Barbell Step UpsMuscles Worked
Barbell step-ups work your quads most, especially on the leg that steps up, with your glutes and hamstrings helping extend your hip and your calves keeping you stable. The box height sets the difficulty, and a higher box asks more of your glutes.
PrimaryQuads
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
- Type
- Compound
- Force
- Push
How to do it
- Set a sturdy box or bench in front of you, at a height where your thigh is about parallel to the floor with your foot on top.
- Rest a barbell across your upper back and stand tall facing the box.
- Place one foot fully on the box and lean your chest slightly forward over it.
- Push through that foot to stand up on the box, bringing your other foot up beside it.
- Step down with the non-working leg first, lowering yourself slowly with the leg on the box, and finish all reps before switching legs.
Form tips
- Let the working leg do the lifting and avoid pushing off the floor with your back foot.
- Start with a lower box and a light bar, since balance under a barbell is the hard part.
- Keep the knee of the working leg pointing the same way as your toes as you rise.
Why it made the list
No. 7 of 13
Best Quad Exercises
Functional unilateral movement. Simpler than lunges for many people. Adjustable difficulty via box height.
More quad exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Barbell Step Ups sets in KasMaker and watch your quads, calves, glutes, and hamstrings fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
