My Top 3 Favorite Squat Accessories

When it comes to building a stronger, more efficient squat, accessory work matters. Here are my top 3 favorite movements that I consistently program for myself and my athletes to address common weak points, improve movement quality, and pack on muscle where it counts.

1. Pendulum Squat

This machine is elite for targeting the quads. The pendulum squat allows for deep knee flexion and keeps the torso upright, meaning maximal quad stimulus with less spinal loading. It’s also great for training through a full range of motion without compensating with poor positioning. If you’ve got access to one like we do at Legends, use it.

2. Safety Squat Bar (SSB) Squat

The SSB is a staple that I like to use for developing positional strength. It loads the quads while challenging your ability to stay stacked and braced under load (cue ribs down). The bar’s camber forces you to fight for posture, making it a great tool for upper back, core stability, and carryover to your comp squat, especially if you struggle with tipping forward out of the hole.

3. Ass-to-Grass Bulgarian Split Squat

These suck, but they work. Going ATG puts the glutes under deep stretch, hammers the adductors, and lights up the quads, especially with a longer stride. It also builds unilateral stability and balance, helping to clean up asymmetries and make your bilateral comp squats more efficient. They’re also a sneaky good way to build mobility under load.

If you want to squat better, don’t just squat more, squat smarter. These three movements target the gaps that raw squatting alone might miss. Plug them into your program with intention and watch the results follow.

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