Research
Mixed
Low-bar wide stance squats increase hip extensor demand (greater hip contribution to total moment and higher gluteus maximus activity relative to high-bar narrow stance) compared to high-bar narrow stance squats.
If you want to prioritize your quads, use a high-bar narrow stance. If you want to prioritize your hips and glutes, switch to a low-bar wide stance. These technical changes directly shift the mechanical load to the target muscles.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
squatting with a low-bar wide stance condition resulted in larger hip contributions to the total moment than the other squat conditions... Our findings suggest that... a low-bar wide stance could be beneficial when targeting the hip extensors.
Why this rating
Controlled within-subjects design with 18 participants, rigorous biomechanical measurement (inverse dynamics, EMG), but small sample size.
Source
Effects of Stance Width and Barbell Placement on Kinematics, Kinetics, and Myoelectric Activity in Back Squats
Stian Larsen et al. · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · 2021
DOI 10.3389/fspor.2021.719013
crossover · n=18Cited 16×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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