking your knees, and repeat.

Cues

  • Lower back stays on the pad
  • Knees track over the toes
  • Stop just short of lockout

Common mistakes

  • Lowering so far that your hips curl off the seat: the depth ends where your back stays flat.
  • Snapping the knees straight at the top: keep a slight bend so the legs, not the joints, hold the weight.
Build a session with Leg Press

Closest machine swap

Hack Squat

Quads, Glutes

The back pad and angled sled let you squat deep with your knees forward and nothing to balance. It loads your quads hard, and you can take sets close to failure safely.

How to do it

  1. Step onto the platform facing away from the stack, press your back and head into the pad and settle your shoulders under the shoulder pads.
  2. Place your feet about shoulder width in the middle of the platform, toes turned out slightly, so your whole foot stays flat at the bottom.
  3. Straighten your legs a little to take the weight, then turn the side handles to free the sled.
  4. Bend your knees and let them travel forward over your toes, lowering until your thighs pass parallel to the platform.
  5. Push the platform away through your whole foot and stand back up without snapping your knees straight, then start the next rep.
  6. After the last rep, stand fully, turn the handles back and lower the sled onto the stops.

Cues

  • Back and hips glued to the pad
  • Knees forward, heels down
  • Same depth on every rep

Common mistakes

  • Stopping at a quarter squat once the weight gets heavy: pick a load you can lower until your thighs pass parallel and only count those reps.
  • Heels lifting at the bottom: move your feet a little higher on the platform until your whole foot stays down at full depth.
  • Bouncing out of the bottom: pause for a beat where the sled turns around, then push, and lighten the load if you cannot.
Build a session with Hack Squat

Same bar position, fixed path

Smith Squat

Quads, Glutes

The bar sits on your back like a back squat, but the rails take balance out of it. Step your feet slightly forward so your knees and hips bend together.

How to do it

  1. Set the safety stops just below your lowest squat depth and the bar at about upper-chest height.
  2. Step under the bar and rest it across your upper back, not your neck, with your hands just outside your shoulders.
  3. Set your feet at shoulder width, slightly in front of the bar, with your toes turned out a little.
  4. Stand up to lift the bar, twist it to unhook it, take a big breath and brace.
  5. Sit down between your heels, knees and hips bending together, until your thighs reach parallel or lower, then push the floor away to stand.
  6. After your last rep, twist the bar back onto the nearest hook before stepping out.

Cues

  • Feet a half step forward
  • Push the floor away
  • Hooks on before you step out

Common mistakes

  • Feet directly under the bar: with a fixed vertical path this pushes your knees far forward and tips you onto your toes; step your feet slightly forward until your weight sits over your mid-foot.
  • Cutting depth because the machine feels heavy: lower the weight and squat to at least parallel; the safeties are there so you can.
  • Skipping the safety stops: set them every time, just below your bottom position, so a missed rep lands on the stops instead of on you.
Build a session with Smith Squat

Barbell, without the back squat

Keep the barbell and heavy load, but move the bar or control the depth.

Barbell swap with an upright torso

Front Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Holding the bar on the front of your shoulders keeps your chest up and moves more of the work to your quads, with less bend at the hips. You will use less weight than on a back squat.

How to do it

  1. Set the rack hooks at about collarbone height, step under the bar and let it sit in the groove between your shoulders and your throat.
  2. Take a clean grip with your fingertips under the bar just outside your shoulders, or cross your arms and hold it with your palms on top, then lift your elbows until your upper arms point forward.
  3. Stand the bar up, take two short steps back and set your feet about shoulder width with your toes turned out a little.
  4. Take a big breath, brace, and sit straight down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes as far as they need to.
  5. Go as deep as you can with your heels down and elbows up, then drive your elbows up and push the floor away to stand.

Cues

  • Elbows up the whole rep
  • Sit straight down between your heels
  • Bar stays on your shoulders, not in your hands

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping at the bottom, which rolls the bar forward off your shoulders: lighten the load and lead every rep out of the hole by lifting your elbows.
  • Gripping the bar with your whole hand: in the clean grip the bar sits on your shoulders and only your fingertips keep it there, so open your hands until your elbows can rise.
  • Rising with your hips first so your chest tips forward: slow the first part of the rep and lead with your chest and elbows.
Build a session with Front Squat

Barbell swap that controls depth

Box Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Sitting back to a box sets the same depth every rep and lets you keep your shins more upright. Use it to learn depth or when deep knee bend bothers you.

How to do it

  1. Set a box or bench behind the rack so the top sits around knee height, then take the bar on your upper back and walk out until the box is a short step behind your heels.
  2. Place your feet a bit wider than for a regular squat with your toes turned slightly out, take a big breath and brace your stomach.
  3. Send your hips back as your knees bend, keeping your shins close to vertical and your knees pushed out over your toes.
  4. Sit down softly until you are fully on the box, stay tight, and hold for about a second without rocking back.
  5. Drive your feet into the floor and your upper back into the bar to stand straight up, finishing with your hips under you.

Cues

  • Sit back, not down
  • Touch soft, stay tight
  • Knees out over toes

Common mistakes

  • Dropping onto the box: lower at the same speed all the way down; if you crash the last few inches, take weight off.
  • Relaxing and rocking back on the box: keep your brace and your weight over your feet, and stand up from the same position you sat in.
  • Using the box as a target and leaning forward to reach it: set the box lower only once you can sit to it with your chest up.
Build a session with Box Squat

Heavy two-leg swap without a bar on your back

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Standing inside the trap bar lets you lift heavy with your hips low and your chest up, closer to a squat than a regular deadlift. Pick it when the bar on your back is the problem.

How to do it

  1. Load the bar, step into the middle of the frame and line the handles up with the middle of your feet, feet about hip-width.
  2. Sit your hips back and bend your knees until you can grab the center of each handle, so the bar stays level when it lifts.
  3. Pull your shoulders down, take a big breath into your belly and brace before the bar leaves the floor.
  4. Drive your feet into the floor so your hips and knees straighten together, keeping your arms long and your chest up.
  5. Finish standing tall with your glutes tight, then reverse the path: hips back first, knees bend, and set the bar down under control.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Hold the handles in the middle
  • Chest and hips rise together

Common mistakes

  • Gripping the handles off-center: the bar tips forward or back and drags you with it; hold the middle of each handle.
  • Turning it into a squat with the hips dropped too low: set your hips just high enough that your arms hang straight and your shins stay fairly vertical.
  • Leaning back at lockout: stop when you are standing straight with your glutes squeezed; there is nothing to gain past that.
Build a session with Trap Bar Deadlift

Dumbbells

Lighter loads, so go deep, use one leg at a time, and take sets close to failure.

Best dumbbell swap

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

One dumbbell at your chest and a deep, upright squat. It is the easiest squat to learn and keeps your lower back out of the way.

How to do it

  1. Pick up one dumbbell, stand it on end and cup the top plate in both palms so it rests against your breastbone.
  2. Set your feet a little wider than your hips with your toes turned out slightly, and point your elbows at the floor.
  3. Take a breath and brace, then sit straight down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes.
  4. Go as deep as you can while your heels stay down and the dumbbell stays against your chest; your elbows should finish just inside your knees.
  5. Drive your whole foot into the floor and stand up tall, then breathe and brace again before the next rep.

Cues

  • Dumbbell glued to your breastbone
  • Sit down between your heels
  • Elbows inside your knees at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbell drift away from your chest: your arms tire before your legs and you tip forward, so keep it pinned and pick a weight you can hold for the whole set.
  • Heels lifting at the bottom: stop the rep a little higher or put a small plate under each heel.
  • Knees falling inward on the way up: push them out toward your little toes and use your elbows as a guide at the bottom.
Build a session with Goblet Squat

One-leg swap with dumbbells

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

With your back foot on a bench, your front leg carries nearly all the load, so moderate dumbbells are enough to work your quads and glutes hard. It also keeps the weight off your spine.

How to do it

  1. Stand about two of your own foot lengths in front of a knee-height bench, a dumbbell in each hand, and set your back foot laces-down on the bench.
  2. Shuffle your front foot until it sits straight under your hip line, hip-width from the back foot, so you are not balancing on a tightrope.
  3. Brace, then drop your back knee straight toward the floor until it almost touches and your front thigh is at or below parallel.
  4. Drive through your whole front foot and stand back up without pushing off the back leg.
  5. Finish every rep on one side before you switch, and start each set with your weaker leg.

Cues

  • Back knee drops straight down
  • Whole front foot stays heavy
  • Back leg is a kickstand, not a motor

Common mistakes

  • Front foot too close or too far: if your front heel lifts, step it forward; if you feel a stretch in the front of the back hip and little else, step it back.
  • Bench too high: if your back knee cannot get near the floor, drop to a lower box or a stack of plates.
  • Pushing off the back foot: keep the back toes relaxed on the bench and slow the lowering until the front leg does the work.
Build a session with Bulgarian Split Squat

Glute-heavy one-leg swap

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Driving up onto a knee-high box trains your quads and glutes one leg at a time with very little load on your back.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing a sturdy bench or box at about knee height, a dumbbell hanging at each side.
  2. Plant your working foot flat in the middle of the box, close enough that your heel is fully on it.
  3. Lean your chest slightly over that knee, then push down through the whole foot and stand tall on top.
  4. Let the trailing foot come up beside the working one without pushing off the floor to get there.
  5. Lower the trailing foot back to the floor slowly, keeping the working leg bent and in charge the whole way.
  6. Do every rep on one leg before switching, and start with your weaker side.

Cues

  • Back foot is a passenger
  • Whole foot on the box
  • Lower in two to three seconds

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing off the back foot: lift the toes of the trailing foot before each rep so it cannot help, and lighten the dumbbells until you can.
  • Box too high: if your hips shift sideways or you have to lurch to get up, drop to a lower box until you can rise straight.
  • Dropping down: if the trailing foot lands with a thud, you skipped the lowering; slow it down and count it.
Build a session with Step-Up

Bodyweight

No weights at all: shift your weight onto one leg at a time.

Best with no equipment

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

A deep squat onto one leg at a time, so bodyweight alone works your quads and inner thighs hard. It trains your glutes less than a back squat, so pair it with step-ups when you have a box.

How to do it

  1. Take a very wide stance, about twice the width of your shoulders, with the toes turned out a little.
  2. Bend your right knee and sit your hips down toward your right heel, letting the left leg straighten with the toes pointing up.
  3. Sink as deep as you can with the right foot flat and your chest lifted.
  4. Press the floor away with the right foot to return to the middle, then sit to the left.

Cues

  • Sit down, not forward
  • Flat foot on the bent side
  • Long leg stays straight

Common mistakes

  • Folding the chest down to the knee to get lower: hold a light weight out in front as a counterbalance instead.
  • Rushing from side to side: stop in the middle for a breath between reps.
Build a session with Cossack Squat

Hamstrings to pair with them

Two example sessions add a hamstring exercise, since squats and their swaps train mostly the front of your thighs.

Hamstrings and glutes with a barbell

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The hinge to pair with a squat swap, so the back of your thighs gets trained too.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in a rack at mid-thigh height, take it with a double overhand grip just outside your thighs and step back with your feet about hip width.
  2. Stand tall with the bar against your thighs, unlock your knees slightly and keep that bend fixed for the whole set.
  3. Push your hips straight back and let the bar slide down your thighs, chest coming forward as your hips go back.
  4. Stop when your hips stop moving backward and you feel a hard stretch in your hamstrings, usually somewhere between your knees and mid-shin.
  5. Push your feet into the floor and drive your hips forward until you stand tall, without leaning back at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back, not chest down
  • Bar stays on your legs
  • Knees soft and still

Common mistakes

  • Chasing the floor: if your back rounds to reach lower, your hamstrings have already run out. End the rep where your hips stop going back.
  • Squatting the weight down: if your knees keep bending as you lower, the stretch leaves your hamstrings. Lock in the knee angle at the top and only move at the hips.
  • Letting the bar drift forward: a bar a few inches off your legs pulls on your lower back. Drag it down your thighs, and use straps if your grip is what makes it swing.
Build a session with Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings on a machine

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Pairs with the machine session: direct hamstring work with no load on your back.

How to do it

  1. Set the machine so your knees line up with the pivot point when you lie face down, and move the ankle pad to sit on your lower calves, just above your heels.
  2. Lie flat with your kneecaps hanging just past the end of the bench, hold the handles and press your hips into the pad.
  3. Bend your knees and pull the pad up in a smooth arc until your heels are as close to your glutes as the machine allows.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top without letting your hips lift off the bench.
  5. Lower the pad over about two seconds until your legs are almost straight, and start the next rep before the stack touches down.

Cues

  • Hips glued to the pad
  • Heels to glutes
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips as the weight gets heavy: your lower back takes over and the hamstrings do less. Drop the load until your hips stay down on every rep.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: that cuts out the part of the rep where your hamstrings are longest. Let your legs come back to almost straight before you curl again.
  • Swinging the pad up: a kick from the bottom hands the hardest part of the rep to momentum. Count two seconds down and start each rep from a dead stop.
Build a session with Lying Leg Curl

Example sessions without the barbell back squat

Session 1

Gym, lower back limits your squat

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentHack Squat, Leg Press, Lying Leg Curl

You train in a gym with machines, and your lower back tires or aches before your legs do on back squats.

The hack squat takes the squat's place as the heavy lift with your back supported. The leg press adds quad and glute volume, and a leg curl trains the hamstrings without loading your spine. 10 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hack Squat1 warm-up set firstSame depth every rep. 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Leg Press 3 × 10–15 1 2 min
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days.
How to progress
When every set of a lift reaches the top of its range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home gym, but not back squats

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Dumbbells

You have a rack, a barbell and a pair of dumbbells, and back squats do not suit your body or your goals.

The front squat keeps heavy barbell work at low reps with long rest. The Romanian deadlift trains the hamstrings and glutes, and the Bulgarian split squat adds one-leg work with dumbbells. 10 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Front Squat2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–10 2 2:30 min
Bulgarian Split SquatSets are per leg. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Rest the full time on front squats.
How to progress
Add the smallest jump your plates allow to the front squat when every set reaches 8 reps at the RIR shown. On the other lifts, reach the top of the range first, then add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Home, light dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets36 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench

You train at home with a pair of light dumbbells and a sturdy box or bench.

Light dumbbells need higher reps, shorter rest and sets close to failure. The goblet squat leads, the Bulgarian split squat and step-up load one leg at a time so light weights still feel heavy, and the Cossack squat finishes with bodyweight. 12 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set first 4 × 12–20 1 75 s
Bulgarian Split SquatSets are per leg. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Step-UpSets are per leg. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Cossack SquatSets are per side. 2 × 8–12 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice or three times a week. Slow every lowering to three seconds.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then move up a dumbbell. On the Cossack squat, sink deeper before you add a weight.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the best alternative to squats?

The leg press for most people, because it trains the same quads and glutes with your back supported. With a barbell, the front squat; with dumbbells, the goblet squat or Bulgarian split squat.

Can I build legs without squatting?

Yes. The leg press, hack squat, Bulgarian split squat and Romanian deadlift train every muscle a squat does, as long as you take sets close to failure through a full range.

What is a good squat alternative for a bad back?

The leg press, hack squat and Bulgarian split squat keep the load off your spine. A goblet squat with a light dumbbell is the gentlest free-weight option.

What is a squat alternative for bad knees?

Try the box squat at a height you can sit to without pain, or a low step-up. Romanian deadlifts and leg curls train your legs with little knee bend.

What is a machine alternative to squats?

The hack squat is the closest, then the leg press and Smith squat. All three remove balance so your legs decide when the set ends.

Is the leg press as good as squats?

For building leg muscle, yes, when you go deep and take sets close to failure. Squats train more of your trunk and balance, which matters more for sport than for size.