You often hear people in gyms saying “you've got to squat” At face value, it’s undoubtedly useful advice. Squatting is a great way to build muscle in your legs and also strengthen your core and upper body.
However, squatting is not just one exercise; it is a movement that can be done in many ways. Telling someone to squat is like telling them to eat in that it is something that is necessary for survival. It’s well-intentioned but vague. The barbell back squat is often seen as the default “squat” and other movements are just seen as variations of it.
Muscle Recruitment
Back squatters must lean forward significantly during the exercise. When you lean forward during a workout, you recruit more of your posterior chain, which includes your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, to help keep your upper body stable. The lower back is used a lot during back squats.
Although lower back involvement can help improve someone's strength, it can also be a problem for people who already have lower back issues.
The front squat requires more use of the muscles in the front of the body, including the abdominals, hips, and quadriceps. The barbell is supported across the front of the shoulders, keeping the load closer to the body's center of gravity and preventing any drastic forward leaning.
Standing up straight with your shoulders back reduces the amount of strain on your lower back while also causing your abdominal muscles to work harder. The front squat requires more mobility in the wrists and elbows to keep the bar in place, while the back squat often times requires more mobility in the shoulders to stay stable with the bar.
This suggests that, when squatting, you should focus more on how deep you are going, rather than where the bar is positioned. When you squat deeply, you engage more of your hamstrings and glutes, as opposed to just your quads. (2)
Squatting in a relatively higher position with your thighs parallel to the ground or higher will help to build muscle in your quadriceps. Research has shown that the front squat results in greater activation of one of the quadriceps muscle groups, but not the entire muscle. (3)
The position of the torso in a front squat may often allow the person to achieve a deeper squat with less overall strain, but many people are able to reach comparable depths with a back squat.
Joint Strain
The back squat is often considered to be more stressful to joint structures in both the upper and lower body than other exercises. (4)
When you wear a backpack, it is important to have an engaged lower back and a forward lean to avoid putting too much strain on your hips and lower back.
The shoulder joint can be put under a lot of strain when you have to hold the bar across your back, especially if your chest and shoulder muscles are very tight, or if you already have shoulder problems.
Joint stress can often be lessened by changing where you put your feet, how wide your stance is, where your hands are, and how deep you squat. The back squat is usually more difficult on the joints than the front squat.
Although the front squat can be beneficial, it can put stress on the wrist joints because the bar is held in the “rack” position. In this position, the palms are facing the ceiling and the fingers are under the bar near the shoulders.
Changes can be made to account for reduced movement in the wrists. Lifters can adjust their grip to make it easier, use a crossed arm position, or attach long lifting straps to the bar. When squatting with a barbell, the position of the wrist can put strain on the joint. The barbell back squat is the most popular and effective type of squat. The barbell back squat is a very effective type of squat, and is especially good for people who have wrist problems.
Front Squats vs. Back Squats: Everything You Need To Know For Building Muscle
There are two types of squats that are popular, front squats and back squats. Each of these squats works different muscle groups and has different advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will compare the two types of squats and discuss the pros and cons of each so that you can decide which squat is right for you.
What’s The Difference Between a Front Squat and a Back Squat?
With the front squat, the barbell is positioned across the front of your shoulders, while with the back squat, the barbell is positioned across the back of your shoulders. When doing a front squat, you hold the bar in your hands (or directly on your shoulders) and your front deltoids support it. The weight in a back squat is loaded on the backside of your body, as opposed to a front squat where the weight is loaded on the front side of your body.
When you front squat, you use more of the muscles in the front of your body, including your quads and core. When compared to other types of squats, back squatting emphasizes the large muscle groups located in the posterior area of the body, such as the glutes, hamstrings, and back.
The position of the barbell affects the movement during the exercise. “Back squats target the hips more than any other movement,” says Don Saladino, owner of Drive Health Clubs in New York City (where he trains stars such as Hugh Jackman and Blake Lively). If you can, imagine your hips being pushed back by an invisible string” To fix this, pretend there is a string attached to your hips that is pulling them back as you do the exercise. This will help keep your torso upright. The position of the weight in a front squat forces the body to remain more upright than when back squatting, or else the bar will be dropped at the feet. Saladino says that the front squat is a more quad-dominant movement.
The front squat and the back squat differ slightly. According to Saladino, squatting is comparable to moving while in a plank position. Your shoulders, abdominals, and back must work together to support good form as your legs move through a full range of motion. Squats are perhaps the most functional and challenging exercise you can do.
How To Perform The Front Squat
Step 1. To begin, hold the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and your elbows pointing forward, so that you can position the bar over the tips of your fingers (palms face up). As long as you extend your arms in front of you, you will be able to balance the bar.
You can also hold the bar in front of your shoulders by crossing your arms (left hand in front of right shoulder, right hand in front of left, as pictured below). If you want to do a front squat with the barbell on your shoulders, you will need to be reasonably flexible in your shoulders and wrists in order to position the barbell correctly. The cross-arm version of the front squat may be the better option for you if you don't have it.
Step 2. Remove the bar from the rack and take a step back, positioning your feet so they are hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Turn your toes out slightly. What this is saying is to try and use your feet to twist the floor as if you were standing on grass. You should feel a tightening in your glutes and see your feet's arches raise.
Step 3. Squeeze your ribs down and take a deep breath into your stomach, bracing your core muscles. Your head, spine, and pelvis should be in alignment with each other—your pelvis should also be perpendicular to your spine, and not tilted toward the floor. Fix your gaze on a point in front of you.
Step 4. Bend your knees and lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground and your elbows are inside your knees. Be sure to keep your elbows pointing forward, and raise them if they start to drop. The ideal position would be for your hips to be lower than your thighs.
Your knees must stay in line with your toes. Doing this will almost guarantee that you will not be able to push them out.
Step 5. Push your hips forward and straighten your legs to stand up, using the muscles in the middle of your feet and your buttocks.
The bar position in a front squat is less stable than in a back squat, so you won't be able to use as much weight. If you’re accustomed to doing back squats, be sure to change your technique accordingly.
Using Straps To Front Squat
One way to make the front squat more comfortable is to attach lifting straps to the barbell. The classic front squat position, called the rack position, requires a lot of mobility in the shoulders, wrists, and fingers that many people don't have. The straps allow you to rest the bar on your shoulders instead, making it much easier to stabilize the bar.
To use this grip, loop the straps around the bar, and then wrap the loose ends around your hands. After removing the bar from the rack, hold onto the straps. Dr. John Rusin can be seen demonstrating this technique in the video below.
How To Perform the Back Squat
Step 1. To set up for this exercise, you will need a squat rack. Grasp the bar with your hands as far apart as is comfortable. Place the barbell on your back so that it rests on your traps or the back of your shoulders, then step under the rack and squeeze your shoulder blades together and down, wedging yourself under the bar.
The “low-bar” squat describes the position of the bar as being lower down on the back, just below the shoulder blades The high-bar squat has the bar placed high on the traps, just below the neck. The low-bar squat has the bar placed lower on the back, just below the shoulder blades. If you feel more stable with the bar resting lower on your back, across the rear delts, you're doing a “low-bar” squat. The former position is better for staying more upright with your torso, and hitting your quads. The first option may allow you to lift heavier, but you'll have to lean forward more on the descent. Either technique is OK. Try out both approaches and see which one you feel more comfortable with.
Step 2. When you are ready to start the lift, take a deep breath and bend your knees, moving your hips back as you descend. Stand up by extending your hips and knees, pressing the barbell overhead until your arms are straight. -Remove the barbell from the rack and take a step back, placing your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly outward. -When you are ready to lift, take a deep breath and bend your knees, moving your hips back as you descend. -Stand up by extending your hips and knees and pressing the barbell overhead until your arms are straight. Try to imagine that you are screwing your legs into the floor without actually moving your feet. You will feel your glutes tighten and the arches in your feet rise.
Step 3. To improve your posture and engage your core, pull your ribs down and take a deep breath into your belly. Your head, spine, and pelvis should form a long, straight line. Your pelvis should be level, not tilted down toward the floor. Stare at a point in front of you.
Step 4. Bend your hips back as if you were going to sit in a chair, but continue to screw your feet down. As you lower your body, bend your knees and push them out. Get as close to the ground as you can while still maintaining good posture. If you can, you should be able to lower yourself until your hip crease is below your thigh tops.
Your knees must stay in line with your toes. Doing this will almost certainly ensure that you cannot push them out.
Step 5. Stand up by extending your hips and knees and pushing through the middle of your feet. Squeeze your glutes as you stand.
Front Squat Benefits
If you want to build bigger quads, you should include front squats in your workout routine. Bodybuilders build their leg workouts around front squats in order to target their quads more effectively. If you want to train for Olympic weightlifting, the front squat is key to the clean and jerk. This exercise will give you the strength and technique you need to start your weightlifting training.
Squatting with a vertical torso is safer for your lower back than squatting with a bent torso. According to Saladino, people commonly cannot maintain a neutral lumbar spine when back squatting. If someone is squatting and their lower back rounds over, they are putting themselves at risk for injury. When performing the front squat, your spine is aligned, allowing your torso to move vertically, which decreases the likelihood of experiencing an injury due to shearing forces.
The study found that the front squat required less hip extension and more knee flexion than the back squat. One study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the biomechanical differences between front and back squats and found that the front squat required less hip extension and more knee flexion than the back squat. The researchers found that the back squat placed significantly more compressive forces on the lumbar spine, and concluded that front squats may be the better choice for lifters with knee problems such as meniscus tears, as well as for long-term joint health.
