Exercise Tutorial: Front Squat

Table of Contents

    What Is a Front Squat

    The Front Squat, commonly used with a barbell and also referred to as a Barbell Front Squat, is a variation of the conventional squat in which the barbell is placed across the front of shoulders. The Front Squat is a great lower body exercise that will develop your hips and legs, mainly targeting your quads and glutes.

    How to Front Squat

    1. Begin by placing the bar with the desired weight in squat rack at about chest level.

    2. Place the bar across the front of your shoulders with your fingertips in a clean grip just outside your shoulders and drive your elbows up to support the bar.

    3. Lift the bar up and take a few steps back out of the rack.

    4. Standing in a comfortable position with your feet about shoulder width apart, engage your core and squat down.

    5. Go as deep as possible while maintaining a neutral spine and proper form.

    6. Pause briefly at the bottom position before pushing the floor away by extending the hips and knees and returning to our top position.

    7. Repeat for desired number of reps.

    Front Squat Form

    The Front Squat is a unique exercise that can be challenging and unforgiving, and for those reasons it’s important to complete the exercise with proper form and technique to avoid injury. Here’s a few things to think about when performing the Barbell Front Squat:

    • Maintain a neutral spine

    • Weight over the midfoot. Keep the heels and toes down

    • Knees in line with toes. Don’t let them cave in

    • Shoulders down and back. No shrugging

    • Keep the chest up and core engaged

    Front Squat Benefits

    There are numerous benefits to performing the Front Squat. Here’s some examples:

    • Functional and sport specific movement

    • Increased lower body strength and power. More specifically, increased quadriceps strength and growth

    • Enhance core strength and stability

    • Transfers to Olympic lifting techniques and cleans

    • Develops mobility

    Front Squats Muscles Worked

    The Barbell Front Squat involves many muscles including:

    Front Squat Harness

    A Front Squat Harness is a tool that can be used to support the barbell during the Front Squat. Some individuals find the rack position of the Front Squat uncomfortable or they simply just don’t have the shoulder or wrist mobility to have a solid rack position. By using the harness, it eliminates these issues and takes the weight off the wrist and shoulders. Simply throw it over your shoulders and position it into a comfortable position. From here, you can step up to the weight rack and load the bar onto the pegs and go about performing the squat as you normally would.

    Front Squat Grip

    Clean Grip 

    The grip used during a Front Squat is typically a clean grip. A clean grip is referred to as the grip used in when catching the bar during an Olympic lift such as the clean. With this grip the bar is resting on your shoulders whereas your fingertips are placed under the bar to provide some support and control. Some people prefer to have all their fingertips under the bar but for many, this position is quite uncomfortable, and they simply don’t have the mobility.

    Cross Grip

    The cross grip is also commonly used when performing the Front Squat. To use this grip, place the bar across your shoulders, cross you arms in front of you and simply place your hands on top of the bar at your opposite shoulder (left hand on right shoulder, etc.) while keeping the elbows up so your upper arm is parallel to the floor. Some clients prefer this grip as it has nearly no mobility restrictions and its easier on your wrists however, some may feel less stable than when using the clean grip.

    Front Squat Alternatives

    Smith Machine Front Squat

    The Smith Machine Front Squat is similar to the conventional Front Squat, we just aren’t stepping out of the rack and it’s performed the same way. By using the Smith Machine, it allows the bar to stay on a fixed bar path to allow for more stability than with free weights, making it easier to hold the bar in that rack position. This is a great variation for beginners who are new to the Front Squat to build strength and practice this movement pattern.

    Front Squat vs Back Squat 

    Many people ask, “which squat is better?” and honestly it really depends on what you’re trying to achieve and your personal abilities as they are both great exercises to include in your arsenal. The Front Squat is similar to the Back Squat with one of the main differences being where the barbell is placed, instead of the bar being placed across your upper back, it’s placed along the front side of your shoulders.

    They both work similar muscles, those being the muscles mentioned above, but the Back Squat targets the posterior chain (back of body) while the Front Squat targets the anterior chain (front of body) more heavily and requires a little more mobility compared to the Back Squat.

    The Difference in the Front Squat

    In the Front Squat, because the weight is placed in front of the body rather than across the back, it forces clients to be in a more upright position to maintain your base of your support and not fall forward. As a result, it requires greater ankle flexion and demand on the core stabilizations muscles to go into a deep squat while maintaining key features. Also, because of where the load is placed Front Squats can be easier on the lower back. Here’s some additional things to note:

    • Little forward lean

    • More specific and translated to Olympic lifting

    • Quads are more active

    • Less force placed on knee joint and lower back

    • Requires more mobility

    The Difference in the Back Squat

    In the Back Squat, because the barbell is positioned along the back of your shoulders, it targets more your glutes, hamstrings and lower back as you’re in more of a forward leaning position. As a result, you will be able to squat more weight, but the drawback is that the movement is harder on your back as there’s more compressive force on the spine due to forward lean position. Here’s some additional things to note.

    • More forward lean

    • More specific and translated to powerlifting

    • Glutes are more active

    • Builds more strength and power

    • Requires less mobility 

    Both the Front and Back Squat are great exercises to incorporate in your routine. If you’re looking to gain more strength and power, maybe stick with the Back Squat. If you’re looking to develop some crazy quads, or suffer from back or knee pain, maybe go with the Front Squat. Or, you can even incorporate both, using the Front Squat on more of your higher rep days (lighter weight) and Back Squats on more of your strength days (high load, low reps).


    Alexis Hlady

    My name is Alexis Hlady and I am a Kinesiology (BKin. Honours) graduate from Brock University with a Master of Professional Kinesiology (MPK) from the University of Toronto. I am very passionate about health and physical activity and hope to pursue a career in the high-performance sport & training aspect of kinesiology in the near future. 

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