Wiki/Exercises/Front Squat

Front Squat

legsbarbell
Anatomical illustration of the four heads of the quadriceps femoris
Anatomical illustration of the four heads of the quadriceps femoris. Illustration by Didier-CTP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Primary muscle

legs

Equipment

barbell

Secondary muscles

core

How to perform

Rest the bar across the front of your shoulders, elbows high and pointing forwards. Either use a clean grip with fingertips under the bar, or cross your arms. Keep your elbows up throughout. If they drop, the bar rolls forward. Descend with a more upright torso than a back squat, then drive up through mid foot. More quad dominant than the back squat and far less forgiving of a forward lean. Common mistakes: dropping the elbows, and letting the upper back round under load.

Technique video

HOW TO FRONT SQUAT: Build Bigger Quads & A Stronger Squat by Jeff Nippard, on YouTube. Embedded with no tracking cookies until you press play.