Benefits and advantages of front squat!
Squats are the ace movement of straight-line sports training. They are indispensable for developing lower limb strength, improving muscles and sports performance.
But many people just think of squats. You will think of the way you hold a barbell on your back. In fact, this is not the only way to do squats. There are many variations, such as the front squat we are going to talk about today!
The front squat with the barbell against the neck seems to be only used in the Olympic weightlifting field You can see that it may be because the movement is quite difficult and most people are unfamiliar with the front squat, but that does not prevent it from being a good movement! Even beyond the back squat!
Several advantages of the front squat:
1. Friendly to the lower back
People who have been doing back squats for many years will feel some discomfort in their lower back, while front squats will make your lower back more comfortable. There is not so much pressure on the back!
Because of the change in the position of the bar, the angles of the trunk, hip joints, and knee joints will change when we squat at the bottom!
Because we must ensure that during the squat movement, the movement trajectory of the barbell is always downward and vertical to the mid-foot! Only when the moment between the barbell and the center of the sole of your foot is zero (the barbell and the center of the sole of your foot are in line when viewed from the side) is the most ideal (stable enough) situation, which can help you lift heavier weights.
In this way, when we perform front squats, the torso will be more upright and the shear force on the lower back will be reduced, which will help you reduce the pressure on the lower back! If you lean forward or are hunched over, the barbell will fall, so you have no choice
2. Same effect with a lighter weight!
Research has pointed out that because the weight configuration of the front squat is different from that of the back squat, if you choose a lighter weight than the load used in the back squat, you can still achieve the same results as the back squat. stimulating effect. In other words, if your goal is to lift heavier weights, you can choose back squats, but if you are not weight-oriented or you have back problems, then front squats will be a good choice
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3. More core activation
You will feel it more clearly during the front squat movement To activate the strength of your core muscles, if your core does not work hard to maintain a stable and neutral spine, your barbell will fall forward uncontrollably. This is very easy to detect!
4. More quadriceps involvement
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Due to the position of the bar in the front squat, the torso needs to be more upright, and the angle of the knees will be larger forward. As you can see from the picture below, the hip joint and barThe moment between them is very short. For some people with good flexibility, the position of the hip joint will even be directly under the bar (the bar and the hip joint form a vertical line), which means that the moment of the hip joint is almost gone. However, the moment arm between the knee and the bar becomes longer. Basically, the torque from the hip joint is transferred to the knee joint. (Tip: The shorter the torque, the smaller the pressure and the less effort)
5. Helps you learn weightlifting and Clean cleans and other movements!
If you are interested in lifting weights, corssfit, or learning clean (high clean) and other movements to improve explosive power, you must master the front squat movement to get closer!
6. Make your back squat better!
If you just want to improve your back squat strength, such as participating in a powerlifting competition, then the front squat is also a great auxiliary training, it will help you become better !