Barbell Pin Front Squat

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Set the safety pins in a power rack at your desired depth, typically at or slightly above parallel.
2. Position the barbell on the pins and load the weight plates.
3. Step under the bar and secure it in a front rack position across your front deltoids, keeping your elbows high and chest up.
4. Set your feet shoulder-width apart with toes slightly turned out, ensuring your mid-foot is directly under the bar.

How to do it

1. Take a deep diaphragmatic breath and brace your core forcefully to create internal pressure.
2. Drive upward through your mid-foot, exhaling as you explosively stand the weight up to full hip and knee extension.
3. Inhale as you lower the bar under strict control until it settles completely back onto the safety pins.
4. Allow the bar to come to a complete dead stop for 1-2 seconds to dissipate all kinetic energy before the next rep.

Form checklist

• Keep elbows pointed forward and high throughout the movement to maintain a shelf for the bar.
• Maintain a vertical torso to prevent the weight from pulling your hips back and rounding your spine.
• Ensure the bar is completely stationary on the pins before starting the upward phase.
• Keep your heels firmly planted and drive through the floor, not your toes.

Pro tips

• Focus on 'wedging' yourself under the bar and creating full-body tension before the weight even leaves the pins.
• Use this exercise to target your specific 'sticking point' by setting the pins exactly at the height where you usually struggle in a standard squat.

Make it harder

• Lower the pins by one setting to increase the range of motion and the demand on the glutes and hamstrings.
• Increase the dead-stop pause to 5 seconds to ensure zero momentum is used for the concentric drive.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the barbell pin front squat work?

The barbell pin front squat primarily targets the calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, and also works the erector spinae as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the barbell pin front squat?

The barbell pin front squat uses barbell and weight plate.

Is the barbell pin front squat good for beginners?

The barbell pin front squat is rated advanced. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

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