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Exercises

Front squat: how to do it, how to hold the bar and what to swap in

Published October 17, 2026

The front squat is a barbell squat with the bar resting on the front of your shoulders instead of your upper back. It trains your quads hardest, with your glutes and adductors helping out of the bottom. The bar in front keeps your torso upright and your knees travelling forward, and the one thing that makes it work is keeping your elbows high so the bar stays on your shoulders.

Your last front squat set

How to do the front squat

Holding the bar on the front of your shoulders keeps your torso upright, so your quads do more of the work than in a back squat. It is the barbell squat to pick when you want your quads to be what limits the set.

Steps

  1. Set the rack hooks at about collarbone height, step under the bar and let it sit in the groove between your shoulders and your throat.
  2. Take a clean grip with your fingertips under the bar just outside your shoulders, or cross your arms and hold it with your palms on top, then lift your elbows until your upper arms point forward.
  3. Stand the bar up, take two short steps back and set your feet about shoulder width with your toes turned out a little.
  4. Take a big breath, brace, and sit straight down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes as far as they need to.
  5. Go as deep as you can with your heels down and elbows up, then drive your elbows up and push the floor away to stand.

Cues

  • Elbows up the whole rep
  • Sit straight down between your heels
  • Bar stays on your shoulders, not in your hands

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping at the bottom, which rolls the bar forward off your shoulders: lighten the load and lead every rep out of the hole by lifting your elbows.
  • Gripping the bar with your whole hand: in the clean grip the bar sits on your shoulders and only your fingertips keep it there, so open your hands until your elbows can rise.
  • Rising with your hips first so your chest tips forward: slow the first part of the rep and lead with your chest and elbows.
  • Cutting depth as the weight goes up: film a set from the side and only count reps where your hip crease drops to your knee or below.

Swap for: Barbell Back Squat, Zercher Squat, Goblet Squat

Muscles the front squat works

The front squat works your quads hardest, with your glutes and adductors helping as you come out of the bottom. Your quads take the most work in the deepest part of the rep, so depth matters more than load. Your upper back and trunk hold the bar in place, and on hard sets they are often what gives out first, which is why elbows dropping is the sign a set is done.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the front squat

GoalSets × repsRIRRest
Build muscle 3 × 6–10 2 3 min
This matches the session builder below; add a rep each session and go up in weight once every set reaches 10.
Strength 3–5 × 3–5 1–2 3–4 min
Use this as your first lift of the day when the front squat is your main squat and you want the bar heavier, not the sets longer.
Second squat of the session 2–3 × 8–12 1–2 2 min
Use it after a back squat or deadlift with a lighter bar to add quad work while your legs are already warm.
Learning the rack position 3 × 5 3 2 min
Stop each set with three good reps left and spend the effort keeping your elbows at the same height on every rep.

Front squat variations

  • Dumbbell Front Squat start position

    Dumbbell Front Squat

    Pick this when you have dumbbells but no rack, or when the barbell rack position is too awkward to hold yet.

    Build a session with it
  • Zercher Squat start position

    Zercher Squat

    Pick this when you have a bar and plates but no rack, since you pick the bar up from your thighs and hold it in your elbows.

    Build a session with it
  • Goblet Squat start position

    Goblet Squat

    Pick this to learn the upright, front-loaded squat with one dumbbell before you put a barbell on your shoulders.

    Build a session with it
  • Squat Clean start position

    Squat Clean

    Pick this if you train for Olympic lifting or want to get the bar to your shoulders without a rack, since every rep finishes in a front squat.

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Front squat alternatives

Barbell

  • Barbell Back Squat start position

    Barbell Back Squat

    Choose this when the rack position is the problem, since the bar on your upper back lets you load more and still train your quads and glutes.

    Build a session with it
  • Barbell Narrow-Stance Squat start position

    Barbell Narrow-Stance Squat

    Choose this to keep the bar on your back with your feet closer together, so your knees travel further forward as they do in a front squat.

    Build a session with it
  • Smith Squat start position

    Smith Squat

    Choose this when balancing a free bar is what ends your sets, since the fixed track lets you push your quads closer to failure.

    Build a session with it

Machines

  • Hack Squat start position

    Hack Squat

    Choose this for the closest quad match on a machine, with nothing to hold on your shoulders.

    Build a session with it
  • Leg Press start position

    Leg Press

    Choose this when you want to load your legs heavily while sitting down, with your feet low on the platform for more quad work.

    Build a session with it
  • Landmine Hack Squat start position

    Landmine Hack Squat

    Choose this when your gym has a landmine but no hack squat machine.

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Dumbbells

  • Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat start position

    Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat

    Choose this when your heaviest dumbbell is enough and you want a deep, quad-heavy squat with your heels raised.

    Build a session with it
  • Bulgarian Split Squat start position

    Bulgarian Split Squat

    Choose this when your dumbbells are too light for two legs, since one leg at a time makes the same weight much harder.

    Build a session with it
  • Dumbbell Front Rack Lunge start position

    Dumbbell Front Rack Lunge

    Choose this to keep the weights on your shoulders and train one leg at a time.

    Build a session with it

Front squat grip: clean grip, cross-arm or straps

The clean grip puts your fingertips under the bar just outside your shoulders with your elbows pointing forward. It holds the bar most evenly and is the one to use if you also clean, but it needs enough wrist and shoulder flexibility to lift your elbows without the bar pulling your hands back.

The cross-arm grip crosses your forearms in front of you and rests your palms on top of the bar, which needs far less wrist bend. It feels less even from side to side and the bar slips more easily as it gets heavy, so keep your elbows high and swap which arm crosses on top from set to set.

If the clean grip is close but not quite there, loop a lifting strap around the bar at each hand and hold the straps: the bar stays where the clean grip puts it while your wrists stay straighter. Whichever you pick, the bar sits on your shoulders and your hands only keep it there.

Front squat vs back squat

Both train your quads and glutes, but the front squat keeps your torso more upright and pushes your knees further forward, so your quads do a larger share of the work. The back squat lets you lift more weight, and your glutes contribute more as you lean forward a little further.

Most lifters front squat noticeably less than they back squat, so set your front squat weights from your own front squat sets, not from your back squat. If you only have time for one, pick the back squat for the most total load and the front squat when your quads are the priority. The goblet squat and the hack squat are the closest matches without a barbell.

Questions

What muscles does the front squat work?

Mostly your quads, with your glutes and adductors helping out of the bottom. Your upper back and trunk work hard to hold the bar on your shoulders.

Is the front squat better than the back squat?

Neither is better overall. The front squat puts more of the work on your quads and keeps you upright; the back squat lets you lift more and works your glutes a little more. Pick the one that fits your goal, or run both in the same week.

What are the best hand positions for front squats?

The clean grip with your fingertips under the bar holds it most evenly. If your wrists cannot bend that far, cross your arms and rest your palms on the bar, or hold lifting straps looped around the bar.

Why does the bar roll forward when I front squat?

Your elbows are dropping, usually at the bottom or on the way up. Lift your elbows until your upper arms point forward before every rep, and lighten the bar until you can keep them there for the whole set.

How much less should I front squat than back squat?

Most lifters front squat clearly less than they back squat. Start light, work up in small jumps, and let your own sets with the bar set your weights.

Do I need a rack to front squat?

A rack is the easiest way to get the bar to your shoulders. Without one you need to clean it there, or use a Zercher squat, which you pick up from your thighs.

What can I do instead of front squats?

With a barbell, a back squat or a Zercher squat. On machines, the hack squat or the leg press with your feet low. With dumbbells, a dumbbell front squat, a heels-elevated goblet squat or a Bulgarian split squat.