7 Top Safety Squat Bar Exercises

Safety squat bars are known for making back squats more comfortable for your shoulders but they can be used in other exercises too.

Sometimes these are not as optimal as the versions with more standard fitness equipment but it is good to know about different ways to use your SSB.

1. Safety bar squat

For this first one and all the other exercises, you need a good safety squat bar and enough weight plates to make the movements challenging enough. The first option also requires a squat rack.

Once you have these you can start with the most basic SSB exercise, the safety bar squat. Take the following steps to do this movement:

1. Find a squat rack and rack the safety squat bar at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates. If there are any safety catch bars adjust them to the right height.
2. Stand under the safety squat bar, push your shoulders up so that the safety squat bar rests on your upper back/shoulders, and put your hands on the handles to keep the bar in place.
3. Unrack the safety squat bar and take a few steps back so that you have room to squat. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width.
4. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. While less compared to the barbell version, you will likely still have to bend forward for balance. Keep your back in a straight line throughout the movement.
5. Push yourself up again into starting position by stretching your legs.
6. Rerack the safety squat bar after your desired number of repetitions.

From a high-level view, the main muscles worked with the safety squat bar are the same as the barbell back squat. That means you engage your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and calves.

That being said, the ratio is slightly different because you keep your torso more upright during the safety bar squat due to the weight distribution.

This leads to slightly more focus on your quadriceps and slightly less focus on your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

2. Good morning

The good morning also requires a squat rack beside the more standard SSB gear. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a safety squat bar good morning:

1. Find a squat rack and rack the safety squat bar at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates. If there are any safety catch bars adjust them to the right height.
2. Stand under the safety squat bar, push your shoulders up so that the safety squat bar rests on your upper back/shoulders, and put your hands on the handles to keep the bar in place.
3. Unrack the safety squat bar and take a few steps back so that you have room to do the exercise. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width.
4. Bend your knees a small amount and tilt your upper body forward as far as is comfortable with a straight spine (but not farther than a horizontal line).
5. Return to the position in step 3 in a controlled motion.
6. Rerack the safety squat bar after your desired number of repetitions.

The good morning may look similar to the previous squat exercise but you almost do not go through your knees.

This leads to more focus on your glutes, hamstrings, lower back muscles, and erector spinae and less focus on muscles like your quadriceps and calves.

3. Calf raises

Safety squat bar calf raises require the standard gear and a rack to get the weighted bar in place. Take the following steps to do a safety squat bar standing calf raise:

1. Load the racked safety squat bar with the desired number of weight plates.
2. Put your shoulders under the SSB, unrack it, and take a step back.
3. Stand up straight with your feet at about shoulder width. Hold the rack or another sturdy object for balance if needed.
4. Slowly raise your heels as far as comfortable.
5. Lower your heels back to the ground in a controlled motion.

One of the benefits of safety squat bars is that they typically stay in place even if you don’t have your hands on the handles.

This feature combines great with standing calf raises which tend to be challenging when it comes to balance. You can simply hold the squat rack or another sturdy object for balance.

You can also do SSB calf raises with the front of your feet on an edge, stair step, or block. This allows you to go through a bigger range of motion which is generally beneficial for muscle growth and strength progress.

Take a break at the bottom of the movement when you use an elevated surface so that you use your calf muscles and not your tendons to move upward.

4. Front squats

The SSB is mainly made for back squats but you can also use a safety squat bar for front squats. This exercise does have the same gear requirements. Take the following steps to do a safety squat bar front squat:

1. Find a squat rack and rack the safety squat bar at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates. If there are any safety catch bars adjust them to the right height.
2. Stand in front of the safety squat bar, point the handles over your shoulders, and let the thick pad that is usually on your back rest on the front of your shoulders. Hold the SSB in place with your hands.
3. Unrack the safety squat bar and take a few steps back so that you have room to squat. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width.
4. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. Keep your back in a straight line throughout the movement.

Most people will find SSB front squats more awkward than the “back squat” version but some individuals may prefer this.

You may also just be interested in focusing a bit more on your quadricep muscles, the front squat exercise variation can help with this. Keep in mind that this also means less glute, hamstring, and lower back muscle engagement.

5. Shoulder presses

This next safety squat bar exercise is an example where more standard fitness equipment is typically a better choice.

That being said, individuals who have low ceilings, want to engage their stabilizing muscles more, and/or don’t have any other equipment can consider it.

Take the following steps to do a safety squat bar shoulder press:

1. Find a suited bar rack and rack the safety squat bar at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates.
2. Grab the safety squat bar with your hands at about shoulder width (or slightly wider if needed) with your hand palms facing forward.
3. Unrack the safety squat bar and take a few steps back so that you have room to do the exercise. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width. Hold the safety squat bar at about shoulder height. Your elbows can point slightly more forward than just a horizontal line with your shoulders.
4. Slowly move the safety squat bar up until your arms are slightly less than stretched.
5. Lower the safety squat bar back into the position of step 3 in a controlled motion.

If you have a safety squat bar with removable handles, it can be worth taking these off for your shoulder presses unless you prefer to work stabilizing muscles more.

Safety squat bar will still mainly work your deltoids and triceps but due to the camber, back padding piece, and handles, there is more swinging.

This leads to working stabilizing muscles like your scapular muscles (including traps), rear delts, chest, and forearm muscles just a bit more.

6. Lying tricep extensions

You need a weight bench for this next exercise. Additionally, a spotter to help get the safety squat bar in place can be helpful too. Once you have the required things, take the following steps to do SSB lying tricep extensions:

1. Either ask help from someone to get the bar in position or load the safety squat bar in front of the bench and carefully lie down with it.
2. Lie on the weight bench with a safety squat bar in your hands. Hold it with an overhanded grip on steel parts. Your upper arms should lean slightly more back than vertical and your lower arms with the safety squat bar can hang down behind your head.
3. Slowly raise the safety squat bar by stretching your arms until your arms are fully stretched. Keep your wrists straight and your body and upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
4. Lower the safety squat bar back into starting position in a controlled motion.

You can also do lying tricep extensions by holding the handles of the SSB but this involves more swinging and makes the exercise more awkward.

Lying tricep extensions are mainly done to isolate your tricep muscles. That being said, if you already have a weight bench available you likely also have a barbell.

This equipment option is typically more effective than a safety squat bar for tricep extensions.

7. Lunges

To do safety squat bar lunges you need a rack and enough room to move on top of the more standard gear. Once you have these, take the following steps to do the exercise:

1. Load the racked safety squat bar with the desired number of weight plates.
2. Put your shoulders under the SSB, unrack it, and move to where you have enough room to do the exercise.
3. Stand up straight with your feet at about shoulder width.
4. Take a step forward and put your foot at a distance where the following steps can be done at the right angles. Horizontally speaking you want your feet to be about shoulder width apart or slightly wider for balance.
5. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you ideally want both of your knees and your front thigh to your body at 90-degree angles.
6. Push yourself up again into starting position by stretching your legs. Your front leg will likely carry most of the weight.
7. Repeat the same number of repetitions with each leg first to avoid any muscle imbalances.

Safety squat bar lunges are another exercise for working your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. This movement also works your outer thigh, inner thigh, and ankle muscles a nice amount.

Thanks to the safety squat bar it is easier to stay balanced. The SSB version is also more comfortable than the barbell version.

Because you mainly lean on one leg at a time, the exercise becomes more challenging for your balance and you need fewer weight plates.