The Front Squat

The front squat is one of the most effective squatting variations we can perform in the gym. It is a lift that requires a great deal more mobility than the back squat and it also cannot be loaded as heavy due to the load being in front of the body. The front squat, due to loading the front of the body, targets the muscles of the quadriceps much more than the back squat. It also requires high levels of core stability and engagment.

The Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is another very well known squat variation that is very effective for skill acquisition and gaining the initial strength in the squat movement pattern. The goblet squat is used in many different contexts, from warm ups to strength work to conditioning circuits, making it one of the most frequently used squatting variations.

The Similarities Between The Goblet Squat and The Front Squat

Front Loading

Both of these squatting movements load the front of the body, which means they require similar levels of stability in order to control the movement. Loading the front of the body often makes it easier to maintain an upright torso, which is true for both goblet squats and front squats. This also means they have similar draw backs in terms of strength development, being that the legs are rarely the limiting factor.

Squat Movement Pattern

The goblet squat and the front squat both move through the squat movement pattern, making them very similar movements.

Differences Between The Goblet Squat and The Front Squat

Loading Equipment

The key difference between the front squat and the goblet squat is where and how the weight is loading the body. The front squat uses the barbell which is placed on the neck while the goblet squat uses a kettlebell which is held in the hands. This means that the exercises are fundamentally different even if the hips and knees move through the exact same range of motion. Loading a barbell and loading a kettlebell onto the body is completely different, especially when one is held with the hands.

The Goblet Squat is Beginner Friendly

The goblet squat is the most effective exercise for both skill acquisition and building initial strength in the lower body. Having the load in front of the body in the form of a kettlebell or dumbbell allows individuals to have more freedom to move in a pattern that suits their current mobility and movement capabilities, they are less “fixed” into a specific position than when using a barbell. Along with higher degrees of movement freedom, the goblet squat also provides a counterbalance in the squat movement, which means that it is easier to perform the squat with the correct torso angle and move through the full range of motion that is available.

Front Squat Requires Wrist Mobility

Often times with those coming to resistance training from a back ground of sedentary behaviour, using the front squat is very challenging due to the mobility restrictions in the wrists. For some this is not the case, but for others it can mean that performing the movement is impossible. Gaining the mobility in the front rack position required for front squatting can take time, so make sure that you are challenging the squat through other means if front squats cannot be done with load. Mobility restrictions are the number one reason that I do not use front squats regularly with my clients.

The Front Squat Is Far More Effective for Leg Strength Development

The same reason that the goblet squat is great for beginners makes it very poor for advanced individuals. Having the weight in front of the body in the hands means we quickly meet a point where the most challenging point of the exercise is holding the weight and not squatting it. For an advanced squatter, a 50kg front squat will feel like an extremely easy warm up set yet a 50kg goblet squat will be very challenging. This is because it is very challenging to hold 50kg in the goblet position, not because the legs struggle to hold that load.

The front squat is far more effective at building very strong legs than the goblet squat. However the front squat, like the goblet squat, is also rarely blocked by leg strength and it is often trunk strength that is the problem. This means that the legs can lift the weight, but the trunk rounds and the position get really ugly really quickly. This means that anyone trying to optimise their training to get strong legs needs to be doing back squats at some point in their programme.

Front Squats and The Sport of Weightlifting

The sport of weightlifting is where an individual finds a max lift in the clean and jerk and the snatch. Both of these positions require the torso to be upright and in the case of the clean it literally involves performing a front squat. This means that the front squat is widely used by weightlifters and weightlifting enthusiasts as it is extremely effective at increasing their lifts. Their is no dispute that if you are training for weightlifting, front squats will play a large part of your training programme and goblet squats will never be used for strength development.

Which Is More Effective: Front Squat vs Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is more effective at squat skill acquisition and gaining the initial strength to be able to perform the squat with load. Whereas the front squat if more effective at gaining higher levels of leg strength and is key for weightlifting performance. Neither is more effective than the other, yet they are effective at very different aspects of training the squat even though they are so similar. In a typical resistance training journey, the goblet squat will be used to learn to squat and then the front squat and back squat will be used to build high levels of strength in the lower body.