How to do a Front Squat to Jerk
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Front Squat to Jerk
Barbells
Squat Rack
Workouts with Front Squat to Jerk
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
A compound movement that combines the front squat with a jerk, challenging the legs, core, and shoulders. This exercise sequence enhances full-body strength, explosive power, and improves Olympic lifting technique by requiring a smooth transition from a strong squat to a powerful overhead lift. It's particularly useful for athletes and lifters aiming to develop their clean and jerk performance, as it simulates the movement pattern while also building foundational strength.
- Set up a barbell in the squat rack slightly lower than shoulder height.
- Position your hands wider than your shoulders on the barbell and keep your feet wider than your hips.
- Grasp the barbell in an overhand grip
- Point your elbows forward with the barbell resting in front of you in a front rack position.
- Extend your legs to raise the barbell off the rack and take a few steps away from the rack.
- Position your feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
- Engage your core, straighten your back, and keep your chest up to maintain proper form.
- Perform the next steps in one fluid motion.
- Hinge your hips back, and bend your knees to drop into a front squat.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Engage your quads, glutes and hamstrings to stand up by extending your legs and driving your hips forward—the bar should bounce or feel weightless as you reach the standing position.
- Now, drop into a quarter squat by bending your knees slightly.
- Explosively extend your legs and engage your shoulders and triceps to press the bar overhead.
- As you raise the bar, shoot one foot forward and one foot backward into a shallow lunge, positioning yourself for the catch.
- Hold this position for a moment.
- Walk your feet back to a standing position.
- Return the bar to its starting position.
Fitbod workout plans
Take the guesswork out of training.
Follow a personalized plan that adapts as you get stronger.
Generate My PlanWeight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Front Squat to Jerk standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps40lbs1 Rep Max50lbs
- intermediate8reps50lbs65lbs
- advanced8reps60lbs75lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Front Squat to Jerk
1. Front Squat
93.4 mSCORESWAPPED 43 TIMESFront Squat is one of the most common variations of the more standard Back Squat. Like other squat variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your quadriceps. By racking the bar in front of your body instead of behind, you can further emphasize your quads. While the movements are fairly similar, Front Squat may translate better to applications in sports and other real world activities.
2. Back Squat
99.3 mSCORESWAPPED 18 TIMESBack Squat is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common lower body exercises. It’s a great compound exercise that can help build strength and muscle mass in your leg, especially your quadriceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking lower body strength in general.
3. Leg Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 12 TIMESLeg Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The exercise itself is fairly similar to a standard squat, with some key differences. The biggest of these differences is the added stability from supporting your back on the Leg Press Machine. The end result of these changes is a more stable movement that further emphasizes your quadriceps. Leg Press is an excellent exercise for anyone looking to build muscle mass or strength in their quads.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Press
4. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 11 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Extension Machine
5. Hang Power Clean
88.9 mSCORESWAPPED 8 TIMESHang Power Clean is a variation on the Clean. Similar to the Clean, this compound explosive movement targets a wide range of muscle groups. The difference between a Hang Clean and a standard Clean is the starting position. By beginning from a hang position instead of the floor, this can be an easier variation for anyone struggling with the initial pull from the floor, or for someone looking to improve aspects of their Clean after the initial pull.
6. Trap Bar Deadlift
92.7 mSCORESWAPPED 8 TIMESTrap Bar Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. Like other variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets your lower body, and rear chain (backside of the body). Using a Trap Bar can make this a much more accessible variation than a standard Deadlift, as it places less tension on your lower back, and is generally easier to perform correctly than a standard Deadlift.
- Intermediate
- Quads
- Trap Bar
7. Dumbbell Squat
94.1 mSCORESWAPPED 8 TIMESDumbbell Squat is a variation of the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The advantage of using dumbbells rather than a barbell is that you have more freedom in your range of motion which can make this a more accessible variation for anyone with mobility limitations. With that freedom comes a bit more instability with this exercise though, which can help you further improve your squat for, and build the strength needed for heavier, or more complex variations.
8. Hack Squat
90.1 mSCORESWAPPED 7 TIMESHack Squat is a variation of squats that utilizes a specific machine to add resistance. Like other squat variations, this exercise primarily targets your quads. The use of a machine can assist you by redistricting your range of motion more than with the use of free weights, as well as adds more stability to the movement.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Hack Squat Machine
9. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
87.9 mSCORESWAPPED 7 TIMESDumbbell Goblet Squat is a variation on the more standard Front Squat. Like other squat variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the quadriceps. Goblet squats are beneficial because they require less upper body mobility in order to keep the weight in the proper position compared to using a barbell.
10. Machine Leg Press
95.1 mSCORESWAPPED 7 TIMESMachine Leg Press is a variation on the more standard Leg Press. Like the Leg Press, this is a compound exercise that primarily recruits the quadriceps. This is a great exercise for building strength and muscle mass in your quads. The use of a machine doesn’t change anything significant about this exercise, although your positioning may change depending on the machine you’re using.
- Beginner
- Quads
- Leg Press Machine