2 Subtle Adjustments for a Bigger Front Squat

A well executed front squat is a thing of beauty: vertical torso, upper arms parallel to the floor, deep hip and knee bend with the heels flat, all while keeping the bar over the middle of the foot.

Unfortunately, there are 3 major reasons why most lifters avoid front squats like the plague:

The first reason is a philosophical one, and it appears to fly in the face of the research.

“The front squat was as effective as the back squat in terms of overall muscle recruitment, with significantly less compressive forces and extensor moments.” *

Another study comparing front and back squats using maximal loading showed that EMG activity of the vastus medialis was greater in front squats, while the forward lean in back squats was significantly greater, which results in greater shear stress on the spine.**

So to clarify the data from these two studies, front squats give the same amount of muscular recruitment as back squats with less spinal stress. This doesn’t mean that traditional back squats are bad or useless, and if you prefer to do them, then have at it. Mentioning those studies was purely to put the myth that front squats are not a legit strength and muscle builder to rest.

The 2 other reasons why you might avoid front squats are technical issues. Before getting into specific fixes for both of those, let’s hammer out the optimal set up and execution first.

This is the point where the 2 problems above tend to rear their ugly head. Here are solutions to both:

2. Instead of just focusing on just driving your elbows up, think about driving them up, together, and FORWARD. This will get your lats more involved in supporting the bar and providing a better shelf along your anterior deltoids.

If you just drive the elbows up, as is the common cue, there’s a tendency for the entire rib cage to flare up as well. This causes more anterior pelvic tilt, and more of a forward weight shift, making it harder to squat as deeply with the heels remaining intact with the floor. It will also push the bar back directly into your throat, making an uncomfortable bar position even more so, while driving them forward creates a bit more space for the bar to rest on the musculature of the shoulders.

To get used to these adjustment to your front squat, try utilizing them with paused reps to lock in your new and improved position. Holding for a 2–5 second pause at the bottom will shine a spotlight on any deviation in your position, giving you feedback on how to proceed on the subsequent reps. Try 3–5 sets of 3–5 paused reps for a few weeks before removing the pause.

*A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals.

Gullett JC1, Tillman MD, Gutierrez GM, Chow JW.

**Kinematic and EMG activities during front and back squat variations in maximum loads.

Yavuz HU1, Erdağ D, Amca AM, Aritan S.

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