SquatBBRackPlates
Bar racked across the front delts/clavicles in a clean-grip or cross-arm rack. Forces a more upright torso, greater quad and core demand, and directly transfers to the Olympic clean and jerk.
Demo: Alan Thrall
Sets
4
Reps
5-8
Rest
2:30
Contraindications
Requires good wrist and shoulder external rotation mobility for the clean grip — regress to straps or cross-arm grip if limited. High core/spinal demand under load.Setup
Bar rests on the front deltoids, elbows driven up high to create a shelf. Fingertip or crossed-arm grip. Feet shoulder width.
Execution
- 1Keep elbows high throughout the entire lift
- 2Brace hard and descend by breaking hips and knees together
- 3Stay upright — torso near vertical
- 4Reach full depth, hips at or below knee crease
- 5Drive straight up keeping elbows high the whole way
Key cues
- Elbows up, always
- Stay tall — this isn't a low-bar squat
- Knees track over toes
- Weight on mid-foot
- Brace before you break
Common faults
- Elbows dropping, causing the bar to roll forward
- Excessive forward lean losing the front rack shelf
- Knee valgus
- Insufficient wrist/shoulder mobility limiting rack position
- Losing upright torso position under fatigue
Tweaks
- Use straps if wrist mobility limits the clean grip
- Try a cross-arm grip as an alternative rack
- Add a pause at the bottom for positional strength
Progressions
Muscles
Primary: Quadriceps, Core
Secondary: Gluteus Maximus, Upper Back, Adductors
Notes
Emphasized heavily by Squat University for knee health and quad development due to more vertical shin angle demand.
Sources
Attribution: Squat University / Dr. Aaron Horschig