The 9 Best Squat Accessory Lifts and How to Choose Yours

Trying to increase your squat numbers as much as possible? Feel like regular squats alone aren’t doing the trick anymore? I’ve got you covered. In this article we’ll be going over the 9 best squat accessory lifts, breaking down each accessory lift one by one with videos, sets, reps and specific recommendations for which lifts might be best for YOU. We’ll be covering:

Let’s jump right in.

Accessory Exercises for Squat – Quick List

To jump right to the point, here are the nine best squat accessory lifts that we’ll be covering today:

• Pause Squat
• Tempo Squats
• Split Squats & Lunges
• Hip Thrusts
• Weighted Squat Jumps
• Hack Squats
• Leg Press
• Back Extensions
• Stir the Pot

What are accessory lifts?

Accessory lifts are exercises that support and increase your performance in your main, primary lifts.

They often do this by increasing muscle size, and/or by targeting a specific weak spot in your movement.

Why do you need to do squat accessory exercises?

Most intermediates and advanced lifters need accessory lifts to target specific weak spots, provide strategic variation, and help you build muscle in ways that you can’t do with the primary squatting movement alone. We’ll go over specific examples below, as well as which accessories might be best for you.

What are accessory exercises for powerlifting?

Accessory exercises for powerlifting are exercises that support and increase your barbell squat, bench or deadlift.

Assistance vs accessory lifts

Technically speaking, assistance lifts could be classed as close exercise variations, whilst accessory lifts could be classed as exercises that support the main lift less directly.

For example, barbell squat assistance lifts could include pause squats or tempo squats, whilst squat accessory lifts could include split squats or jumps.

Practically, both terms are used interchangeably nowadays, so I’m including exercises from both categories in one article for simplicity.

The 9 Best Squat Accessory Lifts

These are nine of the best accessory lifts for squat, they’re listed in no particular order. Instead, I’ve arranged them by what weaknesses they help you to improve.

1) Pause Squat

The pause squat is a classic squat accessory exercise in which you perform a normal squat but don’t bounce out of the hole. Instead, you pause for 2-3 seconds in the bottom position, maintaining tension.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

The pause squat is a good assistance exercise for building control and strength in the bottom position of the squat (a spot where many raw lifters miss their lifts)

If you’re someone who tends to fail squats right at the bottom position, or someone who relies a lot on a bouncy rebound out of the hole, then pause squats are perfect for you.

How should you program the pause squat?

I recommend that you perform pause squats for 2-4 sets of 2-4 reps, with a 2-3 second pause on each rep.

These can be performed after your main squat lift, or on a separate ‘medium’ day.

I recommend performing them at anything from RIR3 to RIR1, or roughly between 70-90% 1rm. The range is pretty wide as different people can pause squat different percentages of their max regular squat.

2) Tempo Squat

The tempo squat is one of my favourite barbell squat accessory exercises. To perform it, descend slowly to a count of 3-5 seconds, followed by a 2-3 second pause at the bottom, and finish with a quick, aggressive upwards phase.

What is this squat accessory lift good for?

The tempo squat is a good assistance exercise for building control, stability and positional awareness throughout the squat.

If you’re someone who has an inconsistent squat, or someone who tends to get slightly off-balance forwards or backwards (weight more on toes or heels) then tempo squats are the accessory exercise for you.

How should you program the tempo squat?

I recommend that you perform tempo squats for 2-4 sets of 2-4 reps.

These can be performed after your main squat lift, or on a separate ‘medium’ day.

I recommend performing them at anything from RIR3 to RIR1, or roughly between 60-80% 1rm. The range is pretty wide as different people can tempo squat different percentages of their max regular squat.

3) Split Squats and/or Lunges

You can probably view split squats, lunges and even step-ups as interchangeable squat assistance exercises. Fundamentally each exercise requires you to take a unilateral (one-sided) approach to strength development. You can also include front, rear and both feet elevated variations in this category.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

The split squat or lunge are two of the best squat accessory lifts for developing lateral (side-to-side) stability, and for correcting any imbalances between legs.

If you’re someone whose hips tend to shift a bit at the bottom of the squat, or someone who seems to slightly favour one leg when pushing back up, split squats and lunges are a good choice to help you correct this

How should you program split squats or lunges?

I recommend that you perform split squats or lunges for 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps per leg. If you’re doing walking lunges, that means 12-24 total reps.

These can be performed after your main squat lift and towards the end of your workout.

I recommend performing them at anything from RIR3 to RIR1, at a weight that makes them challenging, but still allows you to perform each rep with control and achieve a full range of motion on each rep.

4) Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts are an underrated squat accessory exercise. You can perform them by elevating your shoulders and upper back on a bench or small box, and then performing a weighted glute bridge movement. For best results, aim for a squeeze at the top, and a controlled eccentric (downwards) portion.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

The hip thrust is good for developing glute strength, which strengthens the bottom position of your squat, as well as the top third of your squat.

If you’re someone who tends to fail at the bottom of the squat, or perhaps in the top third of the squat, then you might benefit from using hip thrusts as an accessory exercise. Hip thrusts are also a great complementary exercise for squats, as they give you the chance to train your posterior chain, and could help to prevent knee issues.

How should you program hip thrusts

I recommend that you perform hip thrusts for 2-4 sets of 6-20 reps. You’re using them to build glute size along with some glute strength, but they’re not a primary strength exercise, and they can be quite cumbersome to try and do heavy.

These can be performed after your main squat lift and towards the end of your workout, or even after a deadlift workout.

I recommend performing them at anything from RIR3 to RIR1, at a weight that makes them challenging, but still allows you to perform each rep with control and achieve a full range of motion on each rep.

5) Weighted Squat Jumps

Weighted squat jumps are one of the best barbell squat accessories to develop power, explosiveness and rate of force development. I like to perform them with a full range of motion squat followed by an aggressive, explosive upwards movement leading right into a jump.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

The weighted squat jump exercise is a good barbell squat accessory for developing speed in the upwards portion of your lift, and for teaching you to maximally apply effort and force.

If you’re someone who tends to have very grindy, slow squats then weighted squat jumps are a great choice for squat assistance exercise for you.

How should you program weighted squat jumps

I recommend that you perform weighted squat jumps for 3-5 sets of 2-4 reps.

These can be performed either before or after your main squat lift.

Barbell squat jumps are best performed at a weight that allows you to move quickly and explosively. Typically that might be anything from 10-30% of your 1 rep max

6) Hack Squats

Hack squats are a less commonly used but incredibly effective squat accessory exercise. To perform them you’ll need a hack squat machine. Aim for a controlled eccentric (downwards) portion and a fast concentric (upwards) portion.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

Hack squats are great for building quad strength and size.

If you’re someone who tends to be a posterior dominant athlete, and find yourself bending forwards and using your back to ‘good morning’ the weight up in your squats, then hack squats are a great choice of squat assistance exercise for you.

They’re great choice if you need to add some leg muscle size.

How should you program weighted squat jumps

I recommend that you perform hack squats for 2-4 sets of 8-20 reps.

These can be performed after your main squat lift, or on a separate training day.

Pick a weight that allows you to train at RIR3 to RIR 1 in your chosen rep range.

7) Leg Press

Leg presses can be an incredibly effective squat accessory exercise, but only when performed correctly. That means feet low down on the plate, toes pointed out, and taken through a full range of motion.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

Leg presses are great for building quad strength and size without adding too much axial loading.

If you’re someone who tends to be a posterior dominant athlete, and find yourself bending forwards and using your back to ‘good morning’ the weight up in your squats, then leg presses are a great choice of squat assistance exercise for you.

They’re also a great choice if you need to add some leg muscle size, whilst minimising axial (spinal) loading. Simply put, it’s nice not to have a heavy bar on your shoulders for once.

How should you program leg presses

I recommend that you perform hack squats for 2-4 sets of 6-15 reps.

These can be performed after your main squat lift, or on a separate ‘moderate’ training day.

Pick a weight that allows you to train at RIR 3 to RIR 1 in your chosen rep range.

8) Back Extensions

Back extensions can be a game-changer for your squats. To perform them, keep a rigid, braced and flat back as you move through around 80-90 degrees of motion. Don’t over-extend your back, instead aim to finish the movement by squeezing your glutes hard.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

The back extension is highly versatile squat accessory exercise. When performed as shown above it can strengthen your lower back and glutes, whilst also helping you build some big and strong spinal erectors.

If you’re someone who tends to lose rigidity, collapse forwards, or not feel ‘locked in’ during heavy squats, then I highly recommend adding back extensions as one of your squat accessory exercises.

Plus, just like hip thrusts, back extensions are a good complementary exercise for squats, as they give you the chance to focus on training your posterior chain, preventing you from becoming too quad-dominant.

How should you program back extensions?

I recommend that you perform back extensions for 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps.

These can be performed after your main squat lift towards the end of your workout, and/or as a lighter deadlift alternative.

You don’t need to go heavy with these, in fact you can get a solid strength and size workout just using your bodyweight. if you do use a weight, keep it light, and add load conservatively over time.

9) Stir the Pot

Stir the pot might be one of the most underrated and least-known squat accessory exercises, but your core strength and stability can make or break a lift. In fact, squat world record holder Brian Carroll swears by this exact exercise as being key to his strength and rehab. He can do 500 of them, try doing 20 and you’ll see how hard they are.

What is this squat accessory exercise good for?

Stir the pot is an anti-extension core exercise, essentially a more difficult version of the plank. It helps you build core strength and endurance which will keep you tight, rigid and locked in during your squats.

If you’re someone who tends to lose rigidity, overly arch/extend or not feel ‘locked in’ during heavy squats, then I highly recommend adding stir the pot as one of your squat accessory exercises.

How should you program stir the pot?

I recommend that you start by performing stir the pot for 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps, two to three times per week. Then you can build up your sets and reps over time.

Whilst most people would say to perform these at the end of your workout, I’ve had the most success putting them at the start when I’m freshest.

Programming Squat Accessory Exercises

How many accessory exercises should I do?

Your best bet would be to pick 2 or 3 squat assistance exercises and use them for at least one entire mesocycle or training block (typically 4-6 weeks). This might mean that you do 1 or 2 accessory exercises after one squat session, plus another separate ‘medium’ session which involves another squat accessory exercise. Over time, you’ll be able to find the best squat assistance lifts for you as an individual.

How heavy should accessory lifts be?

Accessory lifts should be lighter than your main lift, but still challenging enough to create adaptations. For most accessory lifts this means training at RIR 3 to RIR 1 (Reps in Reserve).

How many reps should I do?

The reps you do for your squat accessory exercises depend on the type of exercise. For pause and tempo squats you might only do 3-6 reps, whereas for back extensions or hack squats you might do 10-20 reps. It mainly depends on the exercise and your desired outcome.

Workout Example with Squat Accessory Exercises

Here’s an example workout with squat accessory exercises for someone looking to increase the size and strength of their quads, stay more upright in the squat, and stay more ‘locked in’:

How to Choose the Best Squat Accessory Exercise for You

The best squat accessory exercises for you will depend on your specific goals and weaknesses in the squat.

• If you need bigger quads and to stay more upright: Your best bet would likely be hack squats or leg presses.
• If you need more strength at the bottom: Try pause squats or hip thrusts.
• If you need to feel more braced, tight or ‘locked in’: Give back extensions and/or stir the pot a go.
• If you need more lateral (side-to-side) stability: Split squats or lunges will probably be your best squat accessory exercises.
• If you need to be faster on the way up: Try weighted squat jumps

Instead of blindly copying someone else’s accessory exercises or googling “squat accessory lifts reddit”, take a moment to think about your own squat. Which of the five things above do you need to improve? This will be your biggest guide to determining which exercises are the best squat accessory lifts for YOU.

Best Squat Accessory Lifts: Infographic Summary

We’ve covered a lot of information in this article, so here’s a quick infographic summary of the best squat assistance exercises. It’s yours to download, print and share as you will:

Next Steps

Alright, that’s enough reading for today, time for action…

1) Pick 2-3 squat accessory exercises based on what you need to improve, or consider having a look at my custom programme options.

2) If you want more training tips, workouts and programmes, feel free to join my mailing list.

3) And if you’re looking for 1:1 strength and conditioning coaching to get you squatting, benching and deadlifting more weight you can find more information about my services here.

‘Til Next Time

Alex

Alex Parry, MSc, BA

Alex is the Head content writer and Coach at Character Strength & Conditioning, as well as an Assistant Lecturer and PhD Researcher at the University of Hull.

His experience includes 8+ years within professional strength and conditioning, as well as working as a tutor & educator for British Weightlifting.