Cambered Bar Squat
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Cambered Bar
HOW TO PERFORM
- Set the bar across the upper back as you would a normal squat, and take the handles that hang in front of you.
- Walk it out carefully: the weight hangs BELOW the bar, so it swings, and it will keep swinging if you rush.
- Let the load settle, brace hard, and squat down under control.
- Drive up while keeping the chest tall, letting the hanging weight stay quiet rather than fighting it.
FORM TIPS
- The swinging load is the point. It punishes a soft upper back and a rushed descent, which is why it is trained lighter than a straight-bar squat.
- A cambered bar is around 85 lb rather than 45, so set the bar weight in the plate calculator before you work out your loading.
- Slow the first rep down. Most misses on this bar are a walkout that never stopped moving.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Quads
- Glutes
Secondary
- Adductors
- Abs
- Lower Back
- Hamstrings
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.