Barbell Bench Front Squat

To perform a barbell bench front squat: 1. Place a barbell across your shoulders and upper chest, with your palms facing forward and your elbows pointing forward and slightly upwards. 2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outwards. 3. Lower yourself into a squat position by bending your knees and pushing your hips back, keeping your chest up and maintaining a neutral spine. 4. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below, ensuring that your knees track over your toes. 5. Push through your heels to extend your knees and hips, returning to a standing position. 6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

How to perform the Barbell Bench Front Squat

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Bench Front Squat using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your calves.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your calves rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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