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Front squats

the_alcatraz

the_alcatraz

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How do these vary from regular squats?

What are the benefits of doing those?

I'm assuming you can't lift nearly as much when doing them?
 
i think that they hit the quads more while back squat hits the hips and glutes more.

also, front squats take more core stability
 
Yeah they have a higher range of motion so they are harder. A set of 20 would be twice as hard as a set of 20 back squats. Love them.
 
It's actually not hard to balance the weight and they actually feels a little easier as far as ROM is concerned but it hurts more as I feel a lot of pressure on my clavicals. Also as others have mentioned, core is taxed more while stabalizing weight and the quads take the brunt of the assault. My lower back is totally fried after doing front squats and I can't go past 315lb while doing front squats because of the pain caused to my clavs. I can go as high as 505lbs on back squats for 10 reps now.
 
the_alcatraz said:
I could presume it's hard to balance that bar on your chest
Click to expand...

Charles Poliquin:

Abandon the Back Squat?

Q: I've read that some strength coaches have practically abandoned the back squat in favor of the front squat, citing that the front squat almost can't be screwed up and poses less risk to the athlete. What do you think about that? And what do you think is a top front squat?

A: Well, the front squat is more highly correlated with performance in lower body extremity sports than the back squat. In bobsledding, alpine skiing, and speed skating, the front squat can help predict times. So, the front squat is a better predictor lift when it comes to testing.


Why? Because if you cheat in the front squat you'll kill yourself. For example, you can lift more weight in the back squat with some forward leaning. You can't do that in the front squat without hurting yourself.

That said, you can't throw away all your tools. I partly agree with these coaches, but I'll keep the back squat in my toolbox. I use a lot of split squats too. There are over seventy ways to squat; saying you need only one is like saying you only need a hammer to build a house.

The best front squat I've ever seen was by a 165-pound weightlifter who front squatted 534 pounds. This wasn't an American college football version either; this guy was ass down, left a stain on the carpet. The strongest front squatters I've seen are guys doing around 3.3 times body weight.

As for the style of front squat, I prefer the Olympic version rather than arms-crossed style. Now, if the lifter's arms are too big or he lacks flexibility, then he can use straps.


One thing to remember when using front squats is to never do more than six reps per set. This is because your rhomboids tire out isometrically before your squads tire concentrically. You don't want to get to a point where you're squatting with a kyphotic posture. That's when accidents happen.

So if you're going to do sets of six, you're going to do usually between five and ten sets. The guy I mentioned above who front squats 534 (an Olympic silver medalist) would do ten sets of six of front squats in the morning and ten sets of ten of back squats at night!
 
for me its just another variation to throw into the mix once in a while. i dont find them to be as effective in my training as the back suat because my training is focused on heavy explosive lifts most of the time.
 
Agree with that quote about using tools in the tool box. Some people are going to respond better to variations.

It's next to impossible with limited time and inclination to increase my back squat after years of lots of squats. Front squats are fresh and I get results with a ME effort.Then I switch to high rep back squats for my 2nd day.

This combination works well if you're looking for both strength and mass.
 
Ok so I tried doing front squats on my last leg day and I couldn't overcome the pain to my wrists from the Oly stance used for front squats. I tried using the crossed arm aproach and couldn't control the weight enough. Any pointers on would be greatly appreciated.
 
lookinfit75 said:
Ok so I tried doing front squats on my last leg day and I couldn't overcome the pain to my wrists from the Oly stance used for front squats. I tried using the crossed arm aproach and couldn't control the weight enough. Any pointers on would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Only other option would be to use straps with the oly version so u don't have to bend the wrists as far, do you know the version I mean?
 
I love them but they can be difficult to do. If you have a lot of arm development the clean position is hard to do. If you have good upper chest development there's a nice groove to sit the bar in though.
 
ExtraMile said:
Only other option would be to use straps with the oly version so u don't have to bend the wrists as far, do you know the version I mean?
Click to expand...
Yup. I think I posted a clip of the strapped version on this same thread so I'll have to check it out again to get a better idea.

Dial_tone said:
I love them but they can be difficult to do. If you have a lot of arm development the clean position is hard to do. If you have good upper chest development there's a nice groove to sit the bar in though.
Click to expand...
The groove you speak of is exactly where I put the bar and it's comfortable there. Also with my arms that much more open (as per the Oly stance) I have much more control over the weight, especially past 315lbs (cross armed stance is no good for me past 315lbs). Unfortunately my flippin arms are getting a little bigger right now because I am actually concentrating on them for once haha. Maybe I have to work on flexibilty as well but the pain I am feeling in my wrists/forarms seems to be that of overload, not hyperextension, if that makes sense.
 
I am up to 510lbs for reps on back squats going as far as I can which is pretty close to ATG. I can crank out 3 sets of 10 at that weight. I couldn't not go past 315lbs on front squats no matter what stance I tried. The problem wasn't the weight or even the balancing act. It was the pain in my wrists/forearms. I will say that with the crossed arm stance my back was under a lot more stress which I was not fond of at all.
 
lookinfit75 said:
I am up to 510lbs for reps on back squats going as far as I can which is pretty close to ATG. I can crank out 3 sets of 10 at that weight. I couldn't not go past 315lbs on front squats no matter what stance I tried. The problem wasn't the weight or even the balancing act. It was the pain in my wrists/forearms. I will say that with the crossed arm stance my back was under a lot more stress which I was not fond of at all.
Click to expand...

wow that's sick weight man ^^

if it was your first time doing front squats, then there is a good chance it will hurt your wrists. I just started doing them as well and it hurt my wrists. I was told by some guys on here to stretch my wrists before doing them next time so you might want to give that a try
 
01.jpg



This has always been my favorite front squat image, it sums up why I do front squats: They make you look like a badass!!!!:evil::evil::evil::evil: 'Nuff said!!!!
 
JDid23 said:
wow that's sick weight man ^^

if it was your first time doing front squats, then there is a good chance it will hurt your wrists. I just started doing them as well and it hurt my wrists. I was told by some guys on here to stretch my wrists before doing them next time so you might want to give that a try
Click to expand...

Yeah it was my first time. I will try again next session and see if it feels any better. The only other solution would be to do them like EM said, with straps. I have a feeling they might not be as effective that way but I like the idea of that much stress on the quads and the Oly position feels like it hits the shoulders/chest/arms big time. At least a lot more than what I feel with back squats.
 
I like clean grip front squats but they used to hurt a bit at first wrist wise. About the oly lifter, competitive lifting it's risky and yeah it hurts.
 
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