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Strength Training · Bodybuilding

Heel-Elevated Front Squat

The heel-elevated front squat is a barbell squat with your heels supported on a wedge. It trains your thighs and glutes while allowing more forward knee travel and a more upright torso.

Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.

  • Intermediate
  • Compound
  • Higher injury risk
  • Rest 3 min
Video by Elevate Yourself on YouTube

How to do it

  1. Position the racked bar across the fronts of your shoulders, with your fingers underneath it just outside shoulder width.
  2. Stand tall to lift the bar clear of the hooks.
  3. Step back toward the wedge.
  4. Place your heels on the wedge about shoulder-width apart, with your toes turned slightly outward and your forefeet on the floor.
  5. Lower your hips between your legs to the deepest position you can control without rounding your back.
  6. Push through your feet to return to standing.
  7. Walk forward until the bar touches both rack uprights.
  8. Lower the bar into both hooks.

Form cues

  • Keep your elbows pointing forward.
  • Brace your belly before each descent.
  • Keep pressure through your whole forefoot.
  • Let your knees follow your toes.

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing out of the bottomSlow the final part of your descent so you reverse direction without a bounce.
  • Hips rising before the chestReduce the weight until your hips and chest rise together.
  • Using excessive heel elevationChoose a lower wedge if the current height pushes your weight onto your toes.

Safety

A collapsing torso can let the bar roll forward, straining your back or wrists. A shifting wedge or failed repetition can cause a loss of balance under the bar.

  • Set the hooks just below shoulder height and the safety supports just below the bar's lowest planned position.
  • Use a firm, nonslip wedge positioned close enough to the rack for a short walkout.
  • Practice the walkout and return with an empty bar before adding weight.
  • End the set before fatigue prevents you from supporting the bar securely.

If you have knee, wrist, or shoulder pain in this position, choose a lighter front-loaded squat or get advice from a physiotherapist before loading it.

Muscles worked

Front
Back

Primary muscles

  • Quadriceps

Secondary muscles

  • Adductors
  • Glutes

Equipment

  • Barbell
  • Power Rack
  • Rack Safety Supports
  • Squat Wedge

Sets and reps

Sets
3–4
Target
6–10 reps
Rest
3 min

Start with a weight that leaves about two controlled repetitions in reserve.

Variations

Easier

Harder