Front Squat

What is the Front Squat?

The front squat is a barbell squat with the bar racked across the front delts and collarbones instead of the upper back. That front-loaded position forces a more upright torso, which shifts emphasis onto the quads and demands the thoracic spine and upper back stay tall throughout, making it a favorite for quad development and carryover to Olympic lifts.

Muscles worked

Primary: Quads

The quadriceps are the prime mover and take a larger share than in a back squat: the upright torso and forward bar keep the knees traveling deep, so the quads do more of the work extending the knees out of the hole.

Secondary: Glutes, Hamstrings

The glutes contribute hip extension standing up, and the hamstrings assist at the hip through the drive.

Stabilizers

The upper back and thoracic erectors work hard isometrically to keep the chest up and stop the bar from pulling you forward; the trunk braces to resist folding.

How to perform the Front Squat

1. Set the bar in the rack at collarbone height and take it in a front-rack position across the front of the shoulders, not down on the chest.
2. Drive the elbows high so the upper arms are roughly parallel to the floor; this shelf of the front delts is what holds the bar in place.
3. Whether you use a clean grip or crossed-arm grip, the bar rests on the shoulders and the hands only stop it rolling forward.
4. Brace hard, then descend by sitting straight down between the hips while keeping the torso as vertical as possible.
5. The upright torso is the whole point of the front squat, so fight to keep the elbows up and the thoracic spine extended throughout.
6. Descend to at least parallel, then drive up through the mid-foot without letting the elbows drop, which would pitch you forward.

Suggested working range: 5–8 reps. Default progression: linear.

Mechanics

A bilateral squat with the load in front: the hips and knees bend to descend while the torso stays close to vertical, then both extend to stand, the front-rack position anchoring the bar over the midfoot. As a compound lift it trains the whole lower body, but keeping the bar from tipping forward requires a tall spine, which biases the movement toward the quads relative to the back squat.

Form cues

• •Rack the bar across the front delts with the fingertips under it and elbows pointed high: the shelf is your shoulders, not your hands.
• •Drive the elbows up throughout the rep; the moment they drop, the chest folds and the bar pulls forward.
• •Sit straight down keeping the torso upright and the whole foot planted, letting the knees travel forward over the toes.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the elbows drop during the ascent, which rolls the bar forward and dumps you into a good morning.
• •Rounding the upper back instead of holding a tall, extended thoracic spine under the front rack.
• •Losing the front-rack shelf so the bar slides down onto the wrists and hands take the load.
• •Leaning the torso forward like a back squat instead of staying upright as the front rack demands.

Variations & alternatives

• •Barbell back squat: the bar-on-the-back version that lets you load heavier with a more hip-dominant torso angle.
• •Goblet squat: a lighter front-loaded squat that teaches the same upright-torso pattern before you barbell it.
• •Hack squat: a machine squat that hits the quads hard without the front-rack mobility demand.

Barbell Back Squat

Quads · Barbell

Leg Press

Quads · Machine

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads · Dumbbell

Goblet Squat

Quads · Dumbbell

Leg Extension

Quads · Machine

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Front squats fit best in the 5–8 rep range as a primary quad-focused strength movement, where the front-rack position tends to fail before your legs on higher reps. Load is limited by upper-back and wrist mobility rather than raw leg strength, so build the rack position with lighter sets before chasing heavy triples.

Frequently asked questions