Front squats should be a part every athletes exercise program, at least intermittently throughout the course of the year. Not only are they the foundation on which to build a powerful clean, but they are an exercise that can build insane full body strength and athleticism even if you are not interested in Olympic weightlifting. There may be problems for some people who lack the requisite flexibility to properly hold the bar, but a few stretches and some practice will eventually help them attain the required flexibility to get the most out of the exercise. You can see in the photo to the left, to maintain proper positioning for the front squat, you must have decent full body flexibility. The lifter will have a vertical torso, feet flat, knees tracking parallel with the toes, elbows up high and bar resting naturally on his rack, deep into his throat.
There must be great ankle mobility or the lifter won't be able to sink straight down and his butt would shoot back, making it impossible to maintain an upright torso to hold the barbell with the body correctly. When a lifter has poor ankle mobility, it looks as if he is squatting in ski boots, with shins locked in a vertical position. Adequate mobility of the knee is important, so you can get as low as possible. This absolute depth is imperative if you are interested in Olympic lifting so you can get under the heaviest weights possible, as you will not be able to pull max loads from the ground as high as you would a power clean. Strong and flexible hamstrings, quadriceps, and trunk muscles are necessary to support large loads. Flexible shoulders and triceps are necessary to keep the bar in place. We need to bend fast without breaking, which requires strength, speed, power, agility, coordination and mobility. The combination of all these qualities are what makes a dominant athlete. Performed light, front squats are an outstanding loaded stretch. Performed heavy, they are one of the best strength building exercises an athlete can perform. Check out Jackie's front squats below, as I consider her to have decent technique.
If you are lacking any of the above qualities, here are some ways to enhance your mobility, increase your strength, and improve your performance.
First, be sure to hit your Daily Dozen regularly. A properly executed front squat requires that the whole body works systemically to perform the exercise. The daily dozen will help you gain more full body mobility. You may also use straps around the bar to help with your rack position until you acquire the necessary flexibility to hold the bar properly. If you perform the wrist series in the following video regularly, it will dramatically increase your range of motion.
First, be sure to hit your Daily Dozen regularly. A properly executed front squat requires that the whole body works systemically to perform the exercise. The daily dozen will help you gain more full body mobility. You may also use straps around the bar to help with your rack position until you acquire the necessary flexibility to hold the bar properly. If you perform the wrist series in the following video regularly, it will dramatically increase your range of motion.
| Now that you have some drills for the wrist and forearms, you need to get the elbows, triceps and shoulders moving right. To do that, it helps to foam roll the triceps, lats and ribs while stretching the triceps and obliques, as they all tie in together and will move better with some manipulation. This is outlined well in the following front squat tutorial video. | |
In the front squat, it is important that the barbell is not supported by the hands and arms, they are merely just going along for the ride. You will maintain a relaxed grip on the bar in the rack position with possibly only one finger in contact with the barbell. The hands will be approximately a fist width from the shoulders in the rack position. I usually start my athletes off with goblet squats to mobilize the hips and legs, then we learn how to Zombie squat, or Frankenstein squat, whatever terminology you prefer. The Zombie squat is great to teach the athlete how to support the bar on the body and not rely on the hands for assistance. Simply place the bar on the shoulders and release the hands out in front of you, protracting your scapulae and elevating your shoulders while maintaining a neutral spine. Lift the arms until the bar rests between the peak of your deltoids and your throat, almost choking you. Do not allow your spine to collapse into flexion when you protract your scapulae. Once this position is found, the athlete will bend at the knees and hips simultaneously while maintaining arms parallel to the floor and a vertical torso. If the athlete can't perform the Zombie squat without the bar rolling down the arms, added mobility and soft tissue work in isolation may be necessary. Time and diligence will fix the problem.
If you're only doing front squats to big bigger legs, it would be fine to hold the bar with crossed arms and not worry about flexibility. But if you're an athlete and use the front squat as an assistance exercise to the clean as well, I recommend you avoid the body builder crossed arms hold, and learn how to rack that bad boy on your shoulders properly. A proper rack will also force full protraction of the shoulder blades and proper extension of the T spine, which does not occur when crossing your arms. Also notice in the photo, Dave Draper is squatting in loafers and putting a 2x4 under his heels. Loafers are a flat shoe which keep you conected to the ground without a lot of cushion like todays running shoes, which makes them a decent squatting shoe. The elevation of the heel with the 2x4 would be necessary for many athletes who lack adequate ankle flexibility. Over time you could replace the 2x4 with a 1x4, then nothing at all. Or you could use Olympic weightlifting shoes that have a built in elevated heel.
If you're only doing front squats to big bigger legs, it would be fine to hold the bar with crossed arms and not worry about flexibility. But if you're an athlete and use the front squat as an assistance exercise to the clean as well, I recommend you avoid the body builder crossed arms hold, and learn how to rack that bad boy on your shoulders properly. A proper rack will also force full protraction of the shoulder blades and proper extension of the T spine, which does not occur when crossing your arms. Also notice in the photo, Dave Draper is squatting in loafers and putting a 2x4 under his heels. Loafers are a flat shoe which keep you conected to the ground without a lot of cushion like todays running shoes, which makes them a decent squatting shoe. The elevation of the heel with the 2x4 would be necessary for many athletes who lack adequate ankle flexibility. Over time you could replace the 2x4 with a 1x4, then nothing at all. Or you could use Olympic weightlifting shoes that have a built in elevated heel.
At first it is a good idea to perform the movement slowly, and pausing at the bottom to solidify a stable position in the bottom of the squat. Once proficiency has been developed in the movement, you will add speed and literally bounce out of the bottom of the squat. You will control the descent for the first two-thirds of the movement, but the final third will speed up, hit the bottom and rebound hard to bounce out of the hole, maintaining proper spinal extension and never allowing your back to collapse. When rising out of the hole, lift your elbows and your chest and drive out hard and fast.
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Benefits of front squatting
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