{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Front Squat",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Front Squats",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "quadriceps",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "gluteus-maximus",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "adductor-magnus",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "soleus",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "erector-spinae",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rectus-abdominis",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "upper-back",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "hip",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "knee",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "ankle",
        "actions": [
          "dorsiflexion",
          "plantarflexion"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "thoracic-spine",
        "actions": [
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "lumbar-spine",
        "actions": [
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "strength",
      "hypertrophy",
      "olympic-weightlifting"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "squat"
    ],
    "mechanics": "compound",
    "force": "push",
    "kinetic_chain": "closed",
    "laterality": "bilateral",
    "planes": [
      "sagittal"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "dynamic"
    ],
    "level": "intermediate"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "required": [
      [
        "barbell"
      ],
      [
        "squat-rack",
        "power-rack"
      ]
    ]
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "257"
  },
  "id": "oec:barbell-front-squat",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Set the barbell in a rack at approximately mid-chest height.",
      "Step up to the bar and secure a front rack position, resting the bar across the front of the shoulders and clavicles with elbows driven high forward.",
      "Support the bar lightly with two to three fingers or a full clean grip as mobility allows.",
      "Unrack the bar, take two steps back, and set feet roughly shoulder-width apart with toes turned slightly outward."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Inhale deeply into the abdomen, brace the core, and keep the chest and elbows elevated.",
      "Descend by bending at the knees and hips simultaneously, sitting straight down between the heels while keeping the torso upright.",
      "Continue descending until the hip crease dips below the top of the knees.",
      "Drive forcefully through the mid-foot to stand, actively pressing the elbows up to keep the bar from rolling forward.",
      "Complete the repetition by extending hips and knees fully at the top."
    ],
    "breathing": "Inhale and brace intra-abdominal pressure before descending, hold through the sticking point, and exhale near the top of the repetition.",
    "cues": [
      "Elbows up",
      "Chest tall",
      "Sit between your knees"
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Dropping the elbows during descent, causing the bar to roll forward off the shoulders.",
        "correction": "Focus on driving the elbows toward the ceiling throughout the entire repetition, especially out of the hole."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Excessive forward torso lean shifting the load into the lower back.",
        "correction": "Stay more upright by pushing knees forward over toes and sitting straight down rather than hinging hips far back."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Heels lifting off the floor during deep knee flexion.",
        "correction": "Improve ankle dorsiflexion mobility, wear weightlifting shoes, or widen the stance slightly with toes turned out."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "If balance or the rack position is lost, dump the bar forward away from the body onto safety pins or rubber flooring; never try to catch it with wrists or knees."
      ],
      "spotter": "not-needed",
      "safeties": true
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "load": {
      "convention": "total",
      "implements": 1,
      "kind": "external"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "reps",
          "load"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "rpe",
          "tempo"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {
      "e1rm": true,
      "volume": true
    },
    "reps_counted": "total"
  },
  "name": "Barbell Front Squat",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:front-squats"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Front Squats",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/257/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-3.0",
        "author": "sistab2"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "variation-of",
      "target": "oec:barbell-back-squat"
    },
    {
      "type": "substitute-for",
      "target": "oec:barbell-back-squat"
    },
    {
      "type": "progression-of",
      "target": "oec:dumbbell-goblet-squat"
    },
    {
      "type": "progression-of",
      "target": "oec:dumbbell-front-squat"
    },
    {
      "type": "part-of",
      "target": "oec:barbell-clean"
    },
    {
      "type": "part-of",
      "target": "oec:barbell-clean-and-jerk"
    },
    {
      "type": "part-of",
      "target": "oec:barbell-thruster"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "grip": {
      "width": "shoulder"
    },
    "load_position": "front-rack",
    "position": "standing",
    "range": "full",
    "stance": {
      "kind": "parallel",
      "width": "shoulder"
    }
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A barbell squat variation where the weight rests across the anterior deltoids, emphasizing the quadriceps and upper back strength."
}