Do Front Squats to Improve Your Stone Lifting

If you walk into any Strongman competition—from local novice meets to the World’s Strongest Man—you will inevitably see the Atlas Stones. They are the sport’s tie-breaker, the crowd favorite, and arguably the truest test of “brute strength” in existence. But here is the hard truth: you cannot simply deadlift your way to a massive stone load.

Many aspiring strongmen make the mistake of thinking that because the stone starts on the floor, a heavy back squat or a deadlift is all they need. While those lifts are foundational, they miss a critical mechanical reality. The stone sits in front of you. It tries to pull your chest forward and collapse your core every inch of the way up.

If you want to dominate the stones, you need to train the lift that mimics this exact demand. You need to do Front Squats to improve your stone lifting.

The front squat is widely considered by elite strength coaches and competitors as the single best barbell accessory for Atlas Stones. It builds the anterior core rigidity, the upright posture, and the crushing quad power necessary to lap, extend, and load heavy stones.

5 Key Takeaways for Strongman Training

Before we dive deep into the mechanics, here are the five most critical facts you need to know about why front squats are the key to unlocking your stone potential:

Front Squats mimic the “Anterior Load”: Unlike back squats, where the weight is behind you, front squats place the load on the front of your body—exactly where the stone sits. This creates a superior transfer of strength to the event.
Core Stability is the limiting factor: Most lifters fail stones not because their legs are weak, but because their upper back and core crumble under the weight. Front squats force you to maintain a rigid, upright torso under heavy loads.
Upright Posture prevents injury: The vertical torso required for a heavy front squat teaches you to lift with a neutral spine, protecting your lower back during the dangerous “pick” phase of the Atlas Stone load.
Quad Dominance fuels Triple Extension: Stone loading requires explosive triple extension (ankles, knees, hips). The front squat targets the quads, which are the primary drivers of this explosive movement.
Mobility is manageable: While front rack mobility is a common barrier, it can be improved. Better mobility leads to a better shelf for the stone and safer loading mechanics.

Why Front Squats Are the Best Squat Variation for Atlas Stones

In the world of strength sports, the Back Squat is often called the “King of Exercises.” However, in the specific context of Strongman and Atlas Stones, the Front Squat wears the crown.

The reason lies in the mechanics of the load. When you perform a low-bar back squat, you are training your body to move a weight that is positioned across your posterior chain. This allows you to lean forward, utilizing your hips and lower back leverage to move massive amounts of weight. While this builds raw strength, it does not replicate the specific struggle of a stone load.

An Atlas Stone is an “anterior” load. It sits in your lap, on your chest, or on your shoulder. Throughout the entire movement, the stone is actively trying to pull your thoracic spine (upper back) into flexion (rounding forward). If you let that happen, you drop the stone.

The Front Squat replicates this fight perfectly. By placing the barbell across your front deltoids, the weight creates a moment arm that pulls you forward. To complete the rep, you must fight to keep your chest up and your elbows high. This is arguably the exact same muscular demand required to keep a stone tight to your chest during the transition from the lap to the platform. If you can stay upright with 400 lbs choking you in a front rack position, you can stay upright with a stone.

Building Core Stability for Stone Lifting with Front Squats

Ask any veteran Strongman where they feel the Front Squat the most, and they likely won’t say “legs” first—they will say “core.”

To improve your stone lifting, you need more than just flexible hamstrings and strong glutes; you need a torso of steel. The limiting factor for most intermediate stone lifters is what coaches call “energy leaks.” This happens when your legs generate power against the floor, but your core is too soft to transfer that power into the stone. Your spine rounds, your chest collapses, and the energy dissipates before it ever moves the implement.

Front squats are practically a weighted plank. They demand intense engagement of the rectus abdominis and the obliques to prevent hyperextension or collapse. Furthermore, they hammer the thoracic extensors—the muscles running along your upper spine.

When you train this lift, you are teaching your central nervous system to brace effectively under heavy compression. Atlas stone training actually generates less spinal compression than overhead log presses, but only if the stone is kept close to the body’s center of mass. Front squats teach you that discipline: if the bar drifts away from your center of mass, you drop it. If the stone drifts, you miss the load.

Improving Front Rack Mobility and Wrist Flexibility

A common complaint among strongmen is, “I can’t front squat because my wrists hurt.” This is a valid concern, but it is usually a symptom of a different problem.

If you are struggling to get into a good front rack position, the issue is rarely your wrists alone—it is usually tightness in your lats, triceps, and thoracic spine. When your lats are tight, they pull your elbows down. When your elbows drop, the bar rolls forward onto your wrists, causing pain.

Why does this matter for stones? Because stone lifting requires you to be comfortable in uncomfortable positions. You need to wrap your arms far around a wide object (the stone) and eventually bring it high onto your chest. Improving your front rack mobility has a direct carryover to how high you can position the stone on your chest.

Quick Mobility Fixes:

Lat smash: Foam roll your lats before squatting.
Prayer Stretch: Kneel with elbows on a bench, hands together in prayer, and drop your chest toward the floor to stretch triceps and lats.
Grip width: Try widening your grip on the bar; you don’t need a narrow clean-grip to front squat.

If mobility is truly a roadblock, you can use straps to hold the bar (looping them around the bar and holding the strap ends) or use a cross-arm “bodybuilding” grip. However, fighting for that front rack position is worth the effort for the upper back gains it provides.

Programming Front Squats Into Your Strongman Training Routine

You don’t need to front squat every day to see results. In fact, because the lift is so taxing on the upper back and core, frequency should be managed carefully.

Most Strongman programs slot Front Squats in as a primary accessory movement on lower body days, usually 1–2 times per week.

Option A: The Strength Driver If your leg strength is the issue, make Front Squats your main lift for the day.

Protocol: Work up to a heavy triple (3 reps), then back off for 3 sets of 3–5 reps.
Goal: Pure strength and neurological adaptation.

Option B: The Hypertrophy Accessory If you Back Squat or Deadlift first, use Front Squats afterward to build muscle and core endurance.

Protocol: 3 to 4 sets of 6–8 reps.
Goal: Time under tension. This forces your upper back to fight fatigue, simulating the feeling of the final stone in a 5-stone series.

Remember, recovery is key. Front squats place a high demand on the lower back stabilizers. If you are also doing heavy deadlifts and event training (like yoke or stones) in the same week, ensure you aren’t overloading your spinal erectors to the point of injury.

Common Front Squat Mistakes That Kill Stone Performance

If you perform the front squat poorly, you will get poor results. Here are the mistakes that will kill your carryover to the stones:

The “Stripper” Squat: This happens when your hips shoot up faster than your chest out of the hole. This turns the squat into a weird, front-loaded Good Morning. This is dangerous and trains the wrong pattern. In a stone load, if your hips shoot up first, the stone falls out of your lap. You must drive the chest and hips up together.
Cutting Depth: Partial squats yield partial results. To lap a stone, you have to get low. You need strength in the bottom range of motion. If you stop your squat three inches above parallel, you aren’t building the strength needed to break a heavy stone off the floor.
Dumping the Chest: As you fatigue, it’s natural to let your upper back round. Don’t accept this. If your back rounds, the set is over. You are training to build rigidity; practicing sloppy reps trains you to fail under pressure.

For a deep dive on form, check out Nerd Fitness’s Definitive Guide to the Front Squat.

Ideal Front Squat Depth, Reps, and Intensity for Strongmen

How deep is deep enough? For stone lifting, you want to go as deep as your mobility allows without your lower back rounding (butt wink). Ideally, this means your hamstrings are touching or nearly touching your calves—”ass to grass.”

Why? Because the “pick” of an atlas stone is extremely low. You are essentially doing a deficit deadlift or a deep squat to get the stone from the floor to your lap. You need to be comfortable producing force from a fully compressed position.

Rep Ranges:

Heavy (1-5 reps): Best for neural drive and maximal static strength. This helps with that “one motion” stone load where you need massive power.
Moderate (6-12 reps): Best for hypertrophy. Strongman is a mass-moves-mass sport. Bigger quads generally move bigger stones.

Intensity: Avoid maxing out (1 rep max) too often. A 1RM Front Squat is incredibly taxing. It is often better to train in the 80-90% range where you can maintain perfect technique. If you are grinding a rep so hard your form breaks down, you are practicing the injury mechanics you are trying to avoid.

Complementary Exercises to Maximize Stone Lifting Gains

While the premise of this article is that you should do Front Squats to improve your stone lifting, they are not a magic bullet. They are part of a system.

Front squats are anterior-dominant (quads and core). To balance your body and fully prepare for stones, you must pair them with posterior-chain exercises.

Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs): These build the hamstrings and glutes without the lower back fatigue of conventional deadlifts.
Sandbag Carries: These teach you to breathe while your chest is compressed, similar to holding a stone. Loaded carries are essential for building the moving strength required in strongman.
Stone-to-Shoulder: If you have access to stones, you must practice the skill itself. The squat builds the engine, but practicing with the stone builds the driver.

By combining heavy Front Squats for force production with direct stone work for technique, you create an athlete who is not just strong, but efficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the front squat better than the back squat for stone lifting? The front squat’s anterior load position mirrors the stone’s approach from the front of your body. This forces you to maintain an upright torso and builds the specific anterior core stability and upper back strength needed to keep the stone close. The back squat allows for more forward lean and doesn’t replicate the “crush” of the stone on the chest.

How much weight should I use for front squats if I’m new to the movement? Leave your ego at the door. Start with just the empty bar to master the rack position and depth. Once comfortable, many strongmen find that working in the 3–5 rep range builds the necessary strength, while 6–8 reps is great for building muscle size.

What should I do if my wrists hurt during front squats? Wrist pain is usually a mobility issue in the lats and triceps, not just the wrists. Incorporate daily mobility work like prayer stretches and lat rolling. In the meantime, you can use lifting straps to secure the bar or try a cross-arm grip.

How deep should I squat in a front squat? Go for full depth—thighs well below parallel. The initial “pick” of an Atlas Stone requires deep knee flexion. Training partial squats limits your strength in the exact position you need it most for lapping the stone.

How often should I train front squats for stone lifting? Most athletes see great results training them 1–2 times per week. Because they are highly taxing on the upper back, you don’t need to do them every day. Treat them as a primary lift on your leg day.

What are the most common front squat mistakes that hurt stone lifting performance? The biggest killers are leaning forward (dropping the chest) and letting the elbows drop. Both of these shift the weight away from your quads and stress the lower back, destroying the carryover to stones. Stay vertical!

Can front squats alone improve my stone lifting, or do I need additional exercises? Front squats are the best gym accessory, but they don’t replace stone training. You need to combine them with posterior chain work (like deadlifts) and, most importantly, actually lifting stones or sandbags to practice the technique and grip.

Do Front Squats to Improve your Stone Lifting