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Front squat

anthrax

anthrax

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How much do you front squat ass to the grass?

I've not see anybody in my gym doing more than a quarter front squat... :rolleyes:

and what's your bodyweight too?
 
My best was at a b.w. of 225 (about 15% BF) and I could ATF 295 properly, but I believe that I will smash that this time round as I'm only a few weeks back in and I'm at 2x275.

Ronnie Coleman's 4 x 585 looked PFG, but I'm sure that some of the elite oly-lifters could beat that.
 
I've yet to do them as part of a program but was doing them until about a month ago for three or four weeks.

My last session with them was 115Kg (253 lbs) deep in the hole for 3x5 plus my bodyweight of around 265.
 
I can get a lot deeper on my fronts than on my back squats. I'd actually feel comfortable calling it butt to ankles. For some reason, I like to pause in the hole on these.

Last week I did 225 x 2 without too much trouble. BW = 202 lbs.
 
Do you use the pussy pad on front squats? It just digs in to my chest bone because I do them olympic style instead of crossing my arms.
 
cwc73 said:
Do you use the pussy pad on front squats? It just digs in to my chest bone because I do them olympic style instead of crossing my arms.
Click to expand...

no, but I do have a few pounds on you, so some of the gaps are filled with flesh.
 
damn you guys really are hitting some poundage on these front squats...

i don't think i've ever gone over 185 with them... i don't think i've done less than sets of 8-10 though either...

i usually only go to just below parallel with them though, never ATF...

I was under the impression that ATF was not good for the knees...?
 
diesel gli said:
do you guys have anything to back that up...?

i'm just curious...
Click to expand...

ALOT of people with good knees that do them ATF on here say its good....

...and alot of people with bad knees that say going deep is bad....

plus some odd and ends of biomechanics principles thrown in.
 
I rarely do front squats with more than 225 anymore, my best was 275x2@240. I have done 365x3 zercher squats at 290 bw.

Cheers,
Scotsman
 
diesel gli said:
do you guys have anything to back that up...?

i'm just curious...
Click to expand...

Hey buddy, where have you been? I can see you're a plat member with nearly 1000 posts, but we've done this ATF-knees thing to death!

I actually found that doing ATF front squats (something my osteopath reccomended) actually helped to FIX my knees.
 
I have never, ever been able to do this exercise. I have tried so many times and it ended in frustration. Don't laugh - but I could never keep from tipping forward. I can see the benefit of this exercise and was always pretty bummed I couldn't get it right.

Seems to build some serious quad size, at least for those I see do them on a continual basis.

-----------------
Mythicwrld

"We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more."

The success a person achieved in life after life is over is not measured by the material items, wealth or land they acquire. But in the lives they have touched in a positive way and the people who remember them with a fondness and a smile or a tear that they are no longer.
- my brother
 
Try doing overhead squats where you hold the bar with a snatch grip and then squat with the bar up there over you. This will get your balance set. Then you will find front squats easy!
 
musketeer said:
Try doing overhead squats where you hold the bar with a snatch grip and then squat with the bar up there over you. This will get your balance set. Then you will find front squats easy!
Click to expand...

Good advice. not too hijack, but i might have to try them like 2 x 15 after todays's 3x5 workout.
 
musketeer said:
Try doing overhead squats where you hold the bar with a snatch grip and then squat with the bar up there over you. This will get your balance set. Then you will find front squats easy!
Click to expand...

I find the OH squat impossible, even with a broomstick. My arms tend to fall forward, so I guess I have some shoulder flexibility problems...
 
seems like this is one of those things that you have to find out on your own...

i don't think i've ever even heard of an overhead squat... i assume you have the weight locked out over your head...? what's the purpose of this lift...?

does it target anything in particular...? seems more of a power lift than a building lift...
 
I've done 315lbs this time last year, when I weighed about 218-220lbs from memory

clip - right click on link and save as before watching to avoid errors
http://www.members.optushome.com.au...ntSquatPR_315_325xMiss_set12-265x2_4Nov04.mpg


I'm lighter now, and not sure if I could do that anymore, at this very moment. But I'm pushing up my fullsquat right now, so we will is if I can get it up to 365lbs and weigh under 190lbs :)

bloody hard lift, always feels heavy, no matter how much stronger you get!!
 
view said:
Good advice. not too hijack, but i might have to try them like 2 x 15 after todays's 3x5 workout.
Click to expand...

I do them in some function or other in every workout. Back squattin might start out with light overhead as the warmup:

Overhead Squat: (only 'resting' long enough to change the weights)
10 x broomstick
8 x 45 (oly bar)
5 x 65
5 x 95
5 x 115
2 x 135
Back Squat
8 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 225
5 x 5 x ...

I find the secret to overhead squatting is positioning the pelvic tilt correctly at the bottom (so that the base of the spine is completely arched) and then making sure that a very wide grip is used (for me about 1 inch from the ends of the bar). The bar should be behind your head, so that if it fell straight down, it would just graze your traps.
 
coolcolj said:
I've done 315lbs this time last year, when I weighed about 218-220lbs from memory

clip - right click on link and save as before watching to avoid errors
http://www.members.optushome.com.au...ntSquatPR_315_325xMiss_set12-265x2_4Nov04.mpg


I'm lighter now, and not sure if I could do that anymore, at this very moment. But I'm pushing up my fullsquat right now, so we will is if I can get it up to 365lbs and weigh under 190lbs :)

bloody hard lift, always feels heavy, no matter how much stronger you get!!
Click to expand...

Good job and nice video

I've been told that contrary to back squat the feet should be parallel and with a narrow stance when front squatting
What do you think?

On a side note I'm struggling to keep my feet parallel when I start adding the plates due to some lack of flexibility (of the hips?)
 
anthrax said:
Good job and nice video

I've been told that contrary to back squat the feet should be parallel and with a narrow stance when front squatting
What do you think?

On a side note I'm struggling to keep my feet parallel when I start adding the plates due to some lack of flexibility (of the hips?)
Click to expand...

not really, use a comfortable stance. A wider stance will allow you to stay more upright. If you go wider then the feet will angle out more too as well, feet follows the knees and hip angle.

narrow stance will require much more flexible ankles to stay upright, and you can't go as deep.

Oly shoes help a lot!
 
coolcolj said:
I've done 315lbs this time last year, when I weighed about 218-220lbs from memory

clip - right click on link and save as before watching to avoid errors
http://www.members.optushome.com.au...ntSquatPR_315_325xMiss_set12-265x2_4Nov04.mpg


I'm lighter now, and not sure if I could do that anymore, at this very moment. But I'm pushing up my fullsquat right now, so we will is if I can get it up to 365lbs and weigh under 190lbs :)

bloody hard lift, always feels heavy, no matter how much stronger you get!!
Click to expand...

well, the vid shows you unracking the weight, but no lift... :p
 
at this point in time, i can clean more than i can front squat for 5x5. it's that bad.

i must say, it is the most painful exercise because it's freaking hard to keep breathing and keeping perfect form on this on when you are tired. imo, it's even harder than overhead squats (i can ohs as much as i can front squat... well, close)
 
super_rice said:
at this point in time, i can clean more than i can front squat for 5x5. it's that bad. (i can ohs as much as i can front squat... well, close)
Click to expand...

Surely you can't clean 5x5 more than your front squat 5x5! Plus the OH squat is MUCH tougher than the front squat - you musthave some mental block stemming from technique or flexibilty issues!

Are you using an oly grip or creating a shelf withyour clavicals and crossing your hands over the bar? If one way isn't working - try the other!

I've tried FSQ with close parallel and wide stance feet and although I feel more natural using a wider stance, I am equally as strong, but that is probably because I've got stronger outer quads that are more in play with a narrrow stance and cancel out the strength advantage afforded by a wide footing.
 
i've cleaned 100kg for a triple but the clean recovery was very tough... i can't 5x5 front squat 100kg. i use a hook grip/clean rack front squatting, the cross arms thing is lame.
 
super_rice said:
i've cleaned 100kg for a triple but the clean recovery was very tough... i can't 5x5 front squat 100kg. i use a hook grip/clean rack front squatting, the cross arms thing is lame.
Click to expand...

But can you front squat 100k for one tripple - same as the clean?

I suggested the crossed arms technique because some people have inflexibilty in their wrists and can't hold the bar securely using the clean rack.
 
super_rice said:
i've cleaned 100kg for a triple but the clean recovery was very tough... i can't 5x5 front squat 100kg. i use a hook grip/clean rack front squatting, the cross arms thing is lame.
Click to expand...

why is the crossed arms tech lame...?

this is the only one i've ever used... is there a technical advantage to the hook grip...?

what's "clean rack"...?
 
I tried some experimenting on Monday. I totally suck at OH squats. I almost fell over with just the bar. I did some practice at home with a brush so will try again at the gym with the bar.

I tried a clean rack FSq. It was kind of OK but I just feel so much more comfortable with the cross-over and it's rock-solid. Is there any reason for me to change besides that it'd be good practice if I go for more Oly work?
 
diesel gli said:
why is the crossed arms tech lame...?

this is the only one i've ever used... is there a technical advantage to the hook grip...?

what's "clean rack"...?
Click to expand...

The clean rack is the grip used in CCJ's video - don't know what you mean by 'hook grip'.

BLUT WUMP - If Ronnie Coleman uses a cross grip for 6 plates, then I suppose that you will be able to work up to as high as you can get your legs and back to take using a cross grip too.
 
I don't have any problems with elbows high in the cross-grip. I noticed in Svend Karlsen's DVD he uses a cross-grip for front squats. He used to be a proBB, though, before moving to strongman.
 
front squats are a hard exercise, they require you to have a strong torso and shoulder girdle to hold the weight and stay in position, but they also dont let you "cheat" and bring in the back/hips as much as a backsquat... thats why some who can backsquat big weights cant front squat big. one of the guys down here has deadlifted 830lbs and squatted 903lbs, also he benched 606lbs and squatted 953lbs but got 2 red lights and one white on that big squat so no lift. he did come up with it easy though, just needed another inch of depth. anyway, this particular guy, who weighs around 260lbs, cant front squat 500lbs! hes strong for sure, but hes super strong in the hips and back, and not so strong in the quads. so to come up, he has to lean over a little, and you cant do this on the front squat or youll lose the bar. he just doesnt have the quad strength to come up in an upright position.

another guy who i coach, who has clean and jerked 440lbs, can only deadlift about 550lbs, and his best backsquat is only about 600lbs, yet he front squats over 500lbs. but if you look at him, its obvious where his strength is, hes all thighs. very small waist, about 30 inches at 235lbs bodyweight, abs and all that, but his thighs are freaking huge. so even though he doesnt have the hip and back strength to do the big squat and deadlift, he can come up with a big weight in the front squat with those strong thighs. just for trivia, this particular guy has also done an overhead squat with 420lbs, and came close with 440lbs. if you have done overhead squats, then you know how freaking strong this is.

so, i wouldnt worry too much about the ratio of the lifts. this is going to be determined by your body, where you are strong and where you are weak. ideally, you ought to be around 80-85% frontsquat to backsquat, but not many start out this way.

after coaching quite a few people who developed big front squats, i think that the best thing to concentrate on at first is holding the bar right (elbows up!) and getting a good, upright position in the bottom, and not leaning over while coming up. concentrate on form, increase the weights slowly, and eventually youll have a big front squat. i was never good at the front squat... really struggled with it. but over a number of years i increased to 550lbs for a pretty easy set of 5, probably had a lot more in me at the time, but didnt push it any harder than that because at the time i couldnt jerk worth a damn and wasnt going to be needing any more leg strength than that to stand up with what i could jerk, and wanted to use my training energy on jerking instead of killing myself with heavy front squats. so even someone who struggled with flexibility and form can eventually do big weights. dont give up if they dont come naturally.











blut wump said:
I don't have any problems with elbows high in the cross-grip. I noticed in Svend Karlsen's DVD he uses a cross-grip for front squats. He used to be a proBB, though, before moving to strongman.
Click to expand...
 
I've seen some people finishing their explosive concentric part (way up) on their toes....

Glennpendlay, why did you say it's not good to lean over?
 
glennpendlay said:
front squats are a hard exercise, they require you to have a strong torso and shoulder girdle to hold the weight and stay in position, but they also dont let you "cheat" and bring in the back/hips as much as a backsquat... thats why some who can backsquat big weights cant front squat big. one of the guys down here has deadlifted 830lbs and squatted 903lbs, also he benched 606lbs and squatted 953lbs but got 2 red lights and one white on that big squat so no lift. he did come up with it easy though, just needed another inch of depth. anyway, this particular guy, who weighs around 260lbs, cant front squat 500lbs! hes strong for sure, but hes super strong in the hips and back, and not so strong in the quads. so to come up, he has to lean over a little, and you cant do this on the front squat or youll lose the bar. he just doesnt have the quad strength to come up in an upright position.

another guy who i coach, who has clean and jerked 440lbs, can only deadlift about 550lbs, and his best backsquat is only about 600lbs, yet he front squats over 500lbs. but if you look at him, its obvious where his strength is, hes all thighs. very small waist, about 30 inches at 235lbs bodyweight, abs and all that, but his thighs are freaking huge. so even though he doesnt have the hip and back strength to do the big squat and deadlift, he can come up with a big weight in the front squat with those strong thighs. just for trivia, this particular guy has also done an overhead squat with 420lbs, and came close with 440lbs. if you have done overhead squats, then you know how freaking strong this is.

so, i wouldnt worry too much about the ratio of the lifts. this is going to be determined by your body, where you are strong and where you are weak. ideally, you ought to be around 80-85% frontsquat to backsquat, but not many start out this way.

after coaching quite a few people who developed big front squats, i think that the best thing to concentrate on at first is holding the bar right (elbows up!) and getting a good, upright position in the bottom, and not leaning over while coming up. concentrate on form, increase the weights slowly, and eventually youll have a big front squat. i was never good at the front squat... really struggled with it. but over a number of years i increased to 550lbs for a pretty easy set of 5, probably had a lot more in me at the time, but didnt push it any harder than that because at the time i couldnt jerk worth a damn and wasnt going to be needing any more leg strength than that to stand up with what i could jerk, and wanted to use my training energy on jerking instead of killing myself with heavy front squats. so even someone who struggled with flexibility and form can eventually do big weights. dont give up if they dont come naturally.
Click to expand...


Yeah, front squats have always been difficult for me. They feel good though and I notice the difference come the next workout.
 
Quadsweep's Sister said:
Don't laugh - but I could never keep from tipping forward.
Click to expand...
I'm not laughing. I've got the same problem. I almost took a headdive once. Thank god for those safety squat bars...:lmao:
 
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