Legs · Compound

Barbell Front Squat

A squat variation with the barbell racked across the front deltoids, emphasizing the quads and demanding greater core stability. Moving the bar to the front of the body forces a more upright torso, which shifts work onto the quads and upper back and makes depth easier to reach for most lifters. It carries less load than a back squat by design, so judge progress by position, not poundage.

By Macros Inc Team Verified by Alex Dedmon Updated August 2026

Advanced Barbell Compound Squat
barbell-front-squat-poster
  • Level Advanced
  • Equipment Barbell
  • Primary Muscles Abs, Glutes, Quads
  • Movement Compound Squat

Demonstration

Watch the Form Demo

Technique

How to Do the Barbell Front Squat

  1. Set the bar in the rack at mid-chest height and step in so it rests across the front of your shoulders.
  2. Grip the bar just outside your shoulders and drive your elbows up until your upper arms are close to parallel with the floor.
  3. Stand to unrack, step back, and set your feet just wider than your hips with toes slightly out.
  4. Brace and sit straight down between your hips, keeping your elbows high and your torso tall.
  5. Descend until your thighs are at least parallel, then drive up through your midfoot.
  6. Keep the elbows up all the way to lockout before starting the next rep.

Anatomy

Muscles Worked

legs
Primary muscles
Quads
Secondary muscles
Abs Glutes

Do This

Form Cues

  • Keep the elbows high so the bar sits on the shelf of the front delts, not on the wrists.
  • Stay upright. If the chest drops, the bar rolls forward.
  • Sit straight down between the hips rather than back.
  • If your wrists are too tight for a full grip, use two or three fingers under the bar. The shoulders carry it, not the hands.

Avoid This

Common Mistakes

  • Letting the elbows drop, which is how the bar ends up on the floor.
  • Gripping the bar so tightly that the wrists take the load instead of the shoulders.
  • Cutting depth short because the front rack is uncomfortable.
  • Judging the lift by back squat numbers and loading past what the rack position can hold.

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