Dumbbell front squat

What it is

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting on the front of each shoulder with the elbows up and forward. Feet about shoulder width.

Squat as you would in a goblet squat — down between your feet, torso as upright as the load lets you keep it, heels flat. Stand back up.

The weights stay on the shoulders. They do not drift forward, and the elbows do not drop.

What it demands

The same ankle and hip range as any deep squat.

Upper-back and shoulder endurance to hold the rack position. This is what usually limits the movement, and it is the reason a front-loaded squat with dumbbells caps out below what your legs could manage. That is a limitation, not a flaw — the front load is what keeps you upright.

Enough thoracic extension to keep the elbows up. Rounding forward drops the weights.

What usually goes wrong

The elbows drop. As the set gets hard the elbows fall, the weights slide forward, and the load moves in front of you where your back has to take it. This is the signal to stop.

Leaning forward. Front-loaded squats stay comparatively upright by design. Pitching forward means the position has been lost.

Using dumbbells that are awkward rather than heavy. Large dumbbells crowd the shoulders and neck. A goblet squat with one heavier weight is often the better option, and there is no prize for the more complicated version.

Heels lifting — ankles, as in every squat.

Where it sits

A step up in load from the goblet squat, with the same counterweighted, upright character. Two dumbbells simply carry more total weight than one bell held at the chest.

Its ceiling is real: the rack position gives out first, which is why heavy front squatting is generally a barbell movement. Within what a pair of dumbbells can do, this is the most loaded two-legged squat available — and for most people the split squat is the more productive way to add difficulty, because one leg at a time doubles the load without needing heavier weights.