When it comes to leg exercises, squats are among the most effective and popular exercises. There are different variations of squats to choose from. Two of the most common types are barbell squats and dumbbell squats. Both of these exercises target the same muscle groups, but they differ in some fundamental ways.

Continue reading to see the benefits of each type of squat, which muscles they target, alternative exercises you can do based on your goals and available equipment, and frequently asked questions.

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Barbell Squats

The barbell squat uses a barbell on the shoulders behind the neck and is performed in a rack. Set the J-cups of the rack at about chest level and load the barbell with the appropriate weight plates. Then step into the rack and place the barbell’s center between the traps and rhomboids. Place hands in a neutral, pronated grip.

Stand up straight to lift the barbell off the rack. Then take a step back with each leg and lower your body down to parallel (or lower). Stand up, returning to the standing position to complete the rep.

The barbell squat is a compound movement that works the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. It is a staple in powerlifting, bodybuilding, and athletic training.

Barbell squats are a top-five lift. The top five strength training lifts include bench press, deadlift, squat, overhead press, and pull-up.

Dumbbell Squats

Perform dumbbell squats using two dumbbells. Place a dumbbell in each hand at the sides of the body or at shoulder level. Complete the same movement as the barbell squat. Lower to parallel (or lower), then stand up straight to complete the movement.

Squats Muscles Worked

Barbell and dumbbell squats are compound exercises that target muscle groups in the lower body.

Quadriceps: The quadriceps, or “quads,” are a group of four muscles located in the front of the thigh on the upper legs. The four muscles are the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. These muscles combine to extend the knee joint and support hip flexion. Your quads play a critical role in squatting, running, and jumping.

Hamstrings: The hamstrings include three muscles on the back of the thighs. The hamstring muscles are the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. Hamstrings flex the knee joint and extend the hip joint, which makes them essential to the squatting movement pattern.

Glutes: The glutes include three muscles. The gluteus medius, minimums, and maximus. Glutes are responsible for extending and rotating the hips. You use your glutes in various lower body movements like squatting, running, and jumping.

Core Muscles: The core provides stabilization during the squat movement. Core muscles include the rectus abdominis, obliques, and erector spinae.

Benefits of Barbell Squats

1. You can go heavier. It’s far easier to lift heavier with barbell squats than dumbbell squats. Squat racks and weight plates are more accessible than 100+ pound dumbbells at most gyms.

2. Barbell squats are an excellent exercise for power development. Heavy squats translate well to a variety of sports.

3. Squats are a weight-bearing structural exercise. This means they help to increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

4. You can use several variations of barbell squats to increase the activation of specific lower body muscles.

Benefits of Dumbbell Squats

1. A single pair of dumbbells can offer a ton of variety for bilateral and unilateral lower body work. Dumbbells are a convenient option for home gym enthusiasts who may not have access to a squat rack and barbell.

2. Dumbbell squats can place less tension on the lower back, which may benefit those with back pain.

3. Dumbbells offer an alternative to the barbell front squat for those who experience wrist pain with the front rack position.

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Barbell Squats vs. Dumbbell Squats: Strength Development

You can get stronger using either a barbell or dumbbell squats. But is one better than the other?

My opinion on this is barbell squats are better for strength development. Here’s why:

1. Most people can load more on their backs than they can carry. Even if you feel like you can hold more weight between both hands, you must rely on your grip and shoulder strength to last as long as your leg strength.

2. A barbell is more accessible. You can load a barbell with over 200 pounds or more. Most gyms only carry a set of dumbbells up to 100 pounds.

3. It’s easier to load the weight with a barbell using a squat rack. To pick up heavy dumbbells, you have to deadlift them off the ground or shrug them off the rack.

Barbell Squats vs Dumbbell Squats: Hypertrophy

Again, I have to go with the barbell squats on this one. Most people can get an excellent hypertrophy workout with dumbbell squats but for the same reasons as above, I make my go-to the barbell squat for hypertrophy. Like strength, hypertrophy requires progressive overload, and that is easier to achieve with a barbell and plates.

Barbell Squats vs Dumbbell Squats: Muscular Endurance

When it comes to high-rep endurance work, you could go with either exercise. Barbell squats have less advantage over dumbbell squats for high-rep work. This is because muscular endurance focused training uses lighter loads. So, there isn’t as much need for various weight increment options that plates offer.

How to Incorporate Squats Into Your Training

Access: If you have access to a squat rack, barbell, and dumbbells, there’s no reason not to include both barbell squats and dumbbell squats. Most training programs will use many leg exercises to achieve strength, hypertrophy, or muscular endurance.

Warm Up: Include a 10-20 minute light cardio warm-up and exercise-specific warm-up sets. A good warm-up will increase blood flow and core temperature. It can also reduce the risk of injury and prepare the body for more strenuous work.

Sleep: Getting a good night’s rest is essential to recovering from workouts. Squats are an intense exercise that involves several regions of the body. Make sure you give your body a chance to recover.

Nutrition: Eating enough calories from protein, carbs, and fat is essential to recovering from squats.

Form: Squat exercises require proper form and technique to best activate the lower body muscles without increasing the risk of injury.

Track Your Progress: You must achieve progressive overload to build a stronger squat. The best way to do this is to track your lifts so you know when to increase the load, reps, or sets from the previous training session.

Barbell Squat Variations

Let’s start with a few of the most popular barbell squat variations.

Front Squat

The front squat is like the back squat, except the placement of the bar is on the front of the body, as the name suggests. Front squats also provide greater activation of the quadriceps. Those with tight hips can tyipcally achieve a lower depth with front squats than back squats.

How to Do Front Squats

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a barbell with both hands at shoulder level across your deltoids. Your elbows should point out to create a shelf on which the barbell rests.
• Lift the barbell off the rack and step back with each foot.
• Keep your spine neutral (don’t hunch forward). Lower yourself toward the ground by bending your knees until you reach parallel or a comfortable depth.
• Keep your chest up and your eyes forward. Your elbows should remain high and pointing forward.
• Drive through your heels and stand up to return to the starting position.

Split Squat

The split squat uses a barbell on the back, like a back squat. One leg is forward, and the movent performed is similar to a lunge. This is a great way to train the legs unilaterally using a barbell.

How to Do Split Squats

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Step forward with one foot, leaving the other planted in place.
• Keep your torso upright, your spine neutral, and your eyes forward. Lower your body by bending both knees until your back knee is just above the ground and your front thigh is parallel.
• Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position.
• Repeat all reps on one leg before switching to the other.

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat is among the most challenging but effective lower-body exercises. You can do it with either a barbell or dumbbells. You will need a flat bench for this exercise.

How to Do Bulgarian Split Squats

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place a barbell on your back like you would with a back squat. Place one foot on a flat bench or elevated surface. Take a step forward with the other foot.
• Keep your spine neutral and your weight on your front foot. Lower your body by bending your front knee until your back knee is just above the ground and your front thigh is parallel.
• Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position.
• Repeat all reps on one leg before switching legs.

Low Bar Squat

Low bar squats are similar to standard (high bar) squats. The main difference is the placement of the barbell. In low bar squats, the bar rests lower on the back and is locked in place by the arms.

Low bar squats involve a greater degree of forward lean, which can lead to increased activation of the posterior chain muscles (glutes and hamstrings). Many people find they can lift heavier weights using a low bar squat.

How To Do Low Bar Squats

• Set up the barbell on a squat rack at a height that allows you to step underneath it.
• Step under the bar and position it across the rear delts and the upper back. The positioning should be lower than where it would be for a high bar squat.
• Grip the bar wider than shoulder-width, and contract your shoulder blades to lock the bar in place.
• Step back from the rack and position your feet shoulder-width apart. Point your toes slightly outward.
• Keep your chest up and your back straight. Lower to parallel by bending at the knees.
• Drive through your heels and stand up to return to the starting position.
• Repeat the movement for the desired number of reps.

Dumbbell Squat Variations

Dumbbells offer a ton of variety for squat options.

Dumbbell Shoulder Squats

One way to do dumbbell squats is to hold them at your shoulders instead of your side. The positioning of the dumbbells should feel similar to the positioning of a barbell in the back squat.

How to Do Dumbbell Shoulder Squats

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outward.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand resting on the shoulders.
• Keep your core tight, your chest up, and your eyes forward. Bend at your knees and hips, lowering your body down toward the ground.
• Continue squatting until your thighs are parallel to the ground or lower.
• Drive through your heels and stand back up to the start position.

Goblet Squat

Goblet squats are a great exercise to strengthen the entire lower body. Holding the weight out in front will force you to maintain your squatting posture.

How to Do Goblet Squats

• Start holding a dumbbell vertically with both hands.
• Space your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your chin up and your spine straight.
• Squat down, driving your knees out toward the wall. Don’t let the knees collapse inward.
• Drop down to a deep squat. Drive upward through your heels. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement.

Bulgarian Split Squat

The dumbbell version of the Bulgarian split squat is one of the most challenging squats.

How to Do Bulgarian Split Squats

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Place one foot on a flat bench or elevated surface. Take a step forward with the other foot.
• Keep your spine neutral and your weight on your front foot. Lower your body by bending your front knee until your back knee is just above the ground and your front thigh is parallel.
• Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position.
• Repeat all reps on one leg before switching legs.

Sumo Squat

The dumbbell sumo squat is like a sumo deadlift. It uses a wider stance with toes pointed outward for greater glute activation.

How to Do Sumo Squats

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and turn your toes out.
• Hold a single dumbbell vertically by the plate.
• Keep your spine neutral and core tight. Bend your knees to lower your body down into a squat position.
• Continue to lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground or as low as you can comfortably go.
• Drive through your heels to stand back up to the starting position.

Font Squats

Front squats with dumbbells may be a better option than barbell front squats if you experience wrist pain with the barbell.

How to Do Dumbbell Front Squats

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting them on your shoulders with your palms facing each other and elbows pointing forward.
• Keep your core tight, push your hips back, and bend your knees to lower your body into a squat position.
• Continue to lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground or as low as you can comfortably go.
• Drive through your heels to stand back up to the starting position.

FAQs

What is the difference between high-bar and low-bar squats?

High bar squats involve placing the barbell across the top of the trap muscles. Low bar squats place the barbell slightly lower across the rear deltoids. The positioning of the bar affects the mechanics of the lift and the muscles targeted. High bar squats tend to emphasize the quadriceps. Low bar squats work the glutes and hamstrings more.

How do I know if I’m squatting low enough?

To squat low enough, you should aim to get your hips below your knees at the bottom of the squat. Your thighs should be parallel to the ground or lower. Use a mirror or record yourself if you’re not sure you’re hitting at least parallel

Should I use a weightlifting belt when squatting?

A lifting belt can provide core stability during heavy squats. It’s unnecessary for lighter work, and you don’t need to wear one for an entire workout.

How often should I squat?

How often you squat depends on your goals, fitness level, and ability to recover. One or two weekly squatting sessions can help build strength and muscle growth for most people.

How heavy of dumbbells should I use for dumbbell squats?

The weight you use for dumbbell squats depends on your fitness level and training goals. For strength development, you will use heavier weights. For hypertrophy, use moderate to heavy weights. For strength endurance, use light to moderate weights.

Can dumbbell squats replace barbell squats in my workout routine?

Dumbbell squats are a great alternative or supplement to barbell squats. As mentioned above, barbell squats would be my first choice if you only have the time or resources to do one. That said, I often will do both in a workout. For example, you can start leg day with barbell back squats, then move on to dumbbell squat like the Bulgarian split squat.

Can I do dumbbell squats every day?

Like any exercise, you need to allow your muscles time to recover to get the best results.

Conclusion

Both barbell and dumbbell squats are great options. Barbell squats make for an excellent foundation and belong in most athletic and strength building programs. Dumbbell squats offer a range of additional options to round out your leg training routine. Dumbbell squats are also a good alternative if you don’t have access to a squat rack.

Happy squatting!

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