Sometimes, you are stuck lifting in your basement or garage with just a barbell. The big dilemma in this scenario is almost always about squats.
I’ll compare a few rack-free squat alternatives here, along with some notes after actually doing this myself for an entire year.
Kicking things off with one of the most loved/hated options:
Zercher Squat
The Zercher squat is a fantastic choice for wrestlers and fighters. Coaches like Pavel, Louie Simmons, and Christian Thibaudeau have praised it for teaching proper squat mechanics and being just an all around great lift.
This lift requires some toughness as it isn’t the most comfortable on the arms. Bill Clark (above) was apparently fine with it. Neoprene sleeves, a bar pad, or Fat Grips will be helpful for the rest of us.
Considering the arm factor, this is probably not the best lift for slow eccentrics, pauses, or anything that might prolong the duration of a set. Get in and get out.
Also, a Zercher from the floor is much more grueling than a Zercher out of the rack. (For some, that might actually be a positive.) Either way, there is some real loading potential here.
Zerchers are sometime programmed as a secondary squat. Though they could take a bit more precedence in a barbell-only plan, they may be best used in shorter phases, as most people are not going to look forward to progressing on this week after week. (Your mileage may vary.)
Clean to a Front Squat
According to strengthlevel.com, the average lifter can clean roughly 85% of their front squat max. I think that ratio is pretty generous, and keep in mind that a near-max clean is going to knock some wind out of your sails. Still, even 70-75% would be decent to work with.
As far as how to actually go about this, the front squats would need to be done for higher reps or clusters.
This lift seems to tick some boxes, but there is one obvious caveat. Some people have big front squats but aren’t great at cleans, making it difficult to get much meaningful work in.
Personally, I was able to get a few weeks out of this lift at a time. After that point, it seemed to become a lesson in exhaustion rather than providing any training benefit that I am interested in.
Overall, this may be a viable choice for lifters with average front squat:clean ratios, and an okay ‘sometimes’ lift for others.
Split Squat
People tend to underestimate the loading potential of a basic split squat with both feet planted on the floor. You can also add pauses, tempo, 1 ¼ reps, etc.
The Bulgarian Split Squat is a variation that ticks a lot of boxes. If research factors into your decision making process, this study was done to compare the strength gains after performing split squats vs squats.
The subjects were trained men who could squat at least 1.5x body weight (which is pretty decent, as many studies compare the results of beginners who will respond positively to just about anything.)
The men were divided into two groups. One group performed exclusively split squats, while the other group performed back squats.
Here’s what they found:
Both the split squat group and the squat group improved squat strength, with both groups seeing an average increase of 22lbs on their squat.
Coach Mike Boyle voluntarily removed barbell squats from his protocols (entirely!) in favor of split squats. There tend to be some strong opinions one way or the other on this approach. Regardless, he and his athletes seem to be making it work.
BSS can suck the wind out of you – particularly if you are using a front-loaded hold. It isn’t a bad idea to give yourself a some rest time between sides if you don’t want that to be the limiting factor.
This lift can be a great alternative for those who experience back pain with barbell squats. However, is a good idea to be mindful of the volume on these if you have any issues with the pelvis. (This isn’t to suggest that the movement must be avoided entirely – just that it might not be a lift to go apeshit on.)
Barbell Hack Squat
A behind the back deadlift is a deadlift variation that starts and ends on the floor with the feet flat on the ground. Awesome lift – but this isn’t that.
The barbell Hack squat being referred to here is a squat. It will be lighter than the behind the back deadlift, and the heels will be elevated on plates. The bar still touches the ground on each rep, but more akin to a touch and go deadlift.
I would say that this version is not really a lift for maxing out. The deadlift version – yes. But the barbell Hack squat would be used more similarly to how you might use the Hack squat machine in the gym.
Anytime you have a bar in hands for a squat, it can be tricky to program alongside deadlifts. It ends up being a lot of holding onto the bar. Straps might be worth considering for at least some of the bar-holding lifts.
And lastly, this lift does seem to bother some people’s knees. (Obviously, if something is getting ticked off – find another lift.)
I think this is another great one for the rotation.
Jefferson Lift
The Jefferson lift can be performed as more of a squat or a deadlift, depending on how you position yourself. If you want it to be more squat-like, keep the torso as upright as possible so that you have to use more legs off the floor.
There is a huge amount of loading potential here. Like, upwards of 600lbs.
And again, you’ll be holding onto the bar a lot.
The Jefferson lift was held in high regard as a suitable squat (and leg press) substitute back in the day. Old-school lifters like Anthony Ditillo, John Grimek, Jack Delinger, and of course it’s founder, Charles Jefferson, used it regularly.
Since the weight isn’t supported on the shoulders, you do miss out on that aspect. But as far as loading the lower body – this ticks the boxes.
This lift has been in my regular rotation, even before this barbell-only experiment. I’ve approached my deadlift max with it, and it felt darned good.
Landmine Squat
Landmine squats are awesome for beginners, and for those who need a safe way to perform squats without much of a learning curve. Most people like them quite a bit.
If you don’t have landmine attachment, you can throw a towel into a corner and stick the end of the bar there.
This lift is often prescribed to novices, but you definitely don’t need to whimp out on the weight. Once the bar becomes too heavy to get into position, you can either elevate the end of the bar on a sturdy object (starting the lift at the bottom), or switch to a low hold (stand on blocks or plates for a deeper ROM).
For a strength athlete who is jonesing for the feeling of straining under a heavy weight, I’m not sure that I would endorse this as an overwhelmingly satisfying squat experience.
The arc of the bar kind of takes the edge off. There is less stability and coordination required in comparison to an un-anchored bar. It’s almost like a machine in that way. (That might actually be a positive depending on what you want out of it.).
This can be a great targeted finisher exercise after one of the more general fatigue-inducing squat variations mentioned above.
If you elevate the heels, you can really get some stress on the quads. Even more so by playing with tempo, pauses, or high reps.
You can turn so that you are facing away from the wall with the landmine resting on your shoulder, like a Hack squat machine.
It can also allow for a more sit-back/upright squat motion for those whose leverages don’t typically allow for that sort of thing.
Lots to play around with.
Other Honorable Mentions:
Here are some other options that don’t quite fit the squat substitution category:
Leg-centric Deadlifts
For deadlifts, it might make sense to prioritize deadlift variations that emphasize the legs. Snatch-grip deadlifts, sumo deadlifts and behind the back deadlifts can all fit into that category. Even more so if you add a deficit. They can help get the job done when used in conjunction with any of the mentioned squat variations.
Deadlift Specialization
If you are an experienced lifter who is stuck with a barbell for awhile, I wouldn’t rule out a period of deadlift specialization. This might sound like a miserable experience, but if you don’t have a heavy squat bar on your back every week, you might be surprised by what you can handle.
(This option is more of an exploitation of the fact that you are not doing heavy squats than an actual squat substitution.)
Walking Lunges
If you are just trying to blow up your legs, finishing your day with some walking lunges can really drive the point home. Reverse lunges are also great and don’t require much floor space.
BFR
If you can’t pile on the weight, this can also be a great place to try out BFR. Nice combo with the walking lunges.
Steinborns??
I didn’t mention Steinborn lifts. To me, they feel more like a body puzzle or a dance than a usable way to set up for squats.
Also, what goes up must come down. Fatigue is to be expected by the end of a squat set, and having to un-Steinborn back to the floor under those circumstances might not be ideal.
Given that this lift ends up being on the lighter side, a decent squat set probably wouldn’t be happening with it for most people anyway… unless you’re Kevin Oak (505lbs @ the 7:50 mark):
Final Thoughts
I trained with just a barbell for an entire year to get a feel for which squat options would actually hold up over an extended period. If you’re lifting in your basement or garage with just a barbell, I hope that this can help give some ideas.
While there is no singular, long-term substitute for a heavy squat taken out of a rack, the right combination of lifts can still be pretty satisfying. Depending on your goals, you might be able to thrive for quite a while with just a barbell and plates.
Training might have to look a little bit different than what you’re used to. Many of these substitutions wear out their welcomes much faster than their racked counterparts. When this happens, it doesn’t mean that the lift sucks and you should never do it again. It probably just means that you hit your threshold with it for the time being, or that it’s time to change the way it is being used.
As far as sans-rack programming options, I think the key is to use a variety of lifts to accomplish what you need, switching things in and out as needed. This is going to drive the regimented spreadsheet types absolutely bonkers. But it will force you to constantly analyzing, which could be really great in the long run.
If you need some ideas of how to put something together, check out this barbell-only template that I wrote for Muscle & Strength.