Heel Elevated Dumbbell Front Squat

What you'll gain

• Biases the quads by adding knee travel and an upright trunk.

• Gives lifters with limited ankle dorsiflexion a way to squat deeper.

• Uses dumbbells and a plate, so it fits home and dumbbell-only programs.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Place a weight plate on the floor and set both heels on its front edge, toes on the ground.

2. 2

   Hold a hex dumbbell at each shoulder in a front-rack position.

3. 3

   Brace the trunk and sit the hips down between the feet.

4. 4

   Keep the elbows up and the torso as vertical as the rack allows.

5. 5

   Drive through the midfoot to stand without the heels sliding off the plate.

6. 6

   Do not let the knees cave in or the dumbbells roll off the shoulders.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the heels slip off the plate as the knees travel forward.

• Dropping the elbows so the dumbbells pull the chest down.

• Turning the lift into a hinge by sending the hips back too far.

• Using a plate so tall that the toes lose contact with the floor.

About This Exercise

A heel-elevated dumbbell front squat puts the load in a front rack and the heels on a plate or wedge. A heel lift lets the knees travel farther and the trunk stay more upright, which biases the quadriceps. Heel-elevated squats are quad-dominant, with glutes and hamstrings doing less than in a flat-heel squat, and the core bracing the upright torso. The approved clip uses two hex dumbbells at the shoulders and a single circular plate under both heels, toes on the floor in front. For a catalog this is the heel-elevated dumbbell front squat, not a barbell front squat and not a goblet squat. It fills squat filters, quad-bias accessory pages, and limited-dorsiflexion coaching clips.

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