How to Do Front Squats Without Hating Them
To start with, I used to hate front squats too, so I don’t want to hear any “but they hurt my wrists,” okay? The front squat is a great exercise for the legs and—secretly—for the back. They have a great carry over to other things you might want to do at the gym or in life. And they really, really shouldn’t suck.
What is a front squat?
When you think of the barbell squat, you probably think of you holding the barbell on your back. People who do both types sometimes refer to them as “back squats” to distinguish them from front squats in which the bar is in front of you.
In a front squat, the barbell rests on your shoulders right in front of your neck. This means that you need to keep your torso upright as you squat. If you lean forward while doing a back squat, it actually makes the squat a little easier as your back and glute muscles can take over some of the work as your legs get tired. But in a front squat, if you lean forward, the bar falls off your shoulders.
This makes squats great for (a) working the legs, especially the quads, without letting the back take over too much; and (b) keep the body tense and be able to support a large amount of weight in an upright position.
Why front squats are great
Come to think of it, in everyday life it often happens that you need to support weight while keeping your torso upright. Consider bringing a child or a large dog. Or bend your knees to be able to shove your suitcase into the luggage compartment on an airplane. (The second exercise is just a partial front squat, but front squats definitely build the strength needed to perform it.)
And there are sports in which the whole point is to maintain heavy weight in a position similar to the front squat. In weightlifting, the act of the chest lift is exactly the same as the front squat. And the snatch forces you to bend over and move your legs while supporting the bar on the front of your shoulders—another movement of the front squat.
For strongmen, the front squat is often considered a more beneficial exercise than the back squat. They will help you load atlas stones, carry sandbags, and push press logs.
How to comfortably squat with a barbell on your chest
Great, so front squats are a great addition to your routine. But if you’re not comfortable with them yet, you’re probably trying to come up with excuses right now for why you shouldn’t do them.
That’s the problem. When done correctly, front squats are good . It may not be the most comfortable exercise in the world, but the back squat isn’t very comfortable either. If you “can’t” squat with a front barbell, or if your wrists or neck hurt, try these tips:
- Make sure the bar rests on your shoulders and not on your neck or arms.
- Push your shoulders forward to make room for the bar behind your deltoids (shoulder muscles) but before the check.
- Remove your hands completely from the bar. Hold them in front of you like a zombie (sometimes called “zombie squats” or “Frankenstein squats”).
- Keep your arms parallel to the ground the entire time you squat.
When you reach the dead center of the squat—just after you start to climb back—your body will want to lean forward. Resist this urge and keep your shoulders parallel to the floor.
Once you get comfortable with the zombie version, you can grab the bar. Weightlifters will use the “clean stance” position, hands holding the bar outside of the shoulders, because that’s how you hold the bar when you catch the barbell. If you don’t care about your ability to keep a clean stance, you can do like eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and cross your arms in front of you. This allows you to rest your hands on the bar for extra stability, but you still don’t support the bar with your hands. You can also use straps to hold the bar down, as we detailed in this post on how to deal with front squat wrist discomfort .
One of the underestimated benefits of the front squat is that if you have the barbell positioned correctly, it is almost impossible to do it wrong. If you don’t keep your torso straight and your hips under you, you won’t be able to lift the weight.
So remember, as long as you can get your hips under the bar, all you have to do is stand up; and make a friend yell “ELBOWS UP!” every time you get in trouble.
How to Incorporate Front Squats into Your Routine
If you’re a weightlifter, the front squat will be your main squat, and the back squat is a variation. If you are a powerlifter, the back squat is the main exercise, and the front squat is a variation. Whether you’re a strongman or bodybuilder, or just squatting for strength and fitness in general, you get to choose how you spend your time. If you’re not already into the front squat, try adding them (or swapping them) once a week.
Aside from bar placement, you may find that front squats are more difficult in other ways. It is important to note that the front squat is significantly smaller than the back squat. One rule of thumb is that front squats should make up about 85% of back squats. This will vary from person to person, and the percentage will be even lower if you’re not already used to front squats.
Another difference is that front squats require your knees to be in front of your toes. When you do a back squat, you have the choice of either staying more straight and pushing your knees forward, or leaning your glutes back more, which keeps your shins more vertical and usually keeps your knees behind your toes. There’s no reason to worry about where your knees are in relation to your toes (it’s an old myth), but you may find that your Achilles tendons, between your calves and heels, are too tight to allow you to drop below parallel with your heels. on the ground. In this case, it is useful to wear weightlifting shoes with a raised heel , or to put your heels on a pair of plates on the ground.