The front squat is a great squat variation that will strengthen the legs but doesn’t get much credit for strengthening the upper back. It also gets too much recognition by personal trainers as the “safest” squat, which is all bull shit, I wrote why here. Keep in mind that this is also coming from an Olympic Weightlifting Coach.
Upper Back Strength
The front squat challenges your upper back strength simply because the bar is front of your body. Your upper back is in constant tension to stay upright, otherwise you’ll lose positioning and drop the bar. Don’t believe me? Give a medium weight for an accumulation volume such as 5×5, 8×4-5, or 10×3-5 and then tell me you’re upper back isn’t fatigued.
Also I’m not quite sure why some personal trainers or sports performance coaches have their athletes sit so far back when utilizing the front squat??? Here at Fusion Performance Training, we have our guys stay as upright as possible to load the legs instead of the lower back, like so:
Anywho, let’s get into some primers that’ll help you into the front squat groove.
Soft Tissue Manipulation, Mobility, & Flexibility for the Front Squat
If you haven’t figured it out by now I’m a BIG fan of fascial stretching, so utilizing the band is a must in my eyes.
Here’s a quick example:
Another great hip flexor one:
We all know about foam rolling but the polisher is a must too, this mimics the “Power Plate” but doesn’t cost you 5k, it’s a mere $30! Check out my post on using the polisher for recovery here.
It may sound like only an idiot would recommend a polisher as a warm up tool but it’s honestly amazing! After testing it out and utilizing for my guys, I can’t see anything wrong with it.
Wrist Issues
One of the biggest complaints I hear when front squatting is getting a pain in the wrist. This is a SIMPLE fix, all you’ll need is wrist straps, which cost practically nothing.
Simply loop it around the bar where you typically grasp and boom, you’re able to do the front squat!
This is also a great alternative for lineman and linebackers to save their wrist from getting even more beat up.
Putting it Together
Ideally, I’d have my guys set up their warm up like so:
- Polisher/Foam Roller
- Fascial Stretch
- Dynamic Warm up
- Mobility Drill + Activation
If you don’t have all the time, I’d definitely recommend utilizing the polisher and then jumping into your dynamic warm up. The polisher is super quick and effective, while the foam roller has it’s place, it does take a bit more time versus the polisher.
Stay strong,
Team Fusion
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