If the front squat and goblet squat had a sibling, it would be the zombie squat: a variation where you extend your arms straight out in front of you, rest a barbell on the front of your shoulders and lower into a squat without using your hands.
I tested this unusual exercise to see whether it’s as tough as it looks. Spoiler: it absolutely is. It’s brutal on the quads, brilliant for your core and posture and surprisingly helpful for improving squat depth. Here’s what happened when I added it to my leg day.
How to do a zombie squat
A zombie squat, or a no-hands squat, is an advanced variation of the traditional barbell squat and one of my favorite ways to expose and fix poor technique.
The key is balance. You rest the barbell across the front of your shoulders, extend your arms straight out in front of you like a zombie, then squat. Without the support of your hands, you’re forced to keep your chest high, elbows lifted and upper body perfectly aligned. If you don’t, the bar will roll straight off your shoulders and make a very dramatic crash.
It might sound quirky, but there’s method in the madness. This upright position challenges your posture, core strength and upper back. And because you can’t grip the bar, you have to move slowly and with control; it demands 100% concentration from start to finish.
If you’re new to the technique, start with a sandbag, body bar, or even a broomstick before progressing to a barbell.
- Set your stance: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly. Rest the bar across the front of your shoulders (not your neck or biceps).
- Reach forward: Extend your arms straight ahead, make a light fist and keep your chest lifted.
- Lower into your squat: Bend your knees and sit back, lowering until your hamstrings are at least parallel to the floor. If you can, until your hips sit between your ankles.
- Check your form: If the bar starts to roll forward, you’re leaning too far forward or losing alignment.
- Stand tall: Drive through your heels to stand, keeping your posture tall and squeezing your glutes at the top.
What are the benefits of the zombie squat?
Like all squat variations, the zombie squat works the major muscles of the lower body, including your glutes, quads, hamstrings and core. But resting the weight on the front of your body makes it far more quad-dominant than a back squat.
Because you need to stay perfectly upright to keep the bar balanced, you naturally shift your weight back as you lower, which loads the quads. They then have to work even harder to extend the knees as you stand.
The zombie squat also challenges your core, which must stay fully engaged to keep your torso vertical, and your glutes, which stabilize your hips and help maintain alignment. Finally, it tests your spinal erectors and thoracic extensors, which help keep you tall and stop the bar from tipping forward, and the front of your shoulders, which work hard to support the bar.
It’s a humbling, technical and surprisingly effective squat variation. It's also a great way to uncover weak spots in your form.
I added zombie squats to my strength workouts for a week, and here’s what happened
Here's what I noticed.
I got deeper into my squat than usual
I was nervous about loading the bar at first, so I started with an empty barbell. Right away, I noticed how much more upright my torso felt with the weight in front of me, and that lift through my chest gave me far more room to sink deeper into the squat.
The extra depth also demands good ankle mobility for the dorsiflexion needed to let the shin travel forward over the toes. Widening my stance helped too; with my feet slightly further apart and my big toes gripping the floor, I felt stable enough to control the movement without worrying the bar would roll forward.
The wider base also lets my hips travel lower. I stuck to three sets of 10 reps across four strength sessions that week. The first couple of workouts were humbling, so I rehearsed the pattern with lighter weight to nail the balance and positioning. As my confidence grew, I eventually added a light load of just 2.5kg on each side, which was more than enough.
I felt my core shake
I normally rush through squat reps, but the zombie variation forced me to slow everything down. With no hands to stabilize the bar, I couldn’t afford to let my shoulders tip forward or my chest collapse. One wobble and the bar would’ve rolled straight off. Not ideal in a busy gym.
Personal trainer Jack Claxton also taught me a trick that came in very handy: the bracing breath. Before you squat, take a deep inhale into your belly (diaphragmatic breathing), then brace your core as if you’re about to take a punch. Hold that breath as you lower. I used this for every rep, and my core shook, but it kept me solid and in control.
It improved my squat technique
Because of the bar’s positioning, I noticed real improvements in my front squat and clean technique. Zombie squats punish poor alignment immediately, so you have no choice but to stay tall, tight and controlled.
I was also advised to pause at the bottom, which forces you to stay switched on and drive through your heels and quads to stand. No momentum, as slowing everything down makes your muscles work harder for longer.
I sometimes struggle with wrist pain from an old gymnastics injury, so this variation was a welcome change. Without needing to crank my wrists into the front-rack position, it felt far more comfortable and let me focus on getting deeper into the squat. The depth (and the quad burn) were far more intense than with back squats.
Interestingly, the benefits carried over into other exercises, too. Even with simple bodyweight squats, my form improved. I found myself staying more upright, keeping tension and avoiding my tendency to rush and collapse forward. The "self-correcting" nature of having the load in front of you makes zombie squats an excellent teaching tool.
If you’re looking to mix up leg day, zombie squats are a fun challenge and a serious burner.
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