Front squats

[the_alcatraz]

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?

 

[JDid23]

i think that they hit the quads more while back squat hits the hips and glutes more.

also, front squats take more core stability

 

[Tblock1]

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.

 

[the_alcatraz]

I could presume it's hard to balance that bar on your chest

 

[lookinfit75]

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.

 

[SaiBoT]

I could presume it's hard to balance that bar on your chest

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!

 

[joe d]

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.

 

[lookinfit75]

Nice post Saibot. Can you explain the Oly position for the front squat plz? I am having trouble visualizing it.

 

[lookinfit75]

Is this it? YouTube - Craig Smith 500lb Front Squat
found this one too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkSN3f-a3Ok&NR=1 What a fricken beast! I used to watch this guy in the Olymipic games when he competed.

 

[fortunatesun]

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.