Finally tried front squats with clean grip

[the People's Champ]

GOOD GOD! I think I have found a new favorite exercise here! ever since I have tried doing squats, my love for them has exponentially elevated since. Granted, I didn't use much weight, me being 178 and doing 135 max, but I got as deep as I could and for some odd reason, I got deeper than my normal squat. My grip was just outside shoulder width, and when I unracked the bar, it felt a lot more comfortable than having my arms crossing the bar touching my delts. It felt natural. I can't go atf, my body is vertical, and I think my hips will not rotate forward, so in effect, if I went straight down, my ass would be in front of my heels. anyway, I just wanted to post this accomplishment.

 

[gymtime]

Fuuuuuuck!! I did legs today and had intended to try fronts for the first time. Forgot. Did it the old way.

Good to hear a good review man. They look so damn awkward, but those who've tried them seem to say the opposite. I gotta remember this shit next week. PC - remind me ok?

 

[the People's Champ]

the way I put the bar on my shoulders is that I gripped the bar about shoulder width apart, walked to it and straddled it with my shoulders so that my feet were mor forward than the bar. than I adjusted my grip and stepped back so I wasinline vertically with the bar, and then unracked the weight. it isnt as uncomfortable with the clean grip than it is with the arms crossed underneath the bar. with the clean grip, you have more control, but also, looks like your arms are in a position were than can break, (felt comfortable to me). I was getting stares from all over the gym. good exercise.

 

[the People's Champ]

one last thing, I totally concentrated on how deep I could go as opposed to how much weight I could squat. gymtime, I am suprised that you haven't incorporated this into your workout, judging by your stats. this should be an easy exercise if you know how to properly squat.

 

[gymtime]

Well, like I said. I've watched other guys do them and they've always looked too awkard. Plus I figured they couldn't be any better than regulars. That, and I'm an old man who fears change.

Thanks for the info bro. I will do them next leg day for sure.

 

[the People's Champ]

hey I was hoping my my post would shed some light. hey you are welcome gym time.

 

[Belial]

Excellent, man. Glad to see someone else give them a shot.

A humbling lift at first, but once you get the grip solid, and get used to the balance and movement, you'll love 'em.

 

[ballast]

I'm glad to see more people getting interested in front squats.They are a very productive exercise.I've also found that they allow for a greater range of motion than back squats and even though less weight can be used, I still consider them to be just as beneficial as back squats.

 

[theoak01]

im struggling to get my form down proper on them,im taking a week off from training so im strong for my military testing then ill focuss mroe on getting them done

 

[Freak Show]

i picked up the form faster than i thought i would. Very comfortable with no back or knee strain. Little rough on the ol epiglottis or whatever its called, but I like it. humbling, yes, but you can't beat the recruitment benefits.

 

[gymtime]

For anyone who responded to this thread: How many times did you do fronts before you felt comfortable with them?

 

[the People's Champ]

I was doing fronts for about 3 months, but the my arms crossed underneath the bar. I was sort of uncomfortable about doing fronts that way. I just couldn't get it right. this last time I did squats with the clean grip, it was just natural, I mean it felt like I knew how to do them. maybe because I was used to the range of motion, regardless, I love the clean grip for front squats.

 

[ballast]

It took atleast 5-6 workouts before I was comfortable with my form on front squats.I had problems with wrist flexibility and with maintaining proper bar position.

 

[shaft]

do you guys still do back squats?

 

[the People's Champ]

YES! of course! I do front squats after I do back squats because they hit more of the front portion of the thigh, the quad, whereas back squats hit more of the glutes.

 

[ballast]

I do back squats about once per month, just for a little variation.

 

[TheGame2001]

remember though

Just remember your size is going to come from regular squats and they have to remain the staple of your leg work.

Congrats on the front squats thing although I like crossing my arms over.....

 

[DaCypher]

I found this article that talks about an alternative to the traditional and clean grip methods for doing front squats. It involves using wrist straps to hold the bar. Anyone ever try this?

Also, I was wondering, could you use a military press type grip when doing front squats? It seems like if your shoulders are flexible enough you could just hold on to the bar at the lowest position of a military press.

I'm not flexible enough to do clean grip properly and I don't really like the crossed-hands grips, so I'm looking for any alternatives...

 

[ballast]

DaCypher-The problem with doing a front squat while holding the bar in the bottom position of a military press is that when the weights get heavy, the bar will want to roll forward.This is why the elbows need to be held as high up as possible.As for the grip, I don't close my hands around the bar.I keep my hands open, allowing the bar to rest on my palms and curl my fingers slightly.I've found that you don't need as much flexibility in the wrists when doing them this way as opposed to gripping the bar normally.

 

[Nico Cujo]

Like ballast said, let the bar roll back on your fingertips. It takes a while for the flexibility to come, but it will if you practice. You may want to move your grip in a little closer than a normal press grip. I find that the closer grip takes a lot of stress off the shoulders.

 

[DaCypher]

I still had a bit of trouble even with the open clean grip form. I need to work on my flexibility. I'll keep working at it though, the few reps I was able to get out before my wrists really started bothering me felt very good.

 

[the People's Champ]

didja see my post on how to grip the bar in this thread?

 

[DaCypher]

People's Champ,
Yes, I still have trouble with my wrists when trying to do that. I obviously have very poor flexibility in my wrists, so thats something I'll have to work on. Thanks for the info though...