Front Barbell Squat (Quads) – Exercise Guide
Muscles worked: Quads
Equipment needed: Barbell
Instructions
1. Stand with an upright torso in front of a barbell racked in a squat rack just below your shoulder height.
2. Place the barbell across your front shoulders by pushing them forward and creating a “shelf”.
3. Cross your arms by keeping your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on the right shoulder. Grab the barbell in this position so that it doesn’t slide forward while performing the leg exercise.
4. Keep your elbows pointing up and your upper arms a little higher than parallel to the floor.
5. Unrack the bar by straightening your torso and knees.
6. Walk back a couple of steps and get into position by taking a shoulder-wide stance with your toes pointing out slightly.
7. Take a deep breath and begin to lower yourself by flexing at your knees and hips. Maintain an upright torso while going down until your hamstrings touch the calves.
8. Reverse the motion once you reach the bottom of the movement by extending at your knees.
9. Breathe out and contract your quads as you reach the starting position.
10. Repeat for the recommended reps.
Variations/How To
Emphasize the Outer Thighs (Abductors)
Narrowing your stance by placing your feet closer than shoulder width will help you in targetting the outer thighs or abductors.
Emphasize the Inner Thighs (Adductors)
Widening your stance more than the normal foot placement will recruit your inner thighs or adductors. A wider-than-normal stance can also recruit your hamstrings.
