Front vs Back Squat: Key Differences and Which is Better?

Did you know that the squat pattern is one of the most effective exercises for developing lower body strength and power? It has many different variations, with the main ones being the front squat and back squat.

The Front Squat and the Back Squat are essential to any good training program. Both provide unique advantages that can enhance your strength and performance. 

However, you may opt for one over the other in certain instances, depending on your fitness goals, experience level, and specific needs.

This article will help you understand when (or if) you should pick one over the other. We will cover the strength targets to aim for and explore the nuances that make each squat variation beneficial for you as a CrossFit athlete. 

Whether you’re looking to correct muscle imbalances, improve your cleans, or enhance your overall lower body strength, this guide will provide the insights you need to make informed decisions in your training regimen. 

By the end of this article, you’ll clearly understand how to incorporate both front and back squats effectively to achieve optimal results.

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What Is The Difference Between The Front vs Back Squat?

Squats are a foundational exercise in strength training where you lower your body by bending your knees and hips, then rise back up.

This movement primarily targets your lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Squats are essential for building lower body strength and improving overall fitness. They enhance your core stability, increase muscle mass, and boost athletic performance.

Incorporating squats into your workout routine can also help with functional movements, making everyday activities easier and reducing the risk of injury.

Squats genuinely are a cornerstone of any effective strength training program.

Front Squat Overview

The front squat is a lower body strength exercise emphasizing the quadriceps, core, and upper back muscles. This squat variation is known for its upright posture, requiring significant core engagement and upper-body stability. 

It is particularly beneficial for improving posture, enhancing core strength, and reducing lower back strain. (1)

Front squats are also highly transferable to Olympic lifts such as cleans, making them a valuable exercise for athletes looking to improve their clean and jerk performance. 

The exercise is critical in many strength training and functional fitness programs because it develops balanced muscle strength and improves overall athletic performance.

How To Front Squat

Setup

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Position the barbell in a rack at about shoulder height.

Rack the Barbell

• Step under the bar and place it across the front of your shoulders.
• Cross your arms or use a clean grip, ensuring your elbows are high and parallel to the ground.

Grip

• If using a clean grip, place your fingertips under the bar, keeping a loose grip.
• Ensure the bar rests on your deltoids and clavicles.

Unrack the Barbell

• Lift the barbell off the rack by extending your legs and stepping back.

Stance

• Position your feet shoulder-width apart with toes slightly turned out.
• Keep your chest up and engage your core.

Squat Down

• Begin the descent by bending your knees and hips simultaneously.
• Keep your torso upright and elbows high.
• Lower your body until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground.

Ascend

• Push through your heels to extend your knees and hips.
• Maintain an upright torso and high elbows when returning to the starting position.

Muscles Targeted

Front squats have a higher muscle activation of the quadriceps muscles but also engage your hamstrings, glutes, and upper back muscles to maintain the upright posture needed for this movement. (1)

Benefits of The Front Squat

Front squats offer several specific benefits.

They have a great carryover to Olympic lifts like cleans, enhance your core strength due to the demanding upright position, and reduce lower back strain compared to back squats. (1)

This makes them valuable to your workout routine for balanced muscle development and improved overall performance.

Loading Targets

One rep max – 1.7x your body weight

Relative to the Back Squat – 85% of the Back Squat

Back Squat Overview

The back squat is a foundational lower body strength exercise primarily targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles. It effectively engages the entire posterior chain or backside of the body. (2)

This squat variation is the most capable of heavy loading, thus increasing overall leg strength and power. It is ideal for building substantial strength and muscle mass development. 

The exercise greatly enhances athletic performance and functional strength, improving daily activities and sports movements. 

Although they don’t directly transfer to any other movement like front squats do, back squats are necessary for any strength training program because they effectively develop strength and power. 

How To Back Squat

Setup

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Position the barbell in a rack at about mid-chest height.

Rack the Barbell

• Step under the bar and place it across your upper back, on your trapezius muscles.
• Grip the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

Grip

• Ensure a firm grip on the bar, with your elbows pointing down and slightly back.

Unrack the Barbell

• Lift the barbell off the rack by extending your legs and stepping back.

Stance

• Position your feet shoulder-width apart with toes slightly turned out.
• Keep your chest up and engage your core.

Squat Down

• Initiate the movement by bending your knees and hips simultaneously.
• Allow your hips to move back slightly as you lower your body.
• Lower your body until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground.

Ascend

• Push through your heels to extend your knees and hips.
• Maintain a slight forward lean, but keep your chest up and core engaged.
• Return to the starting position.

Re-Rack the Barbell

• Step forward and place the bar back onto the rack safely.

Muscles Targeted

Back squats target similar muscles to the front squat; however, they have significantly higher muscle activation of the hamstring muscles. your glutes, quadriceps lower back muscles, making them a comprehensive lower-body exercise. (1)

Benefits of Th Back Squat

Back squats offer several specific benefits. They significantly increase overall leg strength by allowing you to handle heavier loads than other squat variations.

This greater loading capacity leads to greater muscle activation in the posterior chain, including your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.

Incorporating back squats into your routine can enhance your overall strength and power, making them an essential exercise for any serious strength training program.

Loading Targets

One rep max – 2x your body weight.

Relative to the Front Squat – 117% of the Front Squat

Key Differences Between Front vs Back Squats

Form and Technique

Front and back squats differ significantly in form and technique.

In a front squat, the barbell is placed across the front of your shoulders, requiring you to keep your torso upright and your elbows high.

This positioning shifts the center of gravity forward. In contrast, a back squat places the barbell across your upper back, allowing a slight forward lean and engaging your posterior chain more heavily.

The moment arms of the barbell to the lower back are shorter in front squats, reducing lower back strain, while back squats create a longer moment arm, increasing the load on the lower back.

Muscle Engagement

Due to the upright posture required, front squats primarily engage your quadriceps, core, and upper back muscles.

The focus is more on the front of your body, which also demands greater core stability.

Back squats, on the other hand, target your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back more intensely.

The posterior chain gets a more comprehensive workout in back squats, contributing to overall leg and lower back strength.

Flexibility and Mobility

Front squats require greater flexibility and mobility in your wrists, shoulders, and thoracic spine to maintain the correct bar placement and upright posture.

They also demand ankle flexibility to achieve proper depth. While back squats still require good mobility, they are generally more forgiving and accessible for those with limited flexibility.

They primarily demand hip and ankle mobility, with less strain on the upper body.

Choosing the Right Squat for You

Fitness Goals

Your fitness goals are crucial in choosing the right squat for you. If you aim to correct muscle imbalances, remember that your front squat should be about 85% of your back squat.

Back squats are ideal for improving maximal lower body strength due to their higher loading capacity.

If you focus on carryover to your squat cleans, front squats are more beneficial as they mimic the movement pattern.

Lastly, if you want to emphasize posterior chain strength, Back squats are your go-to exercise because of how the movement loads the body.

Experience Level

Your experience level also influences your choice.

Front squats are excellent starting points for beginners because they optimize mobility and reduce the total load.

As you progress, incorporating back squats to increase loading and posterior chain development will help you build greater overall strength.

Both, Not One or the Other

It’s essential to include both front and back squats in your routine. Each squat variation offers unique benefits that contribute to a well-rounded training program.

Front squats enhance your core and anterior strength, while back squats build maximal lower body and posterior strength.

Utilizing both movements will help you achieve improved performance and structural balance.

Common Mistakes of The Front vs. Back Squat

​To perform the front and back squats to the best of your ability, ensure you avoid these common mistakes for each one. 

Front Squat

Elbows Dropping

A common mistake in the front squat is allowing your elbows to drop as you lower into the squat. This causes the barbell to roll forward to the front of the shoulders, making it difficult to maintain balance and a sound front rack position. 

The front squat requires maintaining the bar position and keeping your elbows high and parallel to the ground throughout the movement.

Elbow drop during the front squat could be related to tightness in the latissimus dorsi muscles or external rotators of the shoulders and weakness in the upper back muscles. 

This is a problem because if the elbows drop and the barbell rolls forward, how much weight you can hold on your shoulders diminishes quickly and can prevent you from training the legs effectively or hitting a new personal best. 

If you struggle with elbow position in the front squat, try incorporating mobility drills into your training or strengthen the upper back muscles with corrective exercises. 

Rounded Upper Back

Rounding your upper back can lead to poor posture and an increased risk of injury. To maintain a neutral spine, ensure you engage your upper back muscles and keep your chest up. Practicing proper bracing techniques can also help stabilize your upper body.

Rounding of the upper back is related to weakness in the upper back and core muscles. When you first begin training these movements, the weights are relatively lighter, but as you start to use heavier weights, the front squat becomes much more than just an exercise for building leg strength. 

It strengthens the postural muscles of the upper back and core as they work to maintain an upright torso position. If the weight exceeds their ability to hold this position, the upper back (and lumbar spine) will round. 

For optimal performance and reduced risk of injury, you’ll want to use weights that don’t cause these compensations and/or incorporate corrective exercises targeting the abdominal muscles and upper back. 

Using a Full Grip on the Barbell

Using a full grip on the barbell can limit your wrist flexibility and cause discomfort in the wrists. It can be tempting to wrap all five fingers around the barbell when you first start front squatting.

However, doing so requires significant shoulder mobility and arm muscle flexibility. A better option is to use an open grip with your first two fingers under the bar. 

This will give you just enough stability to handle the weight of the barbell on your shoulders but with much less mobility requirements from the upper body. 

Back Squat

Lack of Squat Depth

Not reaching proper squat depth is a common issue in back squats and can be related to several factors. These include lower body and core weakness or reduced range of motion in the hips, knees, and ankles. (2)

If you lack mobility in these joints, eccentric strength training, in which the descent of the exercise is emphasized, can help improve your mobility while strengthening at the same time. 

You can also set aside time for squat mobility drills before or after training to target the specific areas that prevent you from reaching a deep squat position. 

Chest Bows Forward

A common fault in the back squat is having the chest bow forward, as in a good morning exercise. This is mainly caused by stiffness in the ankle joints. As you descend into a squat position, the ankles need to dorsiflex or move in the “toes up” motion to allow the hips to be lowered. 

If they cannot adequately dorsiflex, the hips compensate by flexing, bringing the chest toward the ground. Allowing your chest to bow forward can shift the load onto your lower back and hamstrings and reduce the load on the quadriceps, which are the primary knee extensors. 

You may also choose to squat with a squat wedge to reduce the amount of dorsiflexion required to maintain an upright posture.

The shift in load placement will reduce the amount of weight that can be lifted and expose you to high shearing forces on the lower back. (2)

Weight Shifts to the Toes

Shifting your weight to your toes during a back squat usually happens because of a lack of awareness during the setup or on the ascent from the bottom position.

But it can also happen when the hip flexors are tight. As you descend into hip flexion, tight hip flexors will essentially “pull” the body forward, shifting the weight to the toes. 

This is problematic because of the amount of force you can generate into the ground, which ultimately reduces by pushing through the forefoot only versus distributing the weight from the forefoot and hindfoot appropriately. (3)

When the weight is evenly distributed through the big toe, heel, and fifth ray of both feet, as well as between the front and back of the foot you’ll be able to produce more force into the ground and ultimately lift more weight. (3)

Balancing your weight on your feet also helps to engage the posterior chain more effectively, ensuring that the strongest muscles in your body are contributing to the exercise. 

A great way to correct this flat as you learn to balance your weight is to actively lift your toes during the squat. This will force your weight away from your toes and into the mid and rear foot and help you engage the posterior chain. 

Final Thoughts On The Front vs Back Squat

Both the Front and Back Squats are essential movements in any training program. Rather than picking one over the other, aim for a balanced approach in which both routinely show up in your strength cycles.

Aiming for structural balance of the front and backside of the body where your front squat is approximately 85% of your back squat.

You can also aim for one-rep maxes of 1.7 times your body weight for the front squat and 2 times your body weight for the back squat.

By adopting this mindset, you’ll work towards comprehensive development and avoid imbalances, leading to greater overall performance and reduced risk of injury.

I hope this has helped shed light on each squat variation’s key differences and benefits.

Now, use this article as your guide to the front squat vs back squat, and start hitting your squats hard!

References:

1. Yavuz, H. U., Erdağ, D., Amca, A. M., & Aritan, S. (2015). Kinematic and EMG activities during front and back squat variations in maximum loads. Journal of sports sciences, 33(10), 1058–1066. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2014.98424 

2. Straub, R. K., & Powers, C. M. (2024). A Biomechanical Review of the Squat Exercise: Implications for Clinical Practice. International journal of sports physical therapy, 19(4), 490–501. https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.94600 

3. Panero, E., Gastaldi, L., & Rapp, W. (2017). Two-Segment Foot Model for the Biomechanical Analysis of Squat. Journal of healthcare engineering, 2017, 9652948. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/9652948