Front Squat to Push Press
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Barbell, Weight Plate, Squat Rack
- Movement
- Squat · Standing
- Tracks
- Weight & Reps
Works
Quadriceps Shoulders Glutes Triceps Abdominals Back
How to do it
- Set a barbell in a rack at roughly upper-chest height and load it.
- Step under the bar and take it across the front of your shoulders, elbows high and pointing forward, hands just outside shoulder width.
- Unrack the bar, take one or two steps back, and set your feet at shoulder width with toes slightly out.
- Brace your core, keep your chest tall, and descend into a squat, letting your knees track over your toes.
- Drive through your heels and stand up out of the squat, finishing tall with the bar still in the front rack.
- At the top of the squat, immediately dip a few inches by bending the knees and hips, then reverse and drive explosively through the floor.
- Let the upward momentum carry the bar off your shoulders and press it to a full overhead lockout, finishing with the bar over the middle of your feet.
- Lower the bar back to the front rack under control, absorbing it with a slight knee bend, then return to the start position.
Common mistakes
- Pressing with arm strength instead of using the leg drive from the dip.
- Leaning forward excessively during the squat or the dip, which pushes the bar out in front.
- Dipping too deep or too slowly, which kills the rebound and turns the push press into a strict press.
- Failing to fully lock out the elbows overhead.
- Letting the bar crash back onto the shoulders instead of controlling the descent.
- Letting the elbows drop in the front rack, so the wrists and hands take the load.
Safety
Keep the wrists straight and the elbows high under the bar to avoid wrist and elbow strain.
Do not hyperextend the lower back at lockout; finish with the ribs down and the glutes tight.
Use a rack or safeties when learning the movement, and bail the bar forward if a rep fails overhead.
Tips
- Finish the squat completely before starting the dip; do not blend the two into one continuous bounce.
- Keep the dip short and vertical, driven by the knees and hips, not by leaning the chest forward.
- Time the press so your arms start extending just as the dip reverses and your hips extend.
- Keep your elbows high in the front rack so the bar rests on your shoulders, not your hands.
- Punch the bar straight up and slightly back so it finishes over your midfoot.
- Pull your chin back as the bar passes your face, then push your head through once the bar clears.
Details
- Base movement
- Squat
- Combined with
- Push press
- Load position
- Front rack
- Arms
- Both
- Legs
- Both
- Hand orientation
- Pronated (palms down / away)
- Grip width
- Shoulder-width
- Body position
- Standing
- Stance
- Shoulder-width
