Description
A squat variation where you rest a barbell on the front of your shoulders, and then perform a squat. This exercise targets your lower body and core, emphasizing the quads and glutes.
How to Do Barbell Front Squat
- 1Setup
Position the barbell across the front of your shoulders, just below your Adam's apple, with your elbows high and upper arms parallel to the floor. Use a clean grip (fingertips under the bar) or a cross-arm grip.
- 2Setup
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly out, and chest lifted. Brace your core, maintaining a neutral spine.
- 3
Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back slightly and bending your knees, as if sitting into a chair, ensuring your elbows remain high throughout the descent.
- 4
Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor or deeper, keeping your heels grounded and your chest upright while inhaling.
- 5
Drive through your heels and mid-foot to powerfully extend your hips and knees, returning to the starting position as you exhale.
- 6
Maintain an upright torso and engaged core throughout the entire movement, ensuring the bar stays securely racked.
Tips
- Actively drive your elbows up throughout the entire movement to keep the bar securely racked and prevent your upper back from rounding.
- Focus on pushing your knees out slightly as you descend to properly engage your glutes and maintain optimal knee tracking.
- Think about 'sitting between your knees' rather than just straight down to achieve greater depth while maintaining an upright torso.
- Keep your gaze forward or slightly down, avoiding looking up which can cause hyperextension of the cervical spine.
Common Mistakes
- ×Rounding the upper back occurs when elbows drop; fix this by actively driving your elbows up and keeping your chest proud.
- ×Heels lifting off the floor indicates a lack of ankle mobility or improper weight distribution; fix this by focusing on driving through your mid-foot and warming up ankle mobility before the lift.
- ×The bar rolling forward is often due to elbows dropping or poor upper back engagement; fix this by ensuring your elbows stay high and your upper back remains tight and engaged.
Variations
Barbell Hack Squat
Master the Barbell Hack Squat to build powerful quads and glutes. This unique squat variation places the barbell behind you for a distinct challenge.
Barbell Box Squat
Master the Barbell Box Squat for powerful glutes and quads. This exercise builds strength and perfects squat depth with a controlled descent to a box.
Barbell Bench Squat
Master the Barbell Bench Squat for powerful quads and glutes. This compound exercise builds lower body strength by squatting to a controlled depth.
Barbell Zercher Squat
Master the Zercher Squat, a challenging barbell variation holding the weight in your elbow crooks. Build incredible core strength, quads, and glutes.
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