Barbell Front Squat
What Is the Barbell Front Squat?
Barbell Front Squat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps and also engages the glutes, adductors and the trunk muscles that keep the chest up under the bar. It is an intermediate-level movement in which the barbell rests across the front of the shoulders, which keeps the torso more upright than in the Barbell Squat.
The front squat is a foundational lift in Olympic weightlifting, where it builds the strength to stand up from the bottom of a clean, and it is common in CrossFit and general strength programs. It usually sits early in a lower-body session, either as the main squat or as a quad-focused partner to the back squat. Because the bar sits in front of the body, most lifters front squat roughly 80 to 90% of what they back squat.
With the load in front, the hips cannot sit back as far without the bar rolling off the shoulders, so the knees travel further forward and the work shifts toward the knees and quadriceps and away from the hips. A 12-week study in recreationally trained women found front squat training grew the outer thigh muscles about as much as back squat training, although the back squat group gained more leg press strength. The bar can be held with the arms crossed over it, as shown here, or in a clean grip with the fingers under the bar and the elbows pointing forward. The cross-arm grip asks less of the wrists, while the clean grip holds the bar more securely at heavy loads and matches the catch position of the clean.
The front squat suits lifters who already squat with good control and want more quadriceps emphasis, weightlifters, and lifters whose torso tips forward in the back squat. It demands mobility in the ankles, hips and upper back, and with a clean grip in the wrists and lats as well. Lifters who are not ready yet can learn the same upright pattern with the Dumbbell Goblet Squat, which is easier to hold.
Muscles Worked
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Rectus Femoris
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- Soleus
- Minimal
Instructions
- Set the bar in a squat rack at about shoulder height, with the safety arms just below your lowest squat position.
- Step under the bar and rest it on the front of your shoulders, close to your throat.
- Cross your arms over the bar, placing each hand on top of it near the opposite shoulder, and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Stand up to unrack the bar, take two or three steps back, and set your feet about shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly out.
- Take a breath, brace your core, and keep your chest up and your eyes forward.
- Bend your knees and hips together and sit straight down, letting your knees travel forward in line with your toes while your elbows stay high.
- Descend until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, or as low as you can go with your heels down and your torso upright.
- Drive through your whole foot to stand back up, leading with your elbows and chest so your hips and shoulders rise together.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps, then walk the bar back into the rack.
Common Mistakes
Letting elbows drop
Dropping elbows causes the bar to roll forward, disrupting balance and increasing risk of injury.
Leaning too far forward
Excessive torso lean reduces quad activation and strains the lower back.
Holding the bar up with the hands
Squeezing or lifting the bar with the hands instead of resting it on the front of the shoulders strains the wrists and lets the bar drift forward.
Heels lifting off the ground
Rising onto the toes shifts the weight forward, reducing power and increasing instability.
Knees caving inward
Letting the knees collapse inward, especially on the way up, stresses the knee joints and usually means the load is too heavy.
Injuries
Barbell Front Squat is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Most problems come from the rack position rather than the legs: wrist strain with a clean grip, discomfort where the bar presses on the shoulders and collarbone, and a bar that rolls forward when the elbows drop or the upper back rounds. Because the torso stays upright, the lower back is usually under less strain than in a back squat, as long as the chest stays up.
The knees travel further forward past the toes than in the back squat, which is normal for this lift as long as they stay in line with the toes. Knee trouble is more often linked to the knees caving inward, adding load faster than technique allows, or forcing depth the ankles and hips do not yet have.
Warm up the ankles, hips and upper back before loading the bar, brace before every rep, and add weight only while the elbows stay high and the torso stays upright. If the rack position is the limit, the Dumbbell Goblet Squat or the Dumbbell Front Squat trains the same pattern with an easier hold. Once the front squat is solid, it is the base for the Barbell Power Clean and the Barbell Clean and Jerk.
Stop the set if the bar starts to roll forward, the elbows can no longer stay up, or you feel sharp pain in the knees, lower back, wrists or shoulders. Squat inside a rack with the safety arms set just below your lowest position, and if you miss a rep, push the bar forward off your shoulders and step back so it drops in front of you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is front squat safer than back squat?
Often, at the weights people actually use for it. A study of 15 trained lifters who each squatted 70% of their own max in both lifts found the front squat worked the muscles as well as the back squat with less compressive force on the knee. The rack position does bring its own wrist and shoulder demands, though.
- Q: How do I keep the bar from slipping forward?
Keep elbows high and chest upright throughout the lift to maintain bar position.
- Q: Can I front squat with limited wrist mobility?
Yes, try using straps, a cross-arm grip, or work on mobility drills over time.
- Q: How much should I front squat compared to my back squat?
Most lifters front squat roughly 80 to 90% of what they back squat, because the bar position limits how far the hips can sit back and asks more of the upper back. Treat that as a rough guide and set your working weights from your own front squat sets.
- Q: Should I use the cross-arm grip or the clean grip?
Either works for building the legs. The cross-arm grip shown here is easier to learn and spares the wrists, while the clean grip holds the bar more securely at heavy loads and is the position used to catch a Barbell Power Clean, so weightlifters should work toward it.