Front Squat (Clean Grip) — start position
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Front Squat (Clean Grip) — end position
End

Legs / Intermediate / Compound (multi-joint)

Front Squat (Clean Grip)

A barbell exercise for the quads, with the abs, glutes and hamstrings assisting.

At a glance

Primary
Quads
Secondary
Abs, Glutes, Hamstrings
Equipment
Barbell
Movement pattern
Squat
Level
Intermediate
Type
Legs, Compound (multi-joint)

Loads the knee, lower back, wrist. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

  1. To begin, first set the bar in a rack slightly below shoulder level. Rest the bar on top of the deltoids, pushing into the clavicles, and lightly touching the throat. Your hands should be in a clean grip, touching the bar only with your fingers to help keep it in position.
  2. Lift the bar off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso. Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head and elbows up at all times. This will be your starting position.
  3. Bend at the knees, sitting down between your legs. Continue down until your hamstrings are on your calves. Keep your knees aligned with your feet by consciously using your abductors to push your knees out as you squat.
  4. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor mainly with the heel or middle of your foot as you straighten the legs again and return to the starting position.

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Muscles worked

Neck (Front)Upper traps (Front)Front delts (Front)Side delts (Front)Chest (Front)Serratus anterior (Front)Biceps (Front)Forearms & grip (Front)Abs — secondary (Front)Obliques (Front)Hip flexors (Front)Quads — primary (Front)Adductors (Front)Shins (tibialis) (Front)Calves (Front)Outer shins (peroneals) (Front)Feet (arch & toes) (Front)Neck (Back)Upper traps (Back)Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps) (Back)Rear delts (Back)Side delts (Back)Rotator cuff (Back)Lats (Back)Lower back (erectors) (Back)Triceps (Back)Forearms & grip (Back)Hip abductors (glute med) (Back)Glutes — secondary (Back)Hamstrings — secondary (Back)Adductors (Back)Calves (Back)
FrontBack
  • Primary: Quads
  • Secondary: Abs, Glutes, Hamstrings

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How specific this exercise is to each movement.

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Photos and instructions: free-exercise-db (github.com/yuhonas/free-exercise-db), public domain.