Sometimes, you are stuck lifting in your basement or garage with just a barbell. The big question in this scenario is almost always about squats.
I’ll compare a few rack-free squat alternatives here, along with some notes after doing this myself for nearly a year.
Prerequisite : A Passable Clean
Having the ability to clean opens the door for front racked lifts. Dan John’s Southwood / Rapid Ascent program is great if you need to sharpen up your power clean skills. It is in his free online book, From the Ground Up. A hang clean can work just as well.
Clean to a Front Squat
The average lifter can clean roughly 85% of their front squat max (according to strengthlevel.com).
I think that ratio is pretty generous, and keep in mind that a heavy clean is going to knock some wind out of your sails. Still, even 70-75% would be decent to work with. Improving conditioning as well as clean technique might help to squeeze a little more out of this option.
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 a very large disparity between front squat and clean maxes, making it difficult to get much meaningful squat work in.
That was definitely the case for myself. My max clean is roughly body weight, at 130lbs. My max front squat is 235lbs, leaving me with a sad 55% on the bar AFTER a max effort clean. 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, I think this is 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.
In comparison to the front squat, it might be a little easier to keep a split squat from turning into a cardio session. Most people can split squat roughly what they can clean. And if that isn’t enough, a Zercher hold can allow for heavier loading.
You can also add pauses, 1 ¼ reps, etc.
Bulgarian Split Squat
The BSS is a split squat variation that ticks a lot of boxes as a squat substitute.
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. (This 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.
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. His niche might lean more toward the sports performance and functional training crowd than those seeking maximum strength or size, but he and his athletes seem to be happy with this arrangement.
BSS can suck the wind out of you. It isn’t a bad idea to give yourself a some rest time between sides if you don’t want breathlessness to be the limiting factor.
It is also a good idea to be mindful of the volume on these, particularly if you have a moody sacroiliac joint, or any issues with the pelvis. This isn’t to suggest that this movement must be avoided entirely – just that it might not be a lift to go apeshit on.
Lastly, a front racked load could potentially exacerberate anterior pelvic tilt, if that tends to be a thing for you. A shorter stride length can work out better than allowing the back leg to trail out too far behind.
Zercher Squat
A Zercher from the floor is much more grueling than a Zercher out of the rack. (For some people, that might actually be a positive.) Either way, there is some real loading potential here.
This lift requires some toughness as it isn’t the most comfortable on the arms. Neoprene sleeves, a bar pad, or Fat Grips might be helpful. Some people get used to the forearm stress, and some don’t. Bill Clark (above) was apparently fine with it. If your arms are complaining, this is probably not the best lift for slow eccentrics, pauses, or anything that might prolong the duration of a set (unless you are doing it specifically for forearm durability more so than stressing your legs). Get in and get out.
Coaches like Pavel, Christian Thibaudeau, and Louie Simmons have all praised the Zercher squat. It teaches proper squat mechanics, and is just an all around great lift.
Zerchers are usually programmed as a secondary squat. Though they could take a bit more precedence in a barbell-only plan, they might not be a long-term, 1:1, stand-alone replacement for heavy barbell squats.
Some people seem to get more use out of this lift than others. Your mileage may vary.
Barbell Hack Squat
A behind the back deadlift is a deadlift variation that can be nice for getting some weight on the legs. It starts and ends on the floor with the feet flat on the ground.
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 usually 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.
Still, this is another one with loading potential.
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.
Also, 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.).
If you elevate the heels, you can really get some weight on the quads. Even more so by playing with tempo, 1 ¼ squats, pauses, or very 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 Stuff:
There are some other options that don’t quite fit in 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, I think that is pretty easy. Anything on this list will work when done for enough volume. An honorable mention that didn’t make the list is walking lunges. Reverse lunges are also great and don’t require much floor space to move around.
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.
Kevin Oak did a really nice Steinborn here with a whopping 505lbs (at 7:50). Notice how he takes a full minute to strategize his setup. But to put things in perspective, he squatted 860lbs at his last meet. 505 is baby weight for him.
Overall
I trained with just a barbell for nearly a year to get a feel for which squat options would 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.
So, what can be the ultimate, meat and potatoes, long-term 1:1 replacement for a barbell squat?
Nothing. There is no singular, long-term substitute for a heavy squat taken out of the rack.
What we have is more of a tapas bar.
But, the right combination of tapas can still be pretty satisfying. Depending on your goals, you might be able to live a long and healthy life with just a barbell and plates.
Training might need 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. I don’t think this means 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 how to program these lifts, I think the key is to use a variety of lifts to accomplish what you need, and to switch them in and out as needed. This is going to drive the regimented spreadsheet types absolutely bonkers. But it will force you to be in tune with yourself and to be 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.