Yes, you'll need to actually do the back squat to progress, but you can also program accessory exercises—moves that train the muscles that drive the compound movement—to build strength, too. Check out ...

For those just learning to lift, the fewer the number of exercises, the better. “Two or three [per workout] on the low end,” says Eric Sung, C.S.C.S., a private trainer in New York.

For example, you might do a lower body session focusing on one squat and hinge move, and a few accessory exercises after. Then an upper body workout with one push, one pull and a few accessory ...