Yes, beginners can and should do barbell squats, and here’s why. I’m a certified personal trainer and have had my beginning clients perform barbell squats. However, this doesn’t mean that all beginners should do barbell squats.
Or, to put it another way, this doesn’t mean that it’s a general rule of thumb that the beginner to strength training should avoid doing squats with a barbell, either. This is a case-by-case basis. The vast majority of apparently healthy beginners can do barbell squats with a tracked device, such as the Smith machine. Squatting is a superb exercise that targets the major muscles in the upper legs; the buttocks; lower back and even the abdominals. This exercise burns a lot of calories and contributes to fat loss in the stomach when done consistently and with intensity.
With the Smith machine, the starting weight load (i.e., minus the addition of weight plates) is extremely light. Due to the tracking mechanism, the person does not have to focus on balance or worry about the barbell sliding off his or her upper back.
The beginner can safely start out with barbell squats on a Smith machine or similar apparatus. The bigger question, then, is: At what point can or should a beginner try barbell squats with free weights? In other words, the bar is free, not part of a tracked groove.
I don’t recommend that the novice try free barbell squatting on his or her very first day of strength training. Free squatting requires balance and tight focus on body position, to avoid injury to the lower back.
In fact, even with a Smith machine, the person needs to focus on body position, even though balance isn’t an issue. Other things are an issue, such as keeping the lower back arched at all times, rather than concave or in a “buckling” position. If the lower back loses its arch during barbell squatting, even with a tracked machine, then risk of lower back injury is high.
You must also make sure your feet are flush or aligned, and that you’re not leaning towards one side or that your spine is crooked. I had one client who just couldn’t get the hang of it (and this was the Smith machine); he was always off-kilter, crooked. He was young and healthy, too; but he had poor kinesthetic awareness.
I had another client (60-something female) who was completely lost with body positioning when trying to use just the naked bar on the Smith machine. She was unable to squat up and down without her body contorting and folding up in strange ways, even though her legs were strong.
These are exceptions. If you’re a beginner, try the Smith machine (or similar) first to get a feel for squatting with a barbell across your upper back (it should never be across your neck). Keep feet flat on the floor and at least shoulder width apart. Keep the arch in your lower back. Keep head tilted up a bit, eyes straight ahead or slightly upward. Keep the chest “puffed out.” The knee bend angle should not exceed 90 degrees.
The ideal rep range with very light weights is 12-20 for the novice. Rest a minute or two and do several more sets. Increase weight load with reason over time. When you feel at home performing squats with the Smith machine, then you can try them with the free barbell, but start out with no added weights to make sure that your body is comfortable with the “free” movement. If you feel great, then add weights.
Don’t get ahead of yourself and start piling on the weights; you ner can end up with a pulled muscle or lower back strain, even with good form. And free barbell squats are not the same as tracked machine routines. The beginner should listen to his or her body and enlist the aid of an experienced partner or personal trainer to give feedback on form.
