Legs · Barbell
Barbell Pin Front Squat
How to do the barbell pin front squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Squat
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set safety pins in a rack at the bottom of your squat depth and rest the barbell across your front deltoids with elbows high. From a dead stop on the pins, drive up through your heels until you stand tall, then return the bar to the pins each rep.
- 1Keep your elbows high and torso upright as you drive out of the pins
- 2Push through your heels and feel your quads and core working
- 3Reset tension on the bar at the bottom before each rep
Common mistakes
- Do not let your elbows drop or your chest collapse forward
- Do not let your knees cave inward or heels lift
- Do not bounce off the pins; start each rep from a dead stop
Muscles worked
The barbell pin front squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, upper abs, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
Kovo programs the barbell pin front squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.