Quads exercise
Barbell Step-UpHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Barbell Step-Up?
- Rest the bar on your upper back and stand facing a knee-height box.
- Place your whole right foot on the box.
- Drive through your right heel to stand up on the box; let the left foot follow.
- Step the left foot back down slowly, then the right.
- Finish your reps, then switch the leading leg.
Cues
- Whole foot on the box.
- Push through the front heel, not the back toes.
- Stand tall at the top.
Common mistakes
- Bouncing off the back foot.
- Letting the front knee fall inward.
- Using a box so high that the hip has to swing to get up.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Stand facing the box, toes about 15 cm from it, feet hip-width. Bar on the upper back as in a high-bar back squat, hands just outside the shoulders, chest up.
The movement
Place the whole right foot on the box; the knee and hip are bent to about 90–95°. Lean the trunk slightly forward over the front foot and drive up through the right heel until the leg is straight; the back foot does not push off the floor: it just follows and lands beside the right foot on the box. Stand tall. Step the left foot back down under control, lowering on the right leg, then step the right foot down.
Breathing
Breathe in before the step, breathe out as you drive up; breathe in on the way down.
Tempo
0.6 s to place the foot, 1.0 s up, 0.3 s standing tall, 1.3 s lowering the left foot, 0.55 s stepping the right foot down, 0.25 s settled.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead knee with the foot on the box | 94° | 85–100° | |
| Trunk forward at the start of the drive | 10° | 5–20° | |
| Lead foot | flat on the box, never hanging off the edge | whole foot on | |
| Foot clearance over the box edge | 3 cm | ≥ 2 cm | |
| Stance | hip-width (each foot 10 cm from the midline) | no crossing |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Barbell Step-Up is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- ExRx.net, "Barbell Step-up" (bar on the back, place the foot on the bench, stand on it, step down)
- ACE Exercise Library, "Step-Up" (whole foot on the step, knee over the foot, drive through the heel, lower under control)
- NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016), ch. 15, step-up
