Squat exercise
Front Squat
Build quad and trunk strength in the upright posture the clean catch demands.
- Equipment
- Barbell, rack, plates
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- 30X0
Setup
Barbell in a rack, bar resting in the throat notch on the front delts with elbows high, feet shoulder-width.
How to do it
- Set the bar across your front delts with your elbows pointing forward and high, and brace hard.
- Descend keeping your torso as upright as you can and your elbows up, then drive back out without letting the elbows drop.
- If your elbows fall, the bar rolls forward and the set is over - stop the set rather than fighting it.
- Work the mobility if you cannot hold the rack position at all.
Coaching cues
- Elbows high, bar in the throat notch
- Stay tall through the middle
- Elbows drop, set ends
Common mistakes
- Elbows dropping so the bar rolls onto the fingers
- Wrist or lat restriction limiting the rack, which needs fixing before loading
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 80 to 90% of 1RM | 3 to 5 | 2 to 5 | 4 min |
| Size | 65 to 80% of 1RM | 3 to 4 | 6 to 8 | 2 min |
Tempo 30X0: Take 3 seconds to lower it, no pause, lift it as fast as you can, no pause before the next rep.
Related exercises
- Box SquatTeach the squat pattern and standardise depth across a squad.
- Back SquatBuild maximal bilateral lower-body strength, the foundation of scrum drive and contact.
- Trap Bar DeadliftBuild whole-body pulling strength with a shorter learning curve than the conventional deadlift.
- Conventional DeadliftBuild maximal posterior chain and whole-body pulling strength.
- Rear-Foot-Elevated Split SquatBuild heavy single-leg strength with almost no spinal load.
- Split SquatLearn the single-leg pattern and expose side-to-side differences.