Barbell Front Chest Squat

QuadricepsPectoralis MajorBarbellBeginner
Step 1: Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the barbell with an overhand grip at shoulder level, resting it on the front part of your shoulders/chest. Step 2: Keep your elbows lifted and chest up, maintaining a straight back throughout the exercise. Step 3: Inhale, brace your core, and slowly lower your hips down, bending your knees. Keep your chest up and knees aligned with your toes. Step 4: Continue descending until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as your flexibility allows. Step 5: Exhale and push through your heels to return back to the starting position, extending your hips and knees simultaneously. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, ensuring proper form and control throughout the movement. Step 7: Once done, safely rack the barbell back to the starting position.

How to perform the Barbell Front Chest Squat

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Front Chest 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 quadriceps.
  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 quadriceps 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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