The 10 Best Front Squat Alternatives

Front squats are a popular exercise that builds serious strength and size in your lower body. Compared to the traditional back squat, front squats place less stress on your knees and improve your core stability and quadricep engagement. Additionally, front squats protect and strengthen the lower back by encouraging an upright torso.

There are plenty of alternative exercises to the front squat if you find the front rack position uncomfortable, don’t have access to the right equipment, or simply want to vary your exercise selection. Here is our list of the 10 best alternative exercises to front squats for your next leg day.

The 10 Best Front Squat Alternatives

1. Dumbbell Front Squats
2. Smith Machine Front Squats
3. Crossed Arm Front Squats
4. Goblet Squats
5. Landmine Squats
6. Narrow Stance Leg Presses
7. Machine Hack Squats
8. Zercher Squats
9. Bulgarian Split Squats
10. Weighted Step Ups

1. Dumbbell Front Squats

When to Perform Dumbbell Front Squats

Dumbbell front squats are a great alternative for lifters whose wrist and shoulder mobility impede their ability to hold a barbell across their chest. This variation mimics the movement pattern of a barbell front squat by having you hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest them on top of your shoulders. Dumbbell front squats are a great way to build strength in your quads, glutes, and core without straining your wrist joint or overextending your shoulder.

How to Perform Dumbbell Front Squats

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. Rest the dumbbells across your delts with your elbows tucked close to your body.
2. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your core and spinal erectors braced.
3. Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat as deeply as possible. Keep your knees in line with your toes and your gaze straight ahead.
4. Pause at the bottom of the squat.
5. Push through your feet and squeeze your glutes to stand back up.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets.

For a visual aid, check out this video from Crossfit demonstrating the correct form for dumbbell front squats.

The Dumbbell Front Squat

Tips for Dumbbell Front Squats

Keep your back straight and your chest up throughout this exercise. Avoid rounding your back and keep your gaze straight in front of you to protect your spine. Make sure the dumbbells rest across the fleshy part of your delts to avoid discomfort on your shoulder joints.

2. Smith Machine Front Squats

When to Perform Smith Machine Front Squats

If you want to do front squats but struggle to balance a free-weight barbell, the smith machine front squat is the exercise for you. It follows an identical movement pattern, with added support and stability from the smith machine rails. Doing front squats in a smith machine can feel less intimidating for beginners or those managing an injury whilst still giving the quads and glutes a great workout.

How to Perform Smith Machine Front Squats

1. Set up your smith machine so the barbell is in line with your chest.
2. Step under the bar and position the barbell across your upper chest and shoulders. 
3. Push your elbows forward and grip the barbell with your hands wider than shoulder-width distance. You can also cross your arms if the front rack position is uncomfortable.
4. Keep your elbows high to ensure the barbell is securely positioned across the front of your body.
5. Rotate your wrists towards you to unlock the safety handles.
6. Take a deep breath in to brace your core and keep your torso upright.
7. Keep your gaze straight ahead. Bend your knees to lower into a squat.
8. Stop when you reach your desired depth, aiming for at least parallel to get the full benefits of the exercise.
9. Push with force through your forefoot to stand back up. Exhale.
10. Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets, ensuring to reset and brace by taking a breath in before starting each rep.

For a visual aid, check out this video demonstrating the correct form for a smith machine front squat.

Smith Machine Front Squats (Exercises.com.au)

Tips for Smith Machine Front Squats

Keep a neutral spine by looking straight ahead throughout the exercise. Initiate the squat by pushing your hips back. Engage your quads to come out of the bottom of the squat. Keep a soft bend in your knees as you lock out at the top of the squat.

3. Crossed Arm Front Squats

When to Perform Crossed Arm Front Squats

Crossed arm front squats are the closest alternative to a traditional front squat. They both use free-weight barbells and target the same muscle groups. The only difference is that a crossed arm front squat doesn’t require wrist strength and mobility to hold the barbell in a front rack position. Crossing your arms and placing your hands on top of the barbell can feel more comfortable for some lifters while producing all of the same benefits as a standard front squat.

How to Perform Crossed Arm Front Squats

1. Load a barbell in a squat rack level with your mid-chest.
2. Step under the bar and position the barbell across your upper chest and shoulders. 
3. Cross your arms over your chest. Grip the barbell with your hands inside your shoulders and use an overhand grip.
4. Keep your elbows up and your upper arms parallel to the floor to secure the barbell in place.
5. Unrack the barbell and step backwards with your feet firmly planted about hip-width distance apart.
6. Take a deep breath to brace your core and keep your torso upright.
7. Keep your gaze straight ahead. Bend your knees to lower into a squat.
8. Stop when you reach your desired depth, aiming for at least parallel to get the full benefits of the exercise.
9. Push with force through your forefoot to stand back up. Exhale.
10. Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets, ensuring to reset and brace by taking a breath in before starting each rep.

This video from Nerd Fitness provides a useful visual aid for how to correctly set up and perform the crossed arm front squat.

How to do a Proper Front Squat - Cross Grip | Nerd Fitness

Tips for Crossed Arm Front Squats

Ensure the barbell rests across the shelf of your torso, not on your arms. Make sure you feel confident in your ability to balance the barbell by practicing the crossed arm position with lighter weights before increasing them to avoid injury.

4. Goblet Squats

When to Perform Goblet Squats

Goblet squats are a great alternative to the front squat because your body is in a similar position, with your quads doing most of the work. Compared to a barbell front squat, goblet squats are easier for beginners and those with poor wrist and shoulder mobility. Holding a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest while you squat helps you practice the upright torso position required to do a front squat correctly. Goblet squats are also a useful alternative for days when you don’t have access to a barbell and a squat rack.

How to Perform Goblet Squats

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width distance apart and your toes pointing forward.
2. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and keep a neutral spine.
3. Bend your knees and push your hips back to squat down. Squat as low as you can while maintaining an upright posture and vertical shins. If your back starts to round or your heels start to lift, you have gone too far for your mobility.
4. Pause for a second at the bottom of the squat. Maintain tension in your legs.
5. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings and push through your feet to stand back up.
6. Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

Check out this useful video from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) for a visual guide to performing goblet squats.

How to do a Kettlebell Goblet Squat

Tips for Goblet Squats

Ensure your knees stay in line with your toes while you squat. Some lifters start to let their knees cave in or splay out as they lower down. Keep everything in line to engage the correct muscles and protect your knee joints.

5. Landmine Squats

When to Perform Landmine Squats

Landmine squats are a great alternative to front squats because they similarly load the body and engage the same muscle groups. Landmine squats are easier than standard barbell front squats because your shoulders and elbows are in a more natural position. Landmine squats make it easier to keep your shins vertical and your knees in line with your toes, loading the quads more effectively while protecting your joints.

How to Perform Landmine Squats

1. Load your desired weight onto one end of a landmine barbell device. Stand facing the landmine bar with your feet firmly planted at a hip-width distance.
2. Grab the end of the barbell with an interlocking grip. You should be able to hold the landmine close to your body with enough room to tuck your elbows into your chest.
3. Stand tall with your head, hips, knees, and toes stacked in one stable column. Grip the floor with your feet for added stability and support.
4. Brace your abdominals and gaze straight ahead to maintain a neutral spine. Keep your chin tucked slightly. Maintain this postural engagement throughout your set.
5. Bend your hips, knees, and ankles to squat straight down until your thighs are parallel with the ground or slightly lower. Pause.
6. Push through all four corners of your feet and squeeze your glutes and quads to stand back up.
7. Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

For a visual aid, here’s a useful video from Ben Bruno.

Landmine Squat Tutorial

Tips for Landmine Squats

Keep the end of the barbell close to your body to help you maintain an upright, neutral spine. Don’t stagger your grip on the barbell, as this can throw your shoulders and hips out of alignment. Pad your sternum with your thumbs, so the barbell doesn’t dig into your bones or cut off your airways.

6. Narrow Stance Leg Presses

When to Perform Narrow Stance Leg Presses

The leg press is a great machine alternative to any free-weight squatting exercise. Compared with front squats, narrow stance leg presses eliminate the need to stabilize and balance the weight with your core and postural muscles. Narrow stance leg presses emphasize your quads without fatiguing your upper body, allowing you to take your sets closer to failure.

How to Perform Narrow Stance Leg Presses

1. Sit down on the leg press machine with the backrest and footpad adjusted. Your knees should be bent at about a 90-degree angle.
2. Place your feet on the footpad, closer than hip-width distance apart. Your feet should be in the bottom half of the platform to target the fronts of your legs.
3. Hold onto the handles at your sides and keep your gaze straight ahead.
4. Push through your feet to press the platform away from you, and unlock the safety bars.
5. Press your lower back into the backrest and extend your legs without locking your knee.
6. Inhale and bend your knees to slowly lower the platform towards your body until your legs are bent at around 90 degrees.
7. Exhale and push through your feet to engage the quads and push the platform back to the starting position.
8. Repeat for the desired number of reps. Ensure you replace the safety lock when you finish your set.
9. Repeat for as many sets as you need.

This video provides a helpful visual guide for performing the narrow stance leg press.

Leg Press Narrow Stance - Thighs Exercise

Tips for Narrow Stance Leg Presses

Ensure your knees stay in line with your toes as you lower the leg press platform towards you. Only bend your knees until they are at a 90-degree angle. Going too deep can compromise your form and risk a knee injury.

7. Machine Hack Squats

When to Perform Machine Hack Squats

Hack squats are one of the best exercises for loading your quads with heavy weights without requiring excessive abdominal engagement. Hack squats isolate your legs and build thicker, stronger quads without the steep learning curve involved in a traditional front squat.

How to Perform Machine Hack Squats

1. Load the desired weight onto the hack squat machine. 
2. Position your body in the machine, so your back and shoulders rest against the pads.
3. Position your feet directly under your hips or slightly narrower to target the outer quads.
4. Straighten the legs to release the weight from the safety handles. Be careful not to lock out or hyperextend the knees.
5. Slowly bend your knees and squat until your thighs are roughly parallel to the ground.
6. Press your feet firmly into the platform to extend the knees and hips and lift the weight back to its starting position.
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets. Make sure you re-engage the safety handles at the end of each set.

Check out this video for a visual guide on how to perform hack squats on the hack squat machine.

How To Do Hack Squats On The Hack Squat Machine

Tips for Machine Hack Squats

Choose a weight you can safely lift with proper form and full depth so your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Machine lifts like the hack squat can create a false sense of security, leading some lifters to overshoot their weight and compromise their knee joints. 

8. Zercher Squats

When to Perform Zercher Squats

Zercher squats are an advanced type of front-loaded squat that helps you build full-body strength. Zercher squats involve holding the barbell in the crooks of your elbows rather than across your chest. They require less shoulder mobility than traditional front squats and have the added benefit of improving functional strength in your upper back, core, and legs.

How to Perform Zercher Squats

1. Set up your barbell in a power rack at a lower height than you would normally use for a back or front squat. 
2. Step up to the rack and scoop the barbell into the crooks of your elbows. Take a few steps back and assume your regular squat stance.
3. Stand tall and retract your shoulder blades. Keep your spine neutral and gaze straight ahead. 
4. Tuck your elbows so they can travel inside your knees when you squat down.
5. Brace your abdominals and keep them engaged throughout the exercise to counter the force of the barbell pulling you forward.
6. Keep your torso upright as you bend your knees and squat straight down. Keep your hips directly beneath you.
7. Once you have reached full depth for your squat, push through all four corners of your feet to stand back up.
8. Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

Here’s a useful video from Crossfit.com demonstrating the Zercher squat.

The Zercher Squat

Tips for Zercher Squats

Zercher squats can strain your elbows as the barbell presses into the joint. Pad the elbows with a barbell pad or other cushion to reduce discomfort when doing the Zercher squat. Pull your elbows forward and up during the squat to keep the barbell securely.

9. Bulgarian Split Squats

When to Perform Bulgarian Split Squats

Bulgarian split squats are a split squat variation that involves elevating your back foot on a box or bench. Placing your rear foot on a platform increases the range of motion for your front leg to engage more muscle fibers. Bulgarian split squats are a great alternative to front squats as they engage similar muscle groups as the front squat without straining your wrists or shoulders. They are also great for training one leg at a time to improve muscular imbalances.

How to Perform Bulgarian Split Squats

Here is how to perform the Bulgarian split squat with correct form.

1. Stand in front of a bench or stable platform with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Grab two dumbbells and hold them at your sides using a neutral grip. You can also use kettlebells or a barbell.
3. Take a step forward with one foot to get into a split stance. Carefully lift your back leg and place it on the platform.
4. Stand up straight, brace your core, and don’t allow the lower back to arch. Keep your gaze straight ahead, and your chin tucked.
5. Slowly bend your front knee so that both legs descend towards the ground.
6. Stop when your front knee is bent to a 90-degree angle, and your back knee hovers above the ground.
7. Push through the front foot to engage the quads and lift yourself back to your starting position.
8. Complete as many reps as desired on your first side before switching to the other leg.
9. Complete as many sets as desired, ensuring you complete an even number of sets per leg.

With unilateral exercises, start on your weaker or less dominant side and match the work on your stronger side. This video provides a helpful visual guide for performing dumbbell Bulgarian split squats.

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat (Full Tutorial) - Single Leg Exercise for QUADS

Tips for Bulgarian Split Squats

Avoid leaning back into your rear leg during Bulgarian split squats. Most of your weight should be pushing through your front foot. Be careful when positioning your feet. They should be in line with your hips and not directly in front of each other. Think about your feet as being on two train tracks, not a single tightrope, to make this exercise safer and more stable.

10. Weighted Step-Ups

When to Perform Weighted Step-Ups

Weighted step-ups are a great exercise to target your quads and glutes similarly to the front squat. They are convenient and customizable, requiring only some type of weight and a secure platform to step onto. Step-ups require less ankle and hip mobility, which can reduce knee discomfort. They also allow you to adjust the height of the step to target your muscles from different angles. Training your legs one side at a time is great for targeting muscle imbalances and improving your functional strength.

How to Perform Weighted Step-Ups

11. Prepare for the movement by loading a barbell across your shoulders or holding dumbbells or kettlebells at your sides.
12. Stand in front of a stable flat bench, box, or secure platform. Choose a platform height you can step onto safely without losing your balance. You should be able to maintain an upright spine and neutral pelvis when stepping onto the platform.
13. Tuck your chin and gaze straight ahead to protect your upper spine. Brace your abdominals and pre-tension your legs and glutes.
14. Place one foot on the platform. Ensure your knee doesn’t move in front of your toes and your leg is bent to 90 degrees. Push evenly throughout your entire foot.
15. Push down into your elevated foot to lift your back leg off the floor. Squeeze your quads and glutes to complete the exercise. Both feet should be on the platform.
16. Maintain a strong core and neutral spine as you reverse the exercise. Bend your knees and soften your hips and ankles as you step down from the platform.
17. Repeat on the same side or alternate legs for each rep.
18. Perform an even amount of reps and sets per side.

For a visual aid, check out this video demonstrating the correct form for a weighted step-up.

Weighted Step Ups

Tips for Step-Ups

Your front leg should do all of the work for this lunge alternative. Your back leg should trail behind you without pressing off the floor to assist the exercise. Tilt your torso forward slightly to keep your weight centered on your front foot.

Reasons to Choose a Front Squat Alternative

Some lifters struggle with the wrist and shoulder mobility required to hold the bar in a front rack position during front squats. This is one of the most common reasons to seek an alternative that loads your quads without straining the wrist and shoulder joints. Front squats also require a good range of motion in the ankles and hips, which is a limiting factor for some athletes. Others may struggle to balance the barbell across the front of their body, limiting their ability to squat with heavier weights.

Muscles Worked by Front Squats

Front squats are a compound lower body exercise that mainly targets the quads. They recruit other upper and lower body muscles to assist and stabilize the movement.

• Primary muscles used: Quadriceps
• Secondary muscles used: Hamstrings, Adductors, Glutes, Calves, Abdominals, Spinal Erectors

Front Squat Alternatives: FAQs

Can I do a front squat without a rack?

Setting up your barbell in a squat rack is the safest way to do front squats. Advanced lifters may feel comfortable cleaning the bar up to a front rack position, but this will exert your muscles before the squat begins. It also changes the movement from a strict front squat into a ‘cluster’ which requires advanced technique and strength. If you don’t have access to a squat rack, alternatives like goblet squats or landmine squats are good options to target the same muscle groups effectively and safely.

Should I do back squats or front squats?

Front squats and back squats are great exercises that meet different needs. Back squats are easier to learn and require less wrist, shoulder, and ankle mobility. They may be more suitable for beginners and those targeting their posterior chain. Front squats are great for targeting multiple muscle groups, including the quads, glutes, and core. They require more mobility and postural strength to keep an upright torso. Front squats may be preferable for lifters wanting to challenge their core strength and build bigger quads.

Why do front squats hurt my wrists?

The front rack position in a front squat requires decent wrist extension mobility to perform correctly. If you feel wrist pain when holding a barbell across your chest, consider alternatives like dumbbell front squats or crossed arm front squats. You can work on your wrist mobility to work your way up to doing full front squats.

Other Alternative Exercises

If you enjoyed this post, check out our other roundups of the best alternatives for other exercises.

About Emma Lennon

Emma is a Health Science graduate, qualified personal trainer, and writer. She has over ten years of experience in the health, community development, and communications sectors. She is passionate about making reputable information about health, fitness, and resistance training accessible to all.

Emma loves building her own functional strength and fitness outside of work with various training styles, from weightlifting to calisthenics, yoga, and dancing. She advocates for the powerful potential of exercise to improve physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.