Exercise guide · evidence-graded

Kettlebell Front Squat

The kettlebell front squat is a squat with one or two kettlebells held in the front rack, resting on your forearms against your chest. It works the quadriceps and glutes, with the upright torso and the bells' forward pull making the upper back and trunk work hard to hold position.

Also called: KB Front Squat, Double KB Front Squat, Kettlebell Rack Squat, Double Kettlebell Front Squat · Equipment: kettlebell · Pattern: squat

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How to do it

Step by step

  1. Clean one or two kettlebells into the front rack, so each bell rests on the back of your forearm against your chest, with your wrist straight and your elbow tucked in against your ribs.
  2. Set your feet about shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly out.
  3. Take a big breath, brace your trunk and lift your chest tall.
  4. Sit down between your heels, pushing your knees out in line with your toes and keeping your elbows under the bells.
  5. Go as deep as you can while keeping your back flat and heels down, with your thighs at least parallel to the floor for most lifters.
  6. Drive through the whole foot to stand up, keeping the bells tight to your chest and your chest leading.
  7. Breathe at the top if you need to and re-brace before the next rep.
  8. After the last rep, guide the bells down from the rack between your feet and set them on the floor.
Coaching cues
  • Chest tall, elbows tucked under the bells
  • Big breath and brace before each rep
  • Sit down between your heels
  • Knees out over your toes
  • Push the floor away to stand

In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.

Muscles worked

What it trains

MuscleRoleEvidence
Quadriceps: vastus lateralisPrime moverC
Quadriceps: vastus medialisPrime moverC
Gluteus maximusPrime moverC
Quadriceps: rectus femorisSecondaryC
AdductorsSecondaryD
Erector spinaeStabiliserD
Rectus abdominisStabiliserD

Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.

Common faults

What goes wrong, and the fix

Bells hanging off the wrist

Fix: Rack the bell deep on the back of your forearm with a straight wrist.

Chest dropping forwards

Fix: Keep your chest tall and elbows tucked, and brace before each rep.

Knees caving in

Fix: Push your knees out in line with your toes on the way down and up.

Heels lifting

Fix: Keep your whole foot planted and push through the middle of the foot.

Cutting depth short

Fix: Sit down until your thighs are at least parallel, keeping your back flat.

Elbows flaring out

Fix: Keep your elbows tucked in against your ribs for the whole set.

Programming

What the research says

General fitness · first choiceEndurance · first choiceMuscle growthRehab & prehabSport performanceFat loss & conditioning

  • Load and reps — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, although very light loads (around 20% of maximum) have produced less growth. With bell sizes capping the load, kettlebell front squats are commonly trained for moderate to high reps.
  • Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit. Rep-in-reserve estimates tend to under-count, most of all on lighter, higher-rep sets.
  • Depth — In a 10-week trial, full-depth squats built more glute and adductor muscle than half squats, with similar quadriceps growth, and strength gains were specific to the depth trained.
  • Tempo — Growth has been similar across rep durations of about half a second to 8 seconds. Many lifters use a slower descent or a pause at the bottom to make a light bell more challenging.
  • Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Around 10 or more hard sets a week has been associated with more growth than fewer than 5.
Alternatives · VALDA FLEX

Swap it mid-workout

With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.

Log the kettlebell front squat in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.

General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.