While we are hijacking the thread, any tips on tight/sore IT band while back squatting? Im forever in pain when I back squat and its forced me to leg press and front squat more since I dont have much pain doing those 2.
I've never had this issue till this past year, was hurting so much I had to stretch 30 minutes prior and do a crapton of warm ups just to not have any pain. Discouraging as hell.

sense, none you make

Ummmm ok this guy is nowhere near that level.

He is lifting with a weight belt first of all and only doing a couple plates lmaoooo what do you think that weight belt is doing for you??

and second of all he has a long way to go before he needs to change it up instead it will be volume changes and additional auxiliaries not retarded front squats that make him look like the the hunchback of Notre dame.

This whole concept is soooo stupid.

It's predominantly a hip and thigh movement.

It is has tremendous carryover to more advanced movements like the power snatch and power clean so being able to pull off a front squat is pretty dam important when athletes in all sports that include males/females incorporate the movement into their programs at one point or another for many years.

If you want to get specific, the major muscles involved are the gluteus maximus, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis,intermedius,medialias, rectus femoris.

Front squats will do three things if you do them correctly:

Increase depth
Improve core strength
Activate glutes

When a barbell is loaded on the front of the body, the pelvis gets to tilt backwards somewhat, which makes the hamstrings less taut. This gives them the freedom to allow a greater ROM at the bottom of the lift. This pelvic tilt also allows the lower abs to contribute to the lift more, and takes the hip flexors away from "blocking" the movement.

So, just like a goblet squat, you get a hell of a lot lower then you do in a back squat. The torso also gets to stay more upright, which requires the obliques to provide stability.

Finally, due to the tremendous knee extension involved, the front squat is rightly seen as a major quad developer. Since the thighs drop far below parallel to the floor, it's safe to say that hip flexion is greatly increased too, forcing the glutes to assist the concentric half of the lift.

To the OP, i highly suggest reading material elsewhere if you are serious about this type of ****

Took me 5 minutes to find more specific fixes to your problem:




PNF Intercostal Stretch. Kneel on your knees facing any bench. Interlace your fingers with your hands behind your head, and point your elbows forward. Lean forward at the waist, and planting your elbows on the bench, apply downward pressure for 5 seconds. Really try to squeeze your abs and pull down with your elbows towards the floor. Breathe in, and relax.

Foam Roller Extensions. Take the time to foam roll the spinal erectors and lats. Focus on 5 passes in each direction. Then, with the foam roller resting just above the lumbar region (mid back) cross the hands over the shoulders and gently work to extend the thoracic region to move the shoulders towards the floor

google squat mobility stretches.

do foam rollers stretches

sit in lotus position

sit in karate horse stance push your knees out while holding palms together

After a few weeks atg squats should be easy

Will do, never experienced that much soreness/pain, it really started to worry me. Used to be able to do a few warm up sets and jump right into it. Now I feel like a old man having to do all this extra stuff just to start.

Ok so how much of that DOES NOT apply to regular squats.

Everything you said is also true of regular ATG squats (which anyone can do with a few weeks of stretching) and then consider you are getting all those results BUT AT HEAVIER ****ING WEIGHT all while doing something that is more natural to do.

Name benefits that are ONLY for front squats and those benefits need to somehow make up for having to use lower weight.

And also consider that you could be doing other things. (power cleans for example if you really want explosion, leg presses and plyos if you really want legs)

The squat is magical only when you are at close to your 1rm max is when it permeates everywhere else. Every inch of your body sustaining that immense pressure. if the weight is too light its just masturbation. you HAVE TO GO AS HEAVY AS YOU HUMANLY CAN or else you're not gonna evolve your body shape and look good naked. Gotta get those growth signals juicing to their max, thats key.

I don't know how else to explain this, you guys are lost. I wish you guys could taste the power I have tasted reaching my heaviest potential. There is nothing that compares to hitting those ultra heavy numbers (for your body type). If you haven't felt if for yourself its hard to understand what I'm talking about.

Body weight close stance ass to grass squats

A nice variation of this squat is to take 10 seconds to descend and 10 seconds to ascend. This gives adequate time to feel for tight spots, focus on relaxed breathing, and promote an increased range of motion.

Several sets of ten repetitions will do amazing things for your lower body and begin to alleviate the tension levels in the IT band area.



Hold a dumbbell, barbell plate, kettlebell, or a backpack full of plates (the iron variety, not your mom's Thanksgiving dinnerware) in front of your hips with arms relaxed. Your feet should be together.
• Sit back by folding at the hips, keeping the lower back in neutral position.
• A slight rotation occurs at the waist as you touch the weighted implement to the ground right beside the ankle bone.
• Come out of this semi-squat position smoothly by firing the glutes and pushing the floor away. Maintain a tight midsection as you return to the upright position.
• If the hip/IT area is tight, you'll notice that the knee drifted slightly to an externally rotated position as the weight got close to the floor. This will occur less frequently as you practice this program.
• Repeat the same process on the other side. It's not unusual for one side of the body to feel differently than the other side.

Try ten smooth repetitions on each side. You can do multiple sets but range of motion and technique trumps resistance and volume.

foam roll that bitch

if it's really bad...you could try dry needling therapy from a physical therapist

You're confusing overload stimulus with maxing out all the time

Volume > intensity

Yeah thats definitely true, stretching is like a use it or lose it kinda thing. always gotta keep flexible for life and it becomes more vital as we age. But you are in your prime after a couple weeks you will be good.

Videos of your Herculean strength?

A very simple answer is variety. You need variety in any program or you will get bored and plateau.

EMG data shows higher muscle activation in the vastus lateralis and rectus femoris as compared to the back squat, with similar muscle activation in the vastus medialis, suggesting that front squatting is a great way to build massive quads.

Front squats also keep you honest. If you cheat, you drop the bar, simple as that. For this reason, many strength coaches consider the front squat to be a better lower body strength test than the mighty back squat. It also creates a built-in safety mechanism.

On the topic of safety, having the bar loaded anteriorly forces you to keep a more upright torso, thereby reducing spinal shear and making it more low back-friendly. Similarly, biomechanical analysis shows that there are less compressive forces on the knee during a front squat as compared to a back squat.

reference

Gullett, Jonathan C; Tillman, Mark D; Gutierrez, Gregory M; Chow, John W. A Biomechanical Comparison of Back and Front Squats in Healthy Trained Individuals. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: January 2009 - Volume 23 - Issue 1 - pp 284-292.

came to post this. If you are not practicing Olympic lifts like the c&j this is a great method, although I prefer the cross arms "shelf" method. I haven't done fs in probably a year cause I was being a lazy Kent but used to fs 315x5

Also agreed with poster who mentioned lifting threads and missing them. Always get pumped when I can browse a thread like this and learn some new ****.

ok..?

I watched it.

My question is still: why?

I bet that guy got to the level he is by doing traditional powerlifting ATG squats. And until you get to that level so should you.

He didn't make those core gains doing front squats I promise you.

He did ATG regular squats and systematically went heavier and heavier and heavier. Now doing those as an auxiliary.

Yet you, the noob you are, think oh that guy is doing that I'm gonna do it too. Not understanding the context of what you are trying to do or what you are trying to achieve.

"if I see someone doing something imma do it too"

isn't that the grandfather of bro science? a big muscular guy giving a noob out of context info telling him to do something that he is currently doing for himself but is not necessarily the smart thing to do on that noobs journey at that point in the process. And its a very long process.

Do you really thinking you can't add any more weight to your regular squat? Because playing around with light weights isn't gonna take you to that next level bro.

my man if you want to get technical then yes...a fukn bicep curl also hits the delts/forearms/lats/tricep/legs...same with every excersie you can do in a gym

but you need to take a step back and argue more logically...it doesnt hit your abs as hard as your legs lol...i know... i have no abs...even with veins across my abs they dont pop...compounds hit core (indirectly) and does sht all for ab work


i honestly think youre upset the front squat doesnt work for you....its ok, i hate that i cant barbell bench...my shoulder always gives in after a few weeks and i cant do much upper body after, its frustrating but i just use dumbells...ill even rant her how bb bench is useless for chest growth but thats not ture, its also not true bench will gurantee a built chest, theres no black and white in this hobby/lifestyle....its all relative

everything i know is solely thru experience...ive been lifting on/off since 13 snd have played soccer at a high level (for my part of the world)

Until you master the front squat.
You should stop going so heavy - no need for ego lifting
Keeps your elbows up and your back will straighten out

Never do more than 6 reps

Originally Posted by Poliquin Group

Whereas higher rep ranges are preferred in the back squat, most experts prefer to train the front squat in a lower rep range, and frequently endorse doing singles in that lift. Every expert agrees that doing more than 6 reps in the front squat is a complete waste of time, as the scapulae retractors cannot hold the proper position isometrically for that long.

You the size of a ****ing middle schooled female. You clearly don't know chit about lifting. Wow you abs, congratulations. You're a ripped skeleton. My numbers speak for themselves. I've squatted 545, deadlifted 605 and benched 415. Clearly I know wtf I am doing you fuking dolt.

Front squats have been effectively used for decades, especially by the golden age bodybuilders to build a strong quad sweep and they are still used by multiple powerlifters and bodybuilders. I can't even believe I'm responding to someone as stupid as you. I pray to go no one ever takes lifting advice from you seriously.

EDIT: I'm going to take back my insults. I was angry with your stupidity and made an immature post. I'll actually give you props for being lean. I've been a powerlifting my entire life with zero concern for being lean. Getting older now, it's time to get in shape. 35lbs down since February, so I know WTF I am doing when cutting and how to get in shape.

You're main focal point: "Squat to get better at squatting". I believe most will agree with that.

Front Squats are NOT a replacement for squatting, and no one has said that. Nothing will improve your squat like squatting. Adding front squats as a secondary movement is not "stupid" and "useless" as you've described. The reason why have been voiced countless times in this thread. You came off like a massive know-it-all kunt, which is why no one is taking you seriously, not to mention the arguments you've made are completely garbage.

To improve a given compound whether it be Squats, Deadlift or Bench you need to obviously train that lift consistently, but you also need to hammer the muscles involved in those given lifts with secondary movements. There are plenty of veteran lifters ITT who will agree to this.

If you're aiming for aesthetics should you be front squatting? Eh, if you want to..... but most won't. Not much need there. It will depend on the lifter, some may just generally enjoy them. Should a powerlifter or Olympic lifter do them? Absolutely. Most powerlifters squat 2-3 times a week, and that takes a massive toll on the body. Having a secondary movement that mimics the squat, but is less taking on the body and CNS is very beneficial and will help build the muscles associated with squatting. For Olympic lifters, no movement will help the Olympic lifts more than front squatting. The carry over is almost direct to the clean/snatch movements.

Front squats are a tool to use to improve your squat, but not a replacement. It's the same principle as adding GHRs, RDLs, Hyperextensions ect into your routine. It hits the muscle involved in squatting to make them stronger.

Ole KingSWRV isn't make the worst points in the world

The problem is that he's such a fuking kunt about it that I just don't care to address any of it.

His main point is that specificity will lead to faster progress and better overall development than doing accessory type movements like front squat. Its a good point and fully accurate

The problem is that OP didn't ask us if he should incorporate front squats into his program for XYZ reason. They could be a corrective exercise, a cueing movement, intensity limiting technique, etc.

OP asked us how he could improve his front squat and several of us gave him some pointers