How to do the front squat

The front squat moves the bar from your back to the front of your shoulders, and that one change forces you to stay upright. More of the work lands on your quads and upper back, and less on your lower back, because the bar can't sit over your hips the way it can in a back squat. You'll lift less weight. That's the point: it's a way to train your legs hard without your spine being the limit. It's also brutally honest, since if your torso tips forward the bar simply rolls off.

How to do a front squat

1. Set the bar just below shoulder height in the rack. Set the safety pins a couple of inches below your bottom position. With a front squat, a missed rep usually means dropping the bar forward onto them.
2. Step under and put the bar on your front delts. It sits in the groove between your shoulders and throat, touching your neck. Push your shoulders slightly forward and up to make a shelf, so the bar is resting on muscle rather than your collarbones.
3. Set your grip with your elbows high. Put your fingertips (two or three fingers is enough) under the bar just outside shoulder width, then drive your elbows forward until your upper arms are close to parallel with the floor. The bar sits on your shoulders, not in your hands.
4. Unrack and step back. Take two or three short steps and set your feet about shoulder width, toes turned out slightly.
5. Breathe in, brace, then squat straight down. Your knees travel well forward over your toes and your torso stays close to vertical. Keep your elbows pointed forward the whole way.
6. Go to at least parallel. Most people find they can sink deeper here than in a back squat, often until the hamstrings press on the calves. Stop where your elbows or back start to drop.
7. Drive up by leading with your elbows. Push the floor away and lift your elbows as you rise, so your chest stays up. Breathe out at the top and re-brace for the next rep.

You should feel it mostly in your quads, plus a lot of effort in your upper back holding the bar in place. If your wrists are screaming, your grip needs adjusting (see below). If your lower back is doing most of the work, your torso is tipping.

Cues that keep the bar in place

"Elbows up." The one cue that matters most. Dropping the elbows is what lets the bar roll forward. If that doesn't click, try "point your elbows at the wall in front of you".

"Show your shirt logo." Keep your chest facing forward, not the floor. Fixes the gradual forward lean over a set.

"Sit straight down between your heels." The hips go down, not back. It keeps the bar stacked over the middle of your foot.

"Tall through the crown of your head." Stops you tucking your chin and rounding your upper back under the bar.

Common mistakes

Dropping the elbows so the bar rolls forward. It usually happens at the bottom or during the first few inches of the drive up. The upper back fatigues, the elbows sink toward your ribs, and the bar pulls you forward onto your toes. Lift your elbows hard as you rise and use a weight that lets you keep them up on every rep. Rows and face pulls help build the upper back that holds the position.

Leaning forward. Your chest drops and your hips move behind you, which turns it into a bad back squat with the bar in the wrong place. Often it's tight ankles or trying to sit back like a box squat. Let your knees travel forward, keep your heels down, and try a small heel lift (weightlifting shoes or thin plates) if your ankles won't allow it.

Cutting depth. The front squat looks and feels hard at the bottom, so people stop high. You lose the part of the lift that builds your quads the most. Take it to at least parallel, and reduce the weight until you can.

Holding the bar in your hands. Gripping it tight in your palms with your elbows low pulls the bar off your shoulders and loads your wrists. The fingertips are there to steady it, not carry it. If your grip feels forced, loosen it until the bar stays on your delts with your hands barely touching.

Clean grip, cross-arm or straps?

The clean grip (fingertips under the bar, elbows high) is the standard, and we think it's worth the effort to learn because it's the most stable once your wrists, triceps and lats loosen up. That can take a few weeks of regular practice.

If it's painful now, you have two decent options. The cross-arm grip has you cross your arms in front and rest your hands on top of the bar on the opposite shoulders. It needs no wrist mobility, but it gets unstable with heavy loads. Lifting straps wrapped around the bar and held like handles are a good middle ground: your elbows can go high without your wrists bending as far.

Stretching your wrists and lats helps, but the thing that fixes most people's front rack is simply front squatting a couple of times a week.

Breathing and bracing

Bracing is harder here because the bar sits right against your throat. Take your big breath before you settle the bar fully, or take it through your nose with the bar already in place, and push it down into your belly rather than your chest. Hold it until you're past the hardest part of the ascent. On sets of 5 or fewer, take one breath per rep and reset at the top. For higher reps, a quick sip of air at the top is fine as long as you don't let your elbows drop while you do it.

Sets, reps and how much weight to use

The front squat works best in the 3 to 8 rep range. Above 8, your upper back usually gives out before your legs, so high-rep sets turn into a test of holding the bar. For strength, try 4 to 5 sets of 3 to 5. For size, 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8. Leave 2 or 3 reps in the tank and rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets.

Most people front squat roughly 75 to 85% of what they back squat. Warm up by ramping in small jumps. For working sets of 155 lb (70 kg):

• Empty bar for 10 reps (45 lb, 20 kg)
• 95 lb (45 kg) for 5
• 125 lb (55 kg) for 3
• 145 lb (65 kg) for 1

Beginners can start with the empty bar and add 5 lb (2.5 kg) per session, moving to adding reps first once the jumps stop sticking.

Here's roughly what people front squat for their working sets:

Front Squat working weights by bodyweight and experience

Bodyweight	beginner	intermediate	advanced
130 lb (59 kg)	40 lb (18 kg)	85 lb (39 kg)	145 lb (66 kg)
160 lb (73 kg)	50 lb (23 kg)	105 lb (48 kg)	175 lb (79 kg)
190 lb (86 kg)	55 lb (25 kg)	125 lb (57 kg)	210 lb (95 kg)
220 lb (100 kg)	65 lb (29 kg)	145 lb (66 kg)	240 lb (109 kg)
250 lb (113 kg)	75 lb (34 kg)	165 lb (75 kg)	275 lb (125 kg)

If you're doing both squats, use one as the main lift and the other as a lighter secondary lift later in the week, rather than going heavy on both in the same session.

Variations and alternatives

• Goblet squat: the same upright pattern with a dumbbell held at your chest. Good for learning the position before you add the bar.
• Safety squat bar squat: if your gym has one, it sits between a front and back squat and is much kinder to stiff shoulders and wrists.
• Barbell squat: more weight and more glutes. Use it as your main squat if your goal is maximum leg strength.
• Leg press: takes the upper back and bracing out of it completely when you want quad work alone.

Front squat questions

Is the front squat better than the back squat?

Neither is better. The front squat puts more of the work on your quads and less stress on your lower back; the back squat lets you move more weight. Pick the front squat as your main lift if your back is the weak link or you want a quad focus.

Why do my wrists hurt when I front squat?

Usually the bar is sitting in your hands instead of on your shoulders, or your elbows are low. Loosen your grip to two fingers, push your shoulders forward to build the shelf, and try straps if it still hurts. If wrist pain lingers for more than a week or two after changing your grip, get it checked.

Does the bar choking me mean I'm doing it wrong?

A bit of pressure on your throat is normal. If you're actually struggling to breathe, the bar is probably sitting on your collarbones instead of your delts. Push your shoulders forward and up so the bar settles further out.