Squat with tension that builds at the top.
The band gets harder near lockout, so push hard through the top of every rep.
Standing on the band with the ends racked at your shoulders creates resistance that grows as you rise, so your quads meet the heaviest tension exactly where a squat is normally easiest, near lockout. Your glutes drive the hips through that accommodating resistance and finish each rep against peak band pull. It earns a place as a portable loading option and a lockout-strength builder, teaching you to accelerate through the top instead of coasting.
Different tool, different job. A barbell loads the whole range evenly and heavier, while the band loads the top hardest and travels anywhere. Use band squats for home training, high-rep work or teaching top-end drive, not as a straight barbell replacement.
Hold the ends at your shoulders with your elbows forward so the band runs along the meat of your shoulders rather than your neck. A wider foot placement on the band also shortens it and can sit the tension better.
That is the band stretching, resistance rises as you stand. It flips the usual squat strength curve, which is exactly why band squats teach you to keep pushing hard through the finish.
