Front Squat

Move · Resistance Training · Movement, Typed Supps

Hold the bar in front and the squat corrects itself — lean forward and it simply falls off you.

Stage by stage

Set-up (Bar racked on front deltoids): The bar rests on the shoulders with elbows high; the hands only stop it rolling, and wrist and shoulder range gate the position before strength does.
During the set (Knee-dominant, upright torso): The anterior load forces a vertical trunk, lengthening the knee moment arm and shifting demand from the hips onto the quadriceps.
Immediately after (Upper back gives out first): Thoracic extensors and quadriceps dominate the fatigue, and lower absolute loads mean less lumbar and systemic cost than a back squat.
Weeks later (Quadriceps strength builds): Strength out of the bottom and quadriceps size improve, with real but only partial carryover to the back squat.

Muscles trained

Primary: quads
Secondary: abs, glutes, traps

Intensity

5 METs (Resistance (weight) training, squats , slow or explosive effort).

Time to effect

Weeks: The rack position, elbows up and bar resting on your shoulders, usually feels awkward for the first several sessions; that discomfort fades well before any strength changes show up.
Months: Quad strength and size climb over 2 to 3 months of consistent training, generally tracking a little behind the back squat since the loads used tend to be lighter.

Related supplements

Creatine Monohydrate

Common myth

"Front squats are just a harder version of the back squat." In reality: The more upright torso shifts a meaningful share of the work onto the quads relative to the hips, and the front-loaded bar demands more from the upper back and core to keep it from tipping forward. It's a different exercise with different demands, not simply a harder rendition of the same one.