Front Squat
A barbell squat with the bar racked on the front delts, forcing an upright torso and a quad-dominant descent.
How to do it
- Set the bar at upper chest height and step under it in the rack.
- Rest the bar across your front delts and drive your elbows high.
- Stand the bar out and set your feet just inside shoulder width.
- Brace your trunk and descend by bending the knees and hips together.
- Lower until your thighs are at least parallel, keeping the chest tall.
- Push through the whole foot and drive the elbows up to stand.
Key technique cue
Keep the elbows up the whole time; drop them and the bar rolls forward.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Letting the elbows drop, which rolls the bar forward and dumps you out of the rack.
- ✕ Rising onto the toes, which shifts the bar ahead of the midfoot and stalls the lift.
- ✕ Rounding the upper back out of the bottom, which loads the spine instead of the legs.
- ✕ Letting the knees travel far inside the toes, which strains the joint and cuts quad force.
Benefits
- ✓ The front rack forces an upright torso, so the quadriceps take the largest share.
- ✓ Failed reps can be dumped forward, which makes heavy work safer without a spotter.
- ✓ It builds the trunk and upper back bracing that carries into cleans and back squats.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 -
Step 3 You are here - Front Squat
- Zercher Squat
About the exercise
The front squat carries the bar across the front of the shoulders with the elbows driven high, so the torso must stay upright through the whole repetition. That position keeps the load close to the knees and makes the quadriceps the prime mover, while the glutes extend the hips and the trunk and upper back work to stop the chest folding forward. The upright posture is exactly why the quads take a larger share than in a back squat, and wrist and thoracic mobility usually limit the lift before leg strength does.
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