Why put the bar in front
With the bar on the front of the shoulders, your centre of mass sits further forward than in a back squat, so the only way to stay balanced is to keep the torso close to vertical. That upright position lets the knees bend further and loads the quads hardest, with the glutes and adductors working through the bottom. The upper back works constantly to keep the elbows up; if the trunk softens, the bar rolls off.
It is an advanced lift because the rack position asks for mobile wrists, shoulders and upper back, plus ankles that let the knees travel. Lifters whose back squat turns into a forward lean often find the front squat keeps them upright, and it is the squat inside the clean in Olympic lifting. The leg training guide shows where it fits in a week, and the back squat page covers the version most people learn first.
Building the front rack
- Set the hooks a little lower than for a back squat, around collarbone height, and the safety arms just below your deepest position.
- Step in until the bar touches your throat, dip slightly and push your shoulders forward under it. The bar sits in the groove between the front of your shoulders and your neck, and should stay there even if you open your hands.
- Choose a grip (see the variations below). With the clean grip, your fingertips rest under the bar just outside your shoulders and the hands carry almost nothing.
- Drive your elbows forward and up until your upper arms are close to level with the floor. That shelf is what holds the bar.
- Stand, take one or two steps back and set your feet about shoulder-width, toes slightly out. Start with the empty bar: almost everyone front squats clearly less than they back squat.
Doing a rep
- Take a full breath, brace hard and lift your elbows a fraction before you start down.
- Sit straight down between your heels. The knees travel forward over the toes and the chest stays tall.
- Go as deep as you can while the elbows stay up and the heels stay down; many people reach a full squat in this lift.
- Drive up by leading with your elbows, as if pushing them towards the ceiling, so the torso does not tip forward.
- Breathe at the top only, re-check your elbows and repeat.
If you lose a rep, push the bar forward off your shoulders and step back: that is far easier with the bar in front than behind, and bumper plates soften the landing. Set the safety arms anyway. Sore wrists usually mean the hands are holding the bar instead of the shoulders; if wrists, elbows or knees keep hurting, stop and have them checked by a doctor or physiotherapist.
Common front squat faults
| Mistake | What it looks like | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Elbows dropping | The upper arms point down and the bar slides towards your fingers | Lift the elbows before each rep and lighten the load until you can hold them up |
| Bar carried in the hands | The wrists bend back hard and ache | Open the hands to the fingertips, or switch to a crossed-arm grip or straps |
| Chest tipping out of the bottom | The hips rise first and the bar rolls forward | Lead with the elbows on the way up; paused reps rebuild the position |
| Heels lifting | Your weight runs onto the toes as you descend | Raise the heels slightly or widen the stance a touch |
| Breathing out at the bottom | The trunk goes soft and the bar sinks | Hold the brace until you are past the hardest point |
Grips and variations
Most front squat problems are about holding the bar, not the squat itself. These options keep the lift and change the hold or the foot position.
Clean grip vs cross-arm grip
In the clean grip the hands sit just outside the shoulders, fingertips under the bar and elbows high. It is the more stable hold and the one Olympic lifters use, but it needs flexible wrists and upper arms. In the cross-arm grip you cross your forearms and rest each hand on the opposite shoulder: easier to get into, though the bar slips if the elbows drop. Use it while you build mobility for the clean grip, or keep it if it works for you.
Front squat with lifting straps
Loop a strap around the bar on each side and hold the tails instead of the bar. The straps let you keep the elbows high without bending the wrists so far, a common fix for stiff wrists or long forearms.
Heels-elevated front squat
Stand with your heels on small plates or a wedge. Raised heels let the knees travel further forward without lifting, so you stay more upright and the quads take even more of the load. It helps when your ankles limit depth, though it is worth working on ankle mobility too.
If the racks are busy or the front rack is not working for you yet, the goblet squat trains the same upright pattern with a dumbbell, and the hack squat loads the quads on a machine.
Sets, reps and where it fits
| Goal | Sets × reps | How hard |
|---|---|---|
| Practising the rack position | 4–5 × 3 | Light, with plenty in reserve; focus on elbow height |
| Strength | 4–5 × 3–5 | Stop with one or two reps left |
| Quad size | 3–4 × 6–8 | Two reps left; beyond eight reps the upper back usually gives out before the legs |
Rest about two to three minutes between heavier sets; the rest-between-sets calculator gives a starting range.
Put the front squat first in a session when it is your main lift, or second and lighter after back squats. Once or twice a week is plenty. Add weight in small steps only when every rep keeps the elbows up: the rack position fails before the legs do, so judge progress by how the bar sits, not only by how your thighs feel.
Front squatting at RPM
RPM's floor photos show a squat rack with a barbell and colour bumper plates, which is all a front squat needs. Lifting straps and heel wedges are not in the photos, so ask about them on your free tour; small plates work for raising the heels. A personal training session is a quick way to find a rack position your wrists accept.
Questions, answered.
What muscles does the front squat work?
Mainly the quads. The glutes and inner thighs help at the bottom, and the upper back and trunk work hard to hold the bar in place.
Front squat or back squat: which should I do?
It depends on your goal, and many lifters do both. The front squat vs back squat comparison sets out who each one suits and how to combine them.
How much should I front squat compared with my back squat?
Less. The front rack and the upright torso limit the load before your legs do, so expect a noticeably lighter bar. The gap is usually widest when you are new to the lift and narrows as your upper back gets stronger.
Can I do front squats with dumbbells?
Yes. Rest one end of each dumbbell on the front of each shoulder with the elbows high, or hold a single dumbbell at your chest as a goblet squat. Both keep the upright pattern with lighter loads.
Can I front squat on a Smith machine?
You can: the bar runs on rails, so you only have to hold the rack position, but you lose the balance work of an unguided bar. The Smith machine page covers bar height and the stops.
Is the front squat easier on bad knees?
Not automatically; it still bends the knee deeply. If your knees hurt when you squat, have them checked by a doctor or physiotherapist before choosing a variation.