Front Squat (Barbell)
Squat with a barbell racked across the front of the shoulders, elbows held high and the torso upright. Also called Front Squat.
- Pattern
- Squat
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Works
- Quads, glutes, upper back, abs
- Loads
- Hips, knees, ankles, lower back, wrists
If something hurts
Not medical advice. Sharp pain, numbness or swelling needs someone qualified to look at it.
Each swap below spares one joint.
Same upright pattern, no wrist extension.
Lower back Belt Squat
No back load, and no front rack, so the wrists carry nothing.
Hip Sissy Squat
Knee-only movement; the hip barely moves.
Knee Half Squat (Barbell)Try it if it feels okay
Stops above deep knee flexion, so the knee moves through less range, from a normal stance.
When it stalls, these usually help
Kills the bounce and builds the bottom position the front squat lives in.
Leg volume with no bar on the spine, so it recovers by the next session.
A front squat is held up by the upper back, and rows keep the elbows high.
How Swolver coaches it
This lift is read from your own sessions. When it goes flat for four weeks, Swolver names the likely cause in plain words, such as weekly sets that dropped, and the one change to make. The rules are all on the method page.