Six Reasons To Love Front Squats
One of my favorite lifts is the front squat. We all know that the squat is the king of all exercises! Some may even argue that the front squat is the king of squats, but I will let you decide that one for yourself.
Here are six reasons you should never miss a front squat day.
Reason #1: Better Posture
Front squats hold the load in the front of the body, forcing the upper back to stay upright to enforce good posture.
Strengthening these postural muscles, primarily the core, will train them to activate during all your workouts and can help reduce risk of injury. It can help prevent Kyphosis in the thoracic spine.
Who wants to look like The Hunchback of Notre Dame?!
Reason #2: Increase Flexibility
There is no cheating your way out of front squats.
The front squat will show your weaknesses and lack of mobility right away — especially in the ankles, wrists, hips, and shoulders. The more you practice the front squat, the more flexibility you will gain in your calves, shins, and hips.
Reason #3: Saves the Back
You may have experienced some low back pain a time or two after a heavy back squat day. All the weight is loaded on the spinal column, and even a slight forward lean can translate to lower back pain over time.
With front squats, most of the stress is taken off the low back due to the placement of the weight in the front of the body, resting on the shoulders.
Reason #4: Build a Bulletproof Core
Core strength is not about doing 200 crunches a night and hoping for six-pack abs.
Due to the load position, front squat variations will light up your anterior core like nothing else. In order to maintain a vertical torso and prevent the bar from dumping you forward, you need to brace, and brace hard. This makes the font squat a lovely core exercise.
Reason #5: Improved Quad Strength
Back squats are great for working the hamstrings and quads, but you are getting more hamstring and glute activation with back squats. This can leave your quads ‘sleeping’ in a sense and cause some strength imbalance.
If your front squat weight is below 85% of your back squat weight, then you probably need more front squats in your life!
Reason #6: Provides Great Transferability
Lastly, the strength gains you get from front squats will transfer to other exercises.
The front squat is considered the core of the Olympic weightlifting. Think of all the movements that require the bar on the shoulders. The stronger your front squat, the easier exercises like power cleans, push press, push jerk, and thrusters, will become. This allows for greater variability in your training.
Ready for Some Front Squats
Front squats are a fantastic strength and conditioning exercise. While the technique may take some time to perfect, when done properly, front squats can yield excellent results!
