Difference Between Front and Back Squats Beyond Barbell Placement
Both back squats and back squats can be powerful legs and a strong body. Where they differ in the first place, besides where and how the bar is carried – which muscles each exercise focuses on, how mobile you need to be in order to perform them, and where each should be in your training program.
In general, you cannot squat as much as you can back squat (about 85% of your back squat). Since all the weight is in front of you, the actual squatting movement also changes slightly. Instead of sitting down and leaning slightly forward, as in the back squat, you squat almost straight down. As a result, in front squats, you emphasize your quads and upper back muscles much more.
What’s more, you need flexible wrists, lats , upper back, and healthy shoulders to support the weight in front of you. Some people who lack joint mobility work around this problem by using bracelets or crossing their arms like mummies to balance their weight. But it is also necessary that you have adequate mobility in your hips, groin, and ankles to squat in front, so that your knees do not extend over your toes or do not bend your back completely.
Back squat, generally considered the best for building overall strength (because you can squat heavier), but the front squat really helpful to help you build up strength for the other movements, likeclean ,jerk andsnatch . You can actually include both in your program if you like. It simply means that you can squat more without straining the same muscles.
Front Squat vs Back Squat | Brandon Campbell