Front Squat
Quad and trunk strength in the upright posture sport actually loads
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Set the bar in a rack at about collarbone height. It sits across the front of the shoulders, touching the throat, with the fingertips under the bar just outside the shoulders — a full grip is not needed, and a cross-arm hold is a fair substitute if the wrists will not allow it. Feet about shoulder width, toes turned out slightly.
The rep
Brace, then sit straight down between the heels, elbows pointing forward so the bar stays over the middle of the foot. Go as deep as you can while the torso stays upright and the lower back stays neutral — for most people that is thighs just below parallel. Drive up by lifting the elbows first, and breathe at the top, never in the hole.
On the exercise card
- Elbows high
- Chest stays up out of the hole
- Tempo
- 2s down
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| The elbows drop and the bar rolls forward | The upper back is losing. Lead every rep up with the elbows, and lighten the bar until it stops happening. |
| Sore wrists | Hold with two or three fingers rather than the whole hand, widen the grip, or switch to the cross-arm hold. |
| The heels lift at the bottom | Ankle range is running out. Raise the heels on small plates while you work on dorsiflexion. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- Goblet squat — the same upright pattern, with the load held in front at the chest.
- Harder
- A two-second pause at the bottom, which removes the bounce and makes the trunk hold the position.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
It is in more of the Train Smart sport programs than any other lift, because the upright torso matches how sport loads the legs. It is also self-limiting: if the trunk gives way the bar falls forward, so it is hard to grind out a dangerous rep.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFL | Lower Power | 4 × 5 | 75% 1RM |
| Rugby League | Power & Collision | 4 × 5 | 75% 1RM |
| Rugby Union | Strength (Total Body) | 5 × 4 | 80% 1RM |
| Soccer | Lower Strength + Plyo | 4 × 5 | 75% 1RM |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Region
- Lower body
- Prescribed in
- AFL · rugby league · rugby union · soccer · cricket · netball · hockey · boxing · MMA · dance · gymnastics · bodyweight training
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Back Squat | Max lower-body strength under the bar |
| Goblet Squat | Easy to load, joint-friendly, great depth |
| Box Squat | Controls depth, easier on the knees, builds drive out of the hole |
| Pause Back Squat | 2s pause at the bottom — kills the bounce, real strength out of the hole for collisions |
| Safety-Bar Squat | Bar across the chest — shoulder-friendly, brutal for the upper back, great for contact athletes |
| Zercher Squat | Bar in the elbow crooks — anti-rotation trunk + drive for rugby/MMA |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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