Exercise Highlight: The Front Squat
December 16th, 2008
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by Jamie Nischan · Filed Under: Exercise Technique
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have heard of a squat. It’s one of the most fundamental movements in fitness.
Today I’d like to share with you my favorite variation. The Front Squat.
As opposed to the more popular back squat; the front squat has you positioning the weight closer to the front of you body. This allows you to keep a more upright posture thus reducing the risk of back pain/damage due to excessive compression.
Tips:
1. Before descending into the bottom position, really brace your abdominals and make your belly as big as possible.
2. Keep your heels on the ground and your eyes on the horizon.
3. Try to keep your elbows high and your upper arms parallel to the floor.
4. This movement requires a lot of ankle and hip mobility as well as shoulder flexibility. You may not be able to complete the movement with the same range of motion that I can so work to your own abilities. Start with half of the range you see here and progress as you feel comfortable.
5 Responses to “Exercise Highlight: The Front Squat”
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Jamie Nischan HFS, CES
[...] Nischan (The Buff Geek) shows us how to do The Front Squat. I’m bookmarking these kind of articles for AFTER the holidays [...]
hi there, love your site, i was wondering if this excercise was bad for the knees, i always heard that it’s bad to go beyond parallel to the floor with your thighs. i wouldn’t imagine you would be doing them if they were, but i was just kind of wondering about your professional opinion is of this?
Hey Robert,
I’m not where the old beyond parallel theory came from but I have heard it in the past.
The knees are not an issue as long as you have sufficient ankle and hip mobility. Throughout the movement your heels should remain planted and your chest should remain proud. If you can not maintain this posture throughout a full range of motion, then yes, the exercise could put your knees or back at risk.
That being said everyone is built differently and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. What may be a good range of motion for you might not be the case for someone else.
Hi, cool site, good writing
Just what I was looking for, good information.