Tempo Front Squat
Slowing the descent of a front-loaded squat to a three to five second count piles up quad tension and forces you to hold a tall, braced position for far longer than a normal rep. The extended eccentric exposes any tendency to fold forward and builds both control and quad size without heavy loading. It is an excellent technique and hypertrophy tool, and great practice for a stronger front rack.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Body part
- Quads
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
- Browse by movement
- Squat
- Target
- Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis
- Secondary
- Gluteus Maximus, Adductor Magnus, Erector Spinae
- Tertiary
- Upper Rectus Abdominals, Trapezius Middle, Biceps Femoris
How to do it
- 1
Rack the bar across the front delts in a clean or crossed-arm grip and unrack it.
- 2
Set a shoulder-width stance with the elbows driven high and brace the core.
- 3
Lower on a slow count of three to five seconds, keeping the torso vertical and elbows up.
- 4
Reach at least parallel without rushing or letting the chest cave forward.
- 5
Drive through the mid-foot to stand at a normal, powerful pace.
- 6
Reset the rack position and breath, then repeat with the same slow descent.
Tips
- Keep the elbows high through the entire slow descent to stop the bar from rolling forward.
- Count the eccentric honestly rather than speeding up as fatigue sets in.
- Choose a load light enough to control the full slow descent in a perfect rack.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Fighting on when the bar starts rolling toward the fingertips at second three. The upper back gives out before the legs on this one, and that is the signal the set is finished.
- Letting the descent get slower and slower until you stall in mid-range. A five-second count means five even seconds, not a creep that grinds to a halt above parallel.
- Breathing out through the long lower to relieve the pressure of the bar near the throat, which unbraces the trunk at the exact moment the front load is trying to fold you.
- Programming sets of ten. On a slow front-loaded rep the rack, not the quads, decides when the set ends; keep it to five or six reps and add sets instead.
- Re-racking with the elbows already dropped after the last rep. The bar rolls off the shelf on the walk back, which is when it lands on toes.
Frequently asked
- How many sets and reps of the tempo front squat should you do when you are new to the exercise?
- Three to four sets of four to six reps with a four-second descent. Use a load you could front squat for ten normally, since the long eccentric plus the front rack adds up quickly. The rule for progressing here is elbows first: when you can hold them high through every second of every rep, add a second to the count, and add weight only after that. One session a week alongside normal squatting is plenty.
- What can I do instead of the tempo front squat without a barbell?
- A tempo goblet squat is the direct substitute; the dumbbell at the chest asks the same question of your torso, and it will not roll off if your upper back tires. A tempo landmine squat lets you load more than a goblet while keeping the weight at the chest. If you have a bar but the front rack is the problem, do the same slow descent with the bar on your back and use a goblet squat separately to work on the rack.
- What is the tempo front squat good for and when is it a poor choice?
- The extended descent piles tension on the quads and gives you several seconds per rep of practice holding a tall front rack, which makes it a strong technique and hypertrophy tool and a good way to build a rack position that does not collapse. It is a poor choice when the front rack itself is your limiting factor, because the set ends before the legs are trained; work on wrist and upper-back mobility and use a back squat or goblet squat for the tempo work meanwhile.
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