question for people who do front squats

[CollegeKid2]

just started doing front squats two weeks ago... like the feel a lot. however, even with just 180 i get massive bruising on my front delts and even some chaffing near the collarbone area.. it basically just looks really bad. and it doesn't feel too hot either.
(btw i criss-cross my arms because i feel it helps to better stabilize the bar when im holding it for the front squat, but it still rolls a bit on my shoulders from the upward movement, which is what i think causes a lot of the brusing). is there any way to avoid this bruising? am i missing something in terms of form?

 

[revexrevex]

Did you try to wear thick sweatshirt?

 

[Zander1983]

You could do Zercher squats with a towel, if you're worried about that type of thing.

 

[slobberknocker]

Bruises are cool. Show them to your girlfriend. She'll be impressed with your manliness.


Or you could wear a long sleeve shirt.

 

[Exodus]

thicken up your chest and shoulders with muscle, fat, or both......lol

or just use a sweat shirt.....or try Zercher squats........ my favorite.

X

 

[Cuthbert]

do them with a clean grip... maybe that will help, might not though.

Your body will adjust.

 

[CollegeKid2]

shit.. i hadnt even thought about wearing a sweatshirt! good idea.. dont know what i'd do without you guys

(and yeah i have to admit the bruises ARE sorta cool but im gonna be going on a cruise for winter vacation and dont want to look all f'd up when shirtless by the pool)

thanks!

 

[ffknight84]

dont be a pussy, ha ha j/k

i have the same problem too, i kinda like it tho, makes ya look tough. just use a thicker shirt or wrap a towel around the bar.

 

[coolcolj]

never had any problems like this

 

[b fold the truth]

It is darn hard for me to keep the bar up there. I have found that if the bar chokes me...it is in the right spot though

B True

 

[d3track]

It is darn hard for me to keep the bar up there. I have found that if the bar chokes me...it is in the right spot though

B True

same here, this means the elbow are up, then the bar won't roll down

 

[rbrown]

do them with a clean grip...

Your body will adjust.

yes; use a clean grip--it will help and is a must in my mind for real front squatting. I don't think I've ever seen anyone be able to use a significant amount of weight with the criss-cross method without encountering problems holding onto the bar. Once you adapt to the clean grip, holding the bar is a non-issue and your brusing problems will go away. You will also be able to use a lot more weight and hit your legs harder as a result.

 

[Becoming]

Dude- those bruises are cool... a sign you actually workout hard... IMO right up there with bruises on your back from benching on a bench with too little padding, and the purple ones on my traps from near max squatting days....

 

[Scotsman]

Becoming and Slobber are right bruises rock. They will scare away the little girlie men. Wait till you do deads and have blood running into you shoes people really stare then.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[Serea]

Your delts will get used to the weight. After a few times they'll just be a little sore.

 

[NWinters]

It is darn hard for me to keep the bar up there. I have found that if the bar chokes me...it is in the right spot though

B True

It chokes me too.....Just find the sweet spot, rest that bar on your delts.

 

[Nonerz]

I use a clean grip--the criss cross technique feels too wobbly to me. I don't get bruises from front squats though...only cleans! I like to tell people that my boyfriend beats me up, even though they sometimes look like hickey's!

I like Zerchers, so don't get me wrong, but they feel much different to me than front squats. Is that a good replacement? I sometimes wear a long sleeve shirt but I usually end up taking it off because I get all hot and sweaty.

 

[spatts]

I do zerchers, and because I can handle more weight comfortably, they are far more productive for their intended purpose in my training.

 

[rbrown]

I like Zerchers, so don't get me wrong, but they feel much different to me than front squats. Is that a good replacement? I sometimes wear a long sleeve shirt but I usually end up taking it off because I get all hot and sweaty.

I also feel Zerchers are not even close to front squats in terms of what they hit. Front squats, when done correctly are almost all quad, and I find using a belt to be of little benefit because your torso is mostly erect.

When I do Zerchers, I use much more low back, a lot of groin muscle and not a whole lot of quad. I think this is due to the fact that you are bending over more and sitting back much more with zerchers than you would in a front squat. Because of these differences, I can do a lot more weight on a zercher than a front squat.

I do not personally find zerchers to be a beneficial movement other than to throw in as the occassional max effort, freak-people-out movement; something about seeing 600 lbs in the crux of your arms freaks people out.

 

[spatts]

rbrown, I pull sumo. I hold heavy zercher fronts directly responsible for huge gains in this movement. If you think about it, a zercher (done wide and ATF) is a lot like a sumo pull, but with the weight held in front of you rather than dangling in front of you. The core strength requirement and recruitment patterns in this movement are exactly where I was weak in the sumo dead. I also see a proportional carry over from this move. My zercher front squat, which is around 300 for a 1RM is almost always 200 behind my potential deadlift max. This ratio has held true for the last 1 1/2, anyway.

Oddly enough, I sit back and bend over more in a clean position.

Depends on your goals, I guess. I believe they hold their purpose, and I certainly don't have valuable training time to put on a show.

 

[Exodus]

It is darn hard for me to keep the bar up there. I have found that if the bar chokes me...it is in the right spot though

B True

agreed. there is a grove that it fits perfect on there.....just not so great for breathing.

X

 

[rbrown]

rbrown, I pull sumo. I hold heavy zercher fronts directly responsible for huge gains in this movement. If you think about it, a zercher (done wide and ATF) is a lot like a sumo pull, but with the weight held in front of you rather than dangling in front of you. The core strength requirement and recruitment patterns in this movement are exactly where I was weak in the sumo dead. I also see a proportional carry over from this move. My zercher front squat, which is around 300 for a 1RM is almost always 200 behind my potential deadlift max. This ratio has held true for the last 1 1/2, anyway.

Oddly enough, I sit back and bend over more in a clean position.

Depends on your goals, I guess. I believe they hold their purpose, and I certainly don't have valuable training time to put on a show.

Yes Spatts, I should have clarified in my post that I do not find them to be a huge benefit to "my" training. I definitely can see how they would be beneficial to a sumo puller. When I re-read my post, it seemed that it could have been construed as being an attack aimed at your post regarding the benefits of zerchers. It was not. I was just trying to keep some inexperienced lifter from thinking "Oh, I'll just do zerchers rather than front squats" and think that they will be getting the same results in terms of quad strength--I do not believe that they will.

I must also state that I did do zerchers for a long time earlier in my training and believe that I retain that strength. I got the the point where I did not feel that was my weakness; rather my quads were; therefore I make an effort to focus on quad training, even though I am a wide stance back squatter. I also do a lot of stone loading, which is in some ways similar to a zercher squat so I am catching the benefits that way.

And I can always find the time to put on a show if willing spectators are around....