How To Front Squat (WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CHEST UP!)

A proper front squat requires you keep your chest upright. Today Dr. Aaron Horschig breaks down the 2 common faults that push your chest forward and kill your performance during the front squat.
1) Limited Ankle Mobility
2) Poor Core Stability
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In order to keep your chest upright and sink into a deep front squat your knees must be able to travel forward towards, or even past your toes. This will allow your body to stay balanced in the deep position. If your knees are unable to move forward as you descend due to limited ankle mobility, your chest will have to collapse forward as compensation.
However, if you are able to get into a good bottom position but your chest still collapses on the ascent, we can assume the problem is more so due to poor stability. This is because the mobility demands for the front squat are highest in the bottom position. The zombie no hands front squat is one of my favorite training tools to improve your stability in a very movement specific manner.
If you need help with the needed ankle mobility to perform a full pistol, check out this video: • Top 3 Ankle Mobility E...
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Special thank you to Evan Pierson Productions for his help in making this video!

[@wasnatehere]

Wow one take. Refreshing to not be barraged by jump cuts every 5 seconds. Good video

[@katherinejohnson3824]

I’ve never seen anyone else say that bugs them. Thought it was just me!

[@cretchboc]

Now I will never not be bothered by this thanks a lot

[@brianthacker6926]

Good stuff!

[@afl3088]

Facts

[@peterk.2108]

@@katherinejohnson3824cuz it doesn’t bug most people, me included

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

I didn't get good at front squatting until I became comfortable in the front rack position. The best way to get that comfort was for me to gradually increase the flexibility of my wrists/forearms and to also stop trying to hold the bar with my fingers wrapped around too much. Too much grip keeps the elbows lower (if you have poor flexibility) and the bar will start to slide down your shoulders, bringing your torso forward with it. I started relying more on letting the clavicle/shoulder groove do the majority of bar holding, with the tips of the fingers as a backstop. I keep the elbows as high as possible, and keeping a grip that is a little wide so my elbows can point inward slightly helps maintain that position. Something that really helped was to spend time holding the front rack position with an insane amount of weight in a power rack. I can front squat 225 for a few reps, but in the power rack I do partials with 315 (I'm 175 pounds). I'm talking about just a few inches at the top to stretch out the forearms and get comfortable with holding that front rack position. Anyone I know who hates front squatting always talks about the pain from holding the bar. Getting past that discomfort is key to doing more reps.

[@phacocataractdrlvkraju5]

Thank you sooo much for sharing those really useful words of tip and tricks of doing BB front rack squat. Really appreciate your good nature and intentions to help people who are in learning stage like me

[@JBravoRebel]

The pain in the wrists are a challenge for me, thanks.

[@hodashennib6711]

This is a great tutorial. I have always struggled with front squats and they never even felt like a leg movement because of how unstable my upper body was as a result of poor form. Thank you so much for all of your content. You are a godsend

[@IgorMikeshin]

2 y.o. video. Timely and timeless, as all of your videos. Thank you!

[@gregorywaite1732]

I was hinging at the hips way too much. I guess a product of my low bar back squat drills. Great video. Thanks!

[@SquatUniversity]

The #SquatUclub is now on KZbin! As soon as I upload a new video, "like" it and comment with the hashtag #SquatUclub ASAP. I'll pick amongst those who do so within 1 hour of the video going live and pick one winner to start working on whatever you need help with (squat technique, an achy hip, help with back pain during deadlifts, etc). You must be SUBSCRIBED to my KZbin channel for a chance to win. Turning on notifications by clicking the little bell next to the SUBSCRIBE button on my channel will make sure you can be first in line to win every time! I’ll reply under the winners comment - so make sure you keep up on your notifications!

[@SquatUniversity]

Today's winner is: Brendan Turner

[@MyFightForAir-p9d]

Great breakdown of the common faults in front squats. I've struggled with my chest collapsing, and I appreciate the clear explanations on how to fix it.

[@Sam-vq7tc]

I have had a problem with the front squat. You have solved it. Perfect. Excellent demonstration

[@ابانوبالبرنس-ر4ع]

Thanks for sharing the tips on core stability. I never realized how much it impacted my squat form until now.

[@danielschiffers9696]

This channel is pure gold.

[@mikec1945]

I incorporated the slght hip hinge and the ankle stretches and worked great, thanks

[@SquatUniversity]

You're welcome! Glad those tips helped!

[@victorburich1172]

These tips look and sound good. Hope these fix my tipping forward. Usually get to 140 kgs and it’s all over. Around about 120kg I’m starting to feel myself tipping. Can’t wait to try these tip Friday. Thanks 💪🏼💪🏼

[@cadesky6029]

Damn you strong

[@scannon90]

This is the best front squat video I have yet to find on KZbin. Thanks for sharing.

[@adamraymontero]

Thorough explanations, great examples and simple corrections. Preciate the video!!

[@jessicasager72]

I'm rehabbing with pause box squat, got to 18 inches and right there is where I find I've been sitting back just as you say. I figuered it is a neutral pelvis issue but im going to keep trying to find it. Thanks for verifying my intuition!

[@williamfunes2740]

Theres a whole university dedicated to squats?!!

[@parthasarma9157]

Yes . The bachelor's degree is s 4 year course

[@punchilux5783]

IG models need some kind of school still ya know

[@krb0123]

Great tutorial, thank you sir. I’ve definitely been hinging too much. Time to work on this piss-poor ankle mobility.

[@leesonneville1817]

The ankle stretch fixed my issue. Thanks!

[@rwewrwew625]

Short and sweet love the hip hinge pointer.

[@rileyrobbins-hi4zg]

I thought I was getting knee pain because of my foot positioning but as soon as I included the hip hinge in my movement it was gone. Thanks a lot!

[@JBravoRebel]

This helped me immensely today.

[@imcooper8174]

Absolutely informative ❤️❤️❤️ Loving my front squats already. Thank you ☺️

[@daved8858]

Excellent video. Thanks for The Squat Bible as well!

[@ezetimur]

Thank you for this type of vids! Really good info! Keep it up! Viewer from Argentina here!

[@SquatUniversity]

You're so welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying them!

[@onetwo6765]

Great video, simple and comfortable to watch. Thank you

[@justadventures22]

Thanks. Very helpful!! 👏

[@vnshngpnt]

5:30 for me it was how my trainer teached me squats, stating from this zombie position to learn the balance first.

[@NavajoNinja]

Thanks for the short intro

[@jamesrosales89]

thankyou for this ! helps a lot

[@otp780]

I learn so much from your content!

[@petitcoquelicotdeschamps4473]

Thank you so much, it helps to understand the position!!

[@bdtalkie]

That was excellent. Thank you coach

[@yurigouveawagner9432]

i have a very long femur compared to my body, so i wanted to change to front squats, but i always felt them weird. hope this helps! thank you

[@edwardpena3646]

Excellent tutorial and well-explained. Just hinge A LITTLE, break knees and straight down. Reason why bar kept rolling off my shoulders during Zombie Squat is b/c I was hinging too much (like a back squat) on the decent. Thank you, Squat University!

[@DaeWunie]

You are right. I was performing the front squat like I was performing a low-bar back squat (using my hip more). The tip about with "slight hip" and "knee control" was the dead-on main point. That fixed my issue. I was having balance issue like you showed in the beginning b/c of it at 1:20. Great video.

[@Kasdkay]

What an Intro!

[@israabakr8247]

You’re great guy thanks for the video

[@RGV2300]

It's time to subscribe

[@harleymbaldwin]

#SquatUclub, perfect timing - doing front squats today!!

[@BecomePrimed]

good video and description. people don't realize how technique and positioning are key to an exercise. you could save yourself injury and also get more gain, over a duration and period of time, if you learn and do your best to adapt the principles of an exercise properly. and that's what he shows here exactly. for any exercise, learn the basics and upgrade your flexibility as best as you are able to. this will go a long way in your fitness career.

[@israt10jahan]

I started front squat with smith machine. I am not ready to do front squat without smith machine...yet. But lately im having bad wrist pain when i do front squat and I believe that to do with my back or shoulder mobility. But one day ill do front squat with bar properly.

[@AhmadMAelgammal]

Thanks ure videos have always helped improve my technique

[@martinholas8652]

Thank u so much, that must be my problem because I can't perform clean nor snatch nor front squat from some reason, ....now I ve just seen why? I' only know how to do back squat , so what I do I put the bar in front and go down by using back squat technique.......how extremely frustrating it was till NOW

[@keanusmith5614]

Quality video, thank you.

[@mohcrossfit6378]

You are the best 👍🏼

[@Brent-ox8lk]

Gold! Thanks!

[@jimmyjohnson9221]

Thank you for your help

[@cameronmckelvie81]

Great video

[@Trainingat45-vk3zz]

Great tutorial thanks for the tips

[@missanawilder]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻

[@user-lt1cd2eg2t]

Great video thank you!

[@losgar2515]

As always great content will definitely try

[@SquatUniversity]

Thank you! Hope these tips can help!

[@SurenderKumar-tm5ei]

I like your videos sir, teaching style is so cute, very much explain. Great, waiting for your support and guide line.Thank you so much sir

[@tlbrpz]

#SquatUclub You rock Aaron, I was thinking about starting a FS specialization phase !

[@mjdutsar]

✋ What should I be doing with my shoulder blades? Pinch back like a back squat, or rounded forward to accommodate the barbell? I've been trying to pinch back as much as my body will allow in my front squat position, which isn't much. Is 2 fingers and a thumb an ok grip? Ive got long-boii fingers. It feels pretty stable and comfy but i've never seen anyone else do it. Also How should I breathe? I found that a big breath before un-racking causes me to get lightheaded if I release any pressure while getting into position. If I don't release the pressure, and hold this breath all the way down to the bottom, I am starving for air. If I un-rack only with a moderate amount of breath, and try to take a deep breath right before I move, I am unable to get as much air as I would like, as my lungs are getting crushed - this only occurs close to my current 1rep max, but seems to be my biggest limiting factor in going heavier. Do you have any tips on this? Thanks!

[@garthjohnson88]

I'm no specialist but it sounds like you should start lighter. I find that putting my hands slightly wider but bringing my elbows in creates more of a stable platform across my upper chest. Almost as if I'm rotating the arms so that the inside of my bicep is facing upward (just a tiny bit). The shoulder blades will naturally come around but it should all feel solid once you bear the weight. Wrist flexibility is always hard, I think if your pinky/4th finger comes off that's fine (I think this happens in some of his other videos). The comment above by @marcus_ohreallyus is helpful. Good luck man!

[@mjdutsar]

@@garthjohnson88 thanks, It’s hard not to ego lift when I’m so used to back-squatting significantly more weight lol. I think I need to work on my hip movement too to keep my chest up because I think my wrists and arms are putting in much work on the up movement.

[@garthjohnson88]

@@mjdutsar Also, take a look at Squat University's episodes 45 and 46, I think they will help you with establishing good form in the upper body and hips.

[@gmajororder]

Good stuff !

[@mpkeller]

great explanation. thank you.

[@ddmoneyy]

Hi! Could you do Trap bar deadlift tutorials?

[@TruthSubjective]

Thank you!

[@gonkula]

Love your work Aaron! This video reminded me to ask if there are any tips on improving strength/stability around the upper body? I never attempted frontsquat, but after this video I feel tempted to do so. However, when I try to do a stiff legged dead lift or do a row from the floor, my chest collapses and/or upper back rounding ensues. I'm guessing the solution might be along the lines of fixing thoraccic mobility, stretching pecs and work the back muscles, but I would love to hear/watch your take on it!

[@cvdheyden]

Very helpful!

[@LOUISPARKER-y7n]

Knowing and doing 2 different things

[@smqlul]

Thank you man

[@robingilbert1905]

Amazing. Ty

[@gunitinug]

Omg I keep getting my fingers hurt on descent. I'll try this

[@fifis101]

Definitely going to give the zombie no hands front squat a go! Maybe even warm up with it to get the prompts going.

[@Insanetraining16]

Where is the checklist?

[@lennon_richardson]

I always feel like a zombie after front squats anyway.

[@peturbuchvarov3701]

Mister , you are pure gold , thank you for share you knowedge with us ! much respect , god bless !~ #SquatUclub

[@SquatUniversity]

You're so welcome! Thank you for checking out the content I make!

[@johndavison2760]

Very helpful....Thank you. I'm still struggling to keep my upper arms parallel. Any suggestions?

[@abhistraj5732]

Great 💯

[@DamianBrown]

I'm gonna do front squats now I don't have access to a rack... Or barbell.. or plates. So I have a bar, it was a monopod but I'm gonna try a curtain bar I found tha is pretty solid strangely, two 25L jerry cans and water. And a few photo stand bags full of weight. This is gonna be fun. Stiff leg deadlifts after, stood on a little diy platform. Covid19 fun

[@glendonphilippbaculio1811]

i have pain on my shoulders doing this, how do i stop it?

[@Brandon-ob9rg]

My body is so fucked up. I can't do a front squat...

[@cylaqpvp]

I can’t even do a front squat with the bar everytime I go down I either fall one side or I can’t keep my feet flat on the ground

[@yunusemresulun2073]

Thanks

[@smisomazbusinessideas7081]

Please share details of the background music

[@JEnad77]

Could the failure ever be secondary to poor core strength?

[@SquatUniversity]

Potentially. Strength is something that precedes stability - we then need to maintain that tension throughout the movement (aka stability). In my experience most athletes have sufficient strength, their ability to coordinate what they do have is where the problem occurs.

[@Mousedream]

So, how to get a good front rack, when you have a slight nerd neck?

[@Techie.Athlete]

excellent

[@anrm6]

#SquatUClub this is helpful. I hinge too much. Gonna try this

[@SquatUniversity]

Hope it can help !

[@mrkarterhuh9830]

Damn I need to work on the amount if hinge.

[@khmak9387]

Will weightlifting (squat) shoes with raised heels also help?

[@blackspring3207]

With the help of my physical therapist and your videos I have started to triangulate that some of my big issues are mid spine mobility and unevenness in my squat because my equipment for a while was on an uneven surface. I've had to back off of heavy weight because of back pain on my left side and strange sensations in my left hip. Its been indescribably frustrating and discouraging. This morning I woke up thinking that maybe zombie front squats would be the way to go since I'm basically starting over from extremely lightweight. Searched this video and boom.

[@WorldofPossible]

I have more problems with wrists trying to unrack the bar.

[@rubenmycox]

I feel hella dumb I can’t get this 😭

[@kumbackquatsta]

pinch or what sensation in front of the ankle?

[@kirstenbrogan5958]

Should you static stretch before strength training?

[@restistance4387]

When I do this exercise I feel more of the weight on my shoulders and back then my legs I don't know what I'm doing wrong

[@omegads3862]

Hello sir. Do you have any tips on the safe level of butt wink in front squats ?

[@oatiko3065]

Liked and subscribed! Getting back in to lifting after a long hiatus. I used to love squatting and deadlifting but I started to get some should pain while squatting. I squat mid/low bar squat. Any tips? Thanks.

[@nanapomid3436]

Should my wrists hurt?

[@richardchikhani4149]

Front Squat, I can't get the Bar on my Shoulders. Requesting help.

[@jorgeeze]

What about widening your stands for someone who may have longer legs compared to trunk ? would this help them stay upright ?

[@joshdawson5850]

I’m learning the move and am at 5x5 40kg right now. Best to fix the issue now than 6 months down the line lol

[@siibeiisiian]

tried the zombie no hands, once I removed my grip on the barbell it starts to move forward. what is wrong?

[@polochavez9456]

I can do the ankle mobility stretch on the beach because my hips don’t allow me , I feel imbalanced

[@samvelaghajanyan4166]

Noticed on your first rep there was some butt wink, is this normal?

[@Hueylong00]

I am Miles away from grpping the bar li9ke that in a front squat,. How can I improve my elbow and shoulder mobility there?

[@lizzerdlegz2732]

My heels come up when it starts to get heavy for me is that a front rack problem?

[@shop0holic306]

Watch Jeff nippards video, he mentions this