

They try it, can’t get into the right position, feel like they’re being choked to death, and abandon it forever. Most people don’t have the wrist mobility to hold the barbell properly when they first try the front squat. I’d say it’s a lift that only a mother could love, but we’ve asked plenty of mothers to try it. However, the front squat is a brutal lift with a rough learning curve. The goal with the front squat is to work your knees through a complete range of motion, even if that limits how much weight you can lift.
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How to do the front squat (tutorial video).Īs you do your front squats, you might want to keep a few cues in mind: Here’s a video of Marco teaching the front squat: That means squatting with a more upright torso, sitting your butt “down” instead of “back,” and holding the barbell in front of your body instead of on your back. If your goal is to gain overall size and strength, you’ll want to squat less like a powerlifter, more like an Olympic weightlifter. And because of how deep the range of motion is and how much muscle growth it stimulates, the front squat is also popular in Olympic weightlifting and among athletes. It works the knees through the deepest range of motion, which is ideal for bulking up the quads, and it works our upper bodies hard enough to stimulate muscle growth all through our torsos. Where the front squat excels is in hypertrophy training, where the goal is to stimulate muscle growth. It doesn’t allow us to lift enough weight. As a result, the front squat isn’t viable in powerlifting. Most people can low-bar squat about 25% more weight than they can front squat. Holding the barbell in front of you also gives your upper back a greater challenge, turning the squat into full-body lift.īecause we’re squatting deeper, and because we need to support the weight with our upper backs, the front squat is a lighter squat variation. This puts a greater stretch on your quads, which is great for stimulating muscle growth. But having the barbell in front of you allows you to maintain a more upright torso, freeing up space in your hips, and allowing you to sink even deeper into your squat. The front squat is a squat with the barbell held in front of you.īit of a weird way to hold a barbell, yes. The front squat is a squat with the barbell held in front of you, resting on the crease between your shoulders and your collarbones, up against the front of your neck. How Much Weight Should You Be Able to Front Squat?.High-Bar Squats (General Strength Variation).Racked Squats (Heavy Dumbbell Variation).Goblet Squats (Beginner Dumbbell Variation).Which Squat Variation is Best for Building Muscle?.The Front Squat is Better for the Upper Back.Squats Help Prevent Fat Gain While Bulking.Squats Stimulate the Most Overall Muscle Growth.Are Squats the Best Lift for Building Muscle?.

What Muscles Does the Front Squat Work?.
