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Front Squat: 5 reasons to practice front squats

Fitness / Date: 01-31-2025

The front squat, or front squat, if you prefer, is one of the best ways to reach new levels in your fitness performance, improving strength, elasticity and mobility.

To perform this movement, it is important to have flexibility in your hips, ankles, shoulders and wrists. Strengthening muscles with front squats is diverse, working the quadriceps and core like no other movement.

For those who are just starting out and are feeling intimidated, you may feel more comfortable with the front squat because you don't need a barbell resting on your back.

Furthermore, the movement improves the athlete's physical capacity, helping in the execution of several other movements belonging to crossfit.

This technique is increasingly present in gyms due to its frontal stabilization, stimulating the upper limbs and increasing energy demand.

It is important to know that by keeping the bar stable at shoulder height, the same lower limbs are worked as in the classic squat. However, there is less joint pressure on the knees and spine, because it is a more complex movement that involves less load.

When performed correctly, the benefits of front squats are varied and go beyond improving posture, balance and back muscles. But don't forget that CrossFit athletes need to follow the ideal diet , in a healthy way.

This is because you need to be healthy to practice heavy exercises like CrossFit, and it is also important to have a medical evaluation to identify if there are any restrictions on your practice.

The help of a qualified personal trainer, before starting any physical activity that demands a lot from your body, is also important to avoid injuries.

Discover 5 benefits of front squats

1. Wrist mobility

If you're new to fitness, it may take a while to get the hang of it, but it's all very simple and we'll help you out.

With your elbows high, the barbell firmly supported on your shoulders and your wrists flexed, you'll soon start to gain strength and more mobility in your joints to master the movement.

This improvement in your wrists will also bring benefits to other CrossFit exercises.

2. Quadriceps development

The vertical position that the front squat requires focuses more on the quadriceps than the classic squat we know, and that's why it's so good for their development.

3. Improves flexibility

Flexibility is something athletes never really notice, but it should be. It plays a fundamental role when it comes to movement and, with good movement execution, good results are obtained.

We guarantee that the front squat will help you realize that there are many areas of your body that are far from being flexible.

Even though it is an excellent exercise for developing strength, the front squat can also develop flexibility. This happens because your ankles, shoulders, wrists and hips will reach their limit of mobility when performing the movement, which is rare in other squat exercises, such as the back squat, because it is shorter.

4. Healthy knees

The back squat works the lower back and knees to a much greater extent than the front squat. Here are some other advantages of the front squat.

In addition to causing less harm, it helps to make your knees stronger. It is even recommended for those who have already suffered injuries, as it does not require extreme effort and helps to keep the joint healthy for longer.

5. Assists in other movements

The front squat in CrossFit can also be very useful in several movements, especially the clean and thruster . Even though the clean is a type of Olympic weightlifting, both require a very similar bar raise in the position called the front rack .

Lifting weights through front squats ensures the strength and posture needed for this exercise.

The thruster also has an advantage. For those who don't know, the thruster is the front squat , but it is followed by raising the bar above the head (a movement called a press). Therefore, training the front squat with a moderate load creates resistance for raising the thruster .

So, are you going to start practicing front squats? They don't have to be done only in CrossFit boxes. Since it's a movement in which the body is the only necessary tool, it can be done in any environment - and in any training session. That's why we repeat: enjoy its benefits.