Front Squat

The front squat is a lower-body exercise that will strengthen the legs and hips, particularly your quadriceps and glutes.

It is a staple resistance training exercise, covered in the Certificate III and IV in Fitness Courses. In this video, Gio provides an explanation of how to do this foundation exercise.

In Front Squats the barbell is placed on the front side of your shoulders rather than the upper back as performed in the Back Squat. This shifts the center of mass forward, which allows for a more upright posture, making it a spine-friendly lift. It also shifts some of the focus from your glutes to your quads.

Place the barbell across the front side of your shoulders (The Rack Position). Place your fingertips under the barbell, outside your shoulders and drive your elbows up. Keeping your chest up and core tight, bend at your hips and knees to lower into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Straighten your hips and knees to drive up to the starting position.

See also Goblet Squat , and Are Deep Squats Bad for Your Knees?

Common Errors:

  1. Holding the barbell with your arms. If your forearms are vertical and your arms are supporting the barbell, you’re doing it wrong.
  2. Elbows drop. Keep the elbows up throughout the Squat. The barbell will slide forward off your shoulders if they tilt down too far.
  3. Knees collapse inwards. Prevent it from happening, make a concerted effort to drive the knees outward as you lower into the squat. This will help to keep them aligned over your ankles and in a safe position that can handle heavy weight.
  4. Not bracing your abs. Brace your abdominals as if you’re about to get punched in the stomach. Hold this throughout the exercise and reset at the top of the lift if needed. Otherwise, you might tilt forward and drop the bar.