Front squats, who loves them?

**Amorphic** · 02-27-2008, 06:56 PM

I've switched over to front squats. regular squats hurt my shoulders and i dont like the lower back stress.

front squats take away all this pressure on your lower back, you can keep a straighter posture and get great results. I dont think I'll be going back to regular squats anytime soon.

Who else loves them?

**soulstealer** · 02-27-2008, 07:00 PM

There awesome...!!! except I do them till failure after my back squats...

**Samson"the nazarite"** · 02-27-2008, 07:33 PM

What is the correct way to hold the bar on front squats? I read in a magazine to bend your arms back with your elbows high, and rest the bar on your fingertips supported by top of your shoulders and I personally like the exercise but I as I went up in weight it became to stressful on my wrists. Am I doing this right???

**soulstealer** · 02-27-2008, 07:44 PM

It rest on your clavicle..... and be hold in place by your arms...what your referring to is an Olympic grip...

**Amorphic** · 02-27-2008, 07:46 PM

i cross my arms almost where it looks like im choking myself and rest the bar on my delts

**number twelve** · 02-27-2008, 07:48 PM

i love them but regular squats are still my main leg exercise

**doolo** · 02-27-2008, 07:49 PM

I love em, i dont do them for power so i like to put a 2x4 under my heals and take an extra thin stance.

**Amorphic** · 02-27-2008, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by number twelve

i love them but regular squats are still my main leg exercise

do you feel like you get a better workout with traditional style squats vs the front?

i seem to feel more stress on my leg muscles and better pumps with the front position

**soulstealer** · 02-27-2008, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by Amorphic

do you feel like you get a better workout with traditional style squats vs the front?

i seem to feel more stress on my leg muscles and better pumps with the front position

The biggest thing I notice about front squats is it trashes my glutes/hammies much faster then my quads (I go ass to ankles)..

**naturalsux** · 02-27-2008, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by soulstealer

The biggest thing I notice about front squats is it trashes my glutes/hammies much faster then my quads (I go ass to ankles)..

i get the complete opposite then. regular squats i use more glute and ham. front, i feel it more in the quads.

**Amorphic** · 02-27-2008, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by soulstealer

The biggest thing I notice about front squats is it trashes my glutes/hammies much faster then my quads (I go ass to ankles)..

I felt a lot more ham today than usual, dont know if it was because of the front squats though.

i'll have to do it more and find out which type works what better.

**legobricks** · 02-27-2008, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Amorphic

do you feel like you get a better workout with traditional style squats vs the front?

i seem to feel more stress on my leg muscles and better pumps with the front position

Wow thats weird bro, I just switched over to front squats for the same exact reason as you did. I also feel the front squat is working my legs WAY better than the traditional squat with less stress on my knees/lower back. Also get way better pumps too!

**Amorphic** · 02-27-2008, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by legobricks

Wow thats weird bro, I just switched over to front squats for the same exact reason as you did. I also feel the front squat is working my legs WAY better than the traditional squat with less stress on my knees/lower back. Also get way better pumps too!

**flexin-rph** · 02-27-2008, 10:46 PM

...and you don't overwork your glutes, either!

**intensityfreak** · 02-28-2008, 01:53 AM

i like them alot also, i do alot of squatting and sometimes it doesn't work. i have done some front squats before and when i go all the way down i can feel something in my knee so i will try to stay just below parellel. or should i try to go but to knee.

**green22** · 02-28-2008, 10:21 AM

I love fronts, but sometimes it can be a bitch with 300 plus pounds to balance. Least for me. Probably not much for some of you big rascles. But a great movement.

**ultra40** · 02-29-2008, 03:55 PM

Front Squats really increased my Back squat max. Love em'

**BONE.CRUSHER** · 03-01-2008, 10:08 AM

Today was my first day trying front squats, and i love em. I did legs two days ago and it was my rest day today, but i figured id go do a few sets of front squats and abs. Well first of all i found it to be a heck of alot easier on my lower back. Secondly I could go ATG so much easier. I could go way deeper easier with front squats compared to back squats. At first u have to cut your weight down, but i went up to 225 for 12, first time, not to failure either. I thought it would hurt my shoulders but it never bothered me at all. I could see it hurting if u dont have much mass up top. Anyways front squats rock. I recommend if u have trouble going atg back squats give these a try.

**novastepp** · 03-01-2008, 10:39 AM

yeah, my mom is crazy about em'. i'm not a huge fan though.

**C_Bino** · 03-01-2008, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by soulstealer

The biggest thing I notice about front squats is it trashes my glutes/hammies much faster then my quads (I go ass to ankles)..

You may be doing them wrong imo. Utilizing front squats will actually target the front and lower region of you leg much more.
The closer the weight is towards the front of your feet, the more you begin to work the front and lower portion of your leg.

For example, if you use leg press and put youe feet very high up and use your heels to push you will be utitlizing more semi membranosus and semi tendinosus in your hams, then you move your feet in a bit more to hit biceps femorous. Lowering your feet more will hit your vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius of your quad. Bring you feet all the way down to use your tose almost to push through and you will be hitting your vastus medialis this most (aka tear drop muscle)

Thats why people still put 10 plates under their heels on squats, this way you push through more the front of your feet and hit more of the quads and less hams.

It's an anatomical fact, so if you feel front squats more in your hams my guess is you may be using a smith machine and the weight isnt over your toes or you are just over compensating with your hams because the weight is too heavy for your quads. This used to happen to me.

**novastepp** · 03-01-2008, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by C_Bino

You may be doing them wrong imo. Utilizing front squats will actually target the front and lower region of you leg much more.
The closer the weight is towards the front of your feet, the more you begin to work the front and lower portion of your leg.

For example, if you use leg press and put youe feet very high up and use your heels to push you will be utitlizing more semi membranosus and semi tendinosus in your hams, then you move your feet in a bit more to hit biceps femorous. Lowering your feet more will hit your vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius of your quad. Bring you feet all the way down to use your tose almost to push through and you will be hitting your vastus medialis this most (aka tear drop muscle)

Thats why people still put 10 plates under their heels on squats, this way you push through more the front of your feet and hit more of the quads and less hams.

It's an anatomical fact, so if you feel front squats more in your hams my guess is you may be using a smith machine and the weight isnt over your toes or you are just over compensating with your hams because the weight is too heavy for your quads. This used to happen to me.

good post Bino. that's really good info.

**Drummerboy** · 03-02-2008, 02:10 PM

ill give em a try...is it typical for a person to be able to jump onto the same weight he is using for a standard squat? Im doing 315 now for sets... should i lower the weight for a front squat?

**Amorphic** · 03-02-2008, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Drummerboy

ill give em a try...is it typical for a person to be able to jump onto the same weight he is using for a standard squat? Im doing 315 now for sets... should i lower the weight for a front squat?

lower the weight when you first attempt them, you need to get used to the new back position as well as the change in balance.

once you get the hang of it, you can throw your weights up again

**Drummerboy** · 03-03-2008, 01:32 AM

will do

**Sir Lifts-a-lot** · 03-03-2008, 06:15 PM

They are pretty good if you are a tall drink of water. I used to do them a lot and really liked them. Now I mostly do regular squats or leg presses. They def give me some serious size onn my lower/ outer quads. Def a good exercise if you can get your head out of your ass and use a realistic weight for the exercise. Too many people give up on them because they can't do their usual 500 lbs and move about an inch.

**rockinred** · 03-03-2008, 09:03 PM

How in the world is anyone able to go more than 135 on front squat bar? I usually run my normal squats and burn out the front at the end with this and I feel them burn like CBINO was saying... but the big question for me; where in the heck do you put the bar to prevent it from killing your shoulders? I rep 405 for 8-10 on back and can't handle more then 135 on front squat due to it killing me shoulders.

How would anyone be able to replace normal squats with this?

**Amorphic** · 03-03-2008, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by rockinred

How in the world is anyone able to go more than 135 on front squat bar? I usually run my normal squats and burn out the front at the end with this and I feel them burn like CBINO was saying... but the big question for me; where in the heck do you put the bar to prevent it from killing your shoulders? I rep 405 for 8-10 on back and can't handle more then 135 on front squat due to it killing me shoulders.

How would anyone be able to replace normal squats with this?

i find it very comfortable. i cross my arms and grip the bar with my elbows lifted.

the bar sits between my clavicle and my delts, theres almost a perfect spot for the bar to rest comfortably. also ive found that the bigger your delts are, the more comfortable the bar is when its resting on you.

**rockinred** · 03-04-2008, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by Amorphic

i find it very comfortable. i cross my arms and grip the bar with my elbows lifted.

the bar sits between my clavicle and my delts, theres almost a perfect spot for the bar to rest comfortably. also ive found that the bigger your delts are, the more comfortable the bar is when its resting on you.

I would take it mine hurt bad so these ones won't work for comfort?

**doolo** · 03-04-2008, 10:15 PM

the olympic grip takes alot of pressure off the shoulders for me. I did the regular bb style grip for a while and it always made my shoulders/traps soar the next and and I didnt like going into a chest day with any soarness in my delts.

**InsaneInTheMembrane** · 03-05-2008, 02:20 AM

I used to do fronts and loved them...forgot why I don't do em anymore

note to self: time to throw it back in!

and CBino, good post on leg placement on the leg press

**InsaneInTheMembrane** · 03-05-2008, 02:21 AM

oops, dbl post..sorry

**Narkissos** · 03-05-2008, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by soulstealer

The biggest thing I notice about front squats is it trashes my glutes/hammies much faster then my quads (I go ass to ankles)..

For me it isn't a matter of 'faster'.. but almost equally.

Additionally, because i, like you, go ass-to-ground on these, they rape my spinal erectors.

...Namely because the erectors are contracted statically tru-out this extensive range-of-motion.

-CNS