© National Strength & Conditioning Association

EXERCISE TECHNIQUES Volume 24, Number 3, pages 75–76

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Front Squat
John Graham, MS, CSCS, *D
Allentown Sports Medicine
Allentown, Pennsylvania John F. Graham
Column Editor
E-mail: [email protected]

(upper arms should be paral- rounding the upper back dur-

TYPE OF EXERCISE: lel or as close as possible to ing the descent phase.
Lower body and multijoint the floor) to increase the sta- • Keep the eyes focused straight
bility of the bar on the shoul- ahead with the head erect.
MUSCLES USED: ders. • Keep the body weight centered
Gluteus maximus, quadri- • Wrists should be hyperextend- over the heel and midfoot por-
ceps (vastus lateralis, vastus ed and elbows fully flexed. tion of both feet.
intermedius, vastus medialis, • To lift the bar from the rack, • The heels of both feet should
rectus femoris), hamstrings extend the hips and knees and remain in contact with the
(semimembranosus, semi- take 1–2 steps backward. floor at all times throughout
tendinosus, biceps femoris) • Feet are between hip- and the descent.
shoulder -width apart and • Keep the knees above or
pointing forward or just slight- slightly in front of the ankles
■ Starting Position ly outward. during the descent. Do not
• Position a standard Olympic • Torso should remain erect. allow the knees to move in
bar at chest level in a squat or • Keep chest out and up. front of the feet.
power rack. • Shoulders are back. • Continue the descent until the
• Load bar evenly on both sides • Keep head and neck straight backs of the thighs are paral-
and secure weights with col- with eyes looking straight lel to the floor, heels begin to
lars. ahead. lift off the floor, or the trunk
• Grasp the bar using a pronat- • Before beginning the initial de- begins to round or flex in a for-
ed grip slightly wider than scent, breathe in and hold it ward direction (Figure 2). The
shoulder width. (Figure 1). flexibility of the lower body will
• Rotate the arms such that the determine the actual depth of
■ Descent the descent.
bar can be evenly placed
across anterior deltoids/clavi- (Downward Movement) • At the bottom position of the
cles. • Initiate the exercise by slowly descent, avoid bouncing or in-
• The back of the hands should flexing the knees and hips. creasing the rate of descent
be slightly outside the shoul- • Descend with control. before beginning the ascent.
ders, located next to the bar • Maintain a flat back with a • Continue to hold the breath
resting on the deltoids. high elbow position. from the beginning of the de-
• Lift the elbows up and forward • Avoid leaning forward or scent.

June 2002 Strength and Conditioning Journal 75

 on both feet with weight even-
ly distributed from the heels to
the toes to ensure the entire
foot remains in contact with
the floor.
• Keep the hips directly under
the bar. Avoid having the body
weight move toward the toes.
• Keep the knees positioned
above to slightly in front of the
ankles.
• Continue the ascent by ex-
tending the lower body joints
at a consistent rate until the
initial standing position is
reached.
• Continue holding the breath
from the beginning of the de-
scent through the midpoint of
the ascent, then exhale and
Figure 1. Beginning of descent. breathe normally before be-
ginning the descent of the next
repetition.
■ Ascent (Upward Movement) round the upper back or lean
forward during the ascent. Returning the Weight to the Rack
• Lift the bar forcefully and with • Arms should remain tight and • At the completion of the set,
control by extending the knees head erect with eyes looking return the barbell to the rack
and hips. straight ahead. by slowly walking forward and
• Keep the back flat. Do not • Push through the entire foot returning the bar to the sup-
port hooks of the rack.

■ Variation (Front Square with

Crossed-Arm Grip)
To perform the front squat with
crossed-arm grip,
• Flex the elbows and cross the
forearms in front of the chest.
• Position the bar evenly on the
anterior deltoids without
touching it with the hands.
• Once the bar is correctly
placed, put both hands on top
of the bar and utilize pressure
from the fingers to keep it in
position.
• This is an open grip because
the thumb will not be able to
encircle the bar due to the
shoulders being in the way. ▲
Figure 2. End of descent.

76 Strength and Conditioning Journal June 2002