Welcome to the Front Squat…
which is an excellent variation of the Back Squat. In this variation the barbell rests on the front of the shoulders (Anterior Deltoids and part of the clavicles) instead of on the upper-back (above the scapula and in the shelf of the traps). Similar to the back squat, an athlete squats by bending through the hips and knees until the hip crease breaks parallel (falls below the knee line. However, in the Front Squat the torso is more vertical and the bar balanced on the athletes’ front shoulders. This balance correlates positively with a strong athletic stance and enhances the bio-mechanical demands needed for the back squat.
(Picture of top Olympic Weightlifter Kendrick Farris performing the Front Squat exercise within the Power Clean exercise)
What are top three reasons why Gibbons STRENGTH coaches the Front Squat?
1- The front squat is the finishing position of the power clean, as the power clean is one of the best exercises to improve explosiveness quickly and transfers over to applying force to the ground on the field. An athlete that isn’t effective with the front squat will lack the catching position for the power clean.
2- The benefits of the Front Squat position are: functionality of the squat movement; transfer to athletic movements required both lower and upper body flexibility, strength, mobility, and balance. Front squat can add additional flexibility; if an athlete is not able to squat below parallel in the back squat they could experience additional flexibility training from the front squat. Front squat emphasizes more core and balance with the quads, hamstrings, and gluteus as the weight is shifted to the front of the athlete instead of their upper back.
3- The Front Squat reinforces hip mobility training and body awareness; wrist and latissimus dorsi flexibility must be performed for the proper racking position of the bar. Many people lack mobility in their wrists and lats to be able to hold the bar in the parallel arm position; thus teaching the front rack position will help coaches engage them in more torso mobility training.
When do we coach the Front Squat?
The coaching team at Cardinal Gibbons High School has demonstrated that the Off-season is the best time to coach the front squat, usually for 6 to 8 weeks done once or twice a week. We do not use the front squat as a substitute for back squats and deadlifts as the intensities are lower. Any student-athlete is taught how to back squat and deadlift first to build initial strength and nervous system control.
The Gibbons STRENGTH team uses the Front squat in the off-season to teach the proper body mechanics in catching a power clean, getting further depth in some student-athletes, and to teach more mobility, flexibility, and control which is essential to success.
Amer Nahhas, BS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, USAW
References:
1- Thomas R. Baechile, NSCA: Essentials of Strength training and Conditioning, 3rd edition.
2- Bird, Stephen P. PhD, CSCS1; Casey, Sean BSKin, BSNutru, CSCS2. Exploring the Front squat. Strength and Conditioning Journal: April 2012 – Volume 34- Issue 2 – p 27-33.
