Front Squat
Front squat with the bar on the shoulders. Maximal quads and core. It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back and calves.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 1.3× bodyweight (105 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 0.9× (55 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Front Squat
- Rest the bar on the front of your shoulders, on top of the collarbones, with the elbows high and the fingertips under the bar; unrack it and step back.
- Brace your core and squat straight down, keeping the elbows up and the torso as upright as possible.
- Go as deep as you can with the heels down; the front rack forces an upright torso, which is why this hits the quads so hard.
- Drive up through the mid-foot, keeping the elbows high the whole way; if they drop, the bar rolls off.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Quads | Quadriceps femoris |
| Primary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
| Primary | Adductors | Adductores |
| Secondary | Lower back | Erector spinae |
| Secondary | Calves | Triceps surae |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Quads loaded with an upright torso
- Less lower-back shear than back squats
- Brutal core and upper-back demand
Strength standards for Front Squat
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 0.9× | 0.6× | 72.5 kg | 35 kg |
| Gold | 1.3× | 0.9× | 105 kg | 55 kg |
| Platinum | 1.75× | 1.25× | 140 kg | 75 kg |
| Diamond | 2.2× | 1.55× | 175 kg | 92.5 kg |
| Obsidian | 2.75× | 1.95× | 220 kg | 117.5 kg |
| Painite | 3.3× | 2.3× | 265 kg | 137.5 kg |
| Antimatter | 4.4× | 3.1× | 352.5 kg | 185 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Front Squat, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
See also: strength rank calculator.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Front Squat work?
It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back and calves.
How do you do Front Squat?
Rest the bar on the front of your shoulders, on top of the collarbones, with the elbows high and the fingertips under the bar; unrack it and step back. Brace your core and squat straight down, keeping the elbows up and the torso as upright as possible. Go as deep as you can with the heels down; the front rack forces an upright torso, which is why this hits the quads so hard. Drive up through the mid-foot, keeping the elbows high the whole way; if they drop, the bar rolls off.
What is a good Front Squat for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 1.3× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 0.9× for women, Diamond at 2.2× and 1.55×. For an 80 kg man that is a 105 kg and a 175 kg one-rep max.
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