Setup
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell at hip level with an overhand grip just outside your thighs. Begin with shoulders back, core braced, and a slight bend in your knees.
How to do it
- Push your hips backward while keeping the bar close to your legs as you lower it down your thighs.
- Maintain a neutral spine with your chest up and shoulders pulled back throughout the movement.
- Lower the bar until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, typically just below knee level.
- Drive your hips forward to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.
- Keep your weight centered over mid-foot throughout the entire range of motion.
Watch out for
- ✗Rounding the lower back instead of hinging at the hips with a neutral spine.
- ✗Bending the knees too much, turning the movement into a squat rather than a hip hinge.
- ✗Letting the bar drift away from the body instead of keeping it traveling in a straight line down the legs.