Execution
- Assume an erect stance with the barbell resting on the front of the shoulders (on the deltoids) with the elbows and the arms crossed in front of the body. The hands should hold the top of the bar in place. If you prefer, hold the bar in the hands with the palms up and the elbows pointed directly in front, approximately shoulder-high and shoulder-width apart.
- The feet should be approximately hip-width apart.and directly under the bar or slightly in front.
- When you are ready, inhale and hold your breath as you lower the body under control. As the body is lowered, the hips should move to the rear, and you should maintain the normal arch in the lumbar spine. The knees should remain directly over the feet at all times
- Lower the body until the thighs are approximately parallel to the floor or less, ie.,so that there is approximately a 90 degree angle between the back of the thigh and the back of the shin
- Go to the thigh level position only if you can maintain the normal curvature (arch) in the lumbar spine. After reaching the bottom position reverse directions and rise up, exhaling as you pass the most difficult portion of the lift.
- For variety, hold the bottom postion for two-three seconds, and then rise up with a powerful blast to target the more explosive white fibers. The bar should not leave the shoulders.
Training Tips
- The depth of the squat is determined by your ability to maintain an arch in the lumbar spine. If you begin to round the back before reaching the 90 degree angle (or less) in the knee joints, stop the descent at that point and rise back up. Rounding of the lower back can injure the spinal discs, especially if you are using a lot of weight.
- The primary purpose of the front squat is to target the quadriceps muscle, especially the lower portion. However, if you go to thigh level or below parallel, you will also strongly involve the hip joint extensors (gluteus maximus and hamstrings). But, do not go this deep unless you can still maintain the normal spinal curvature.
- Be sure to exhale forcefully as you pass the most difficult spot on the way up. This is needed to quickly relieve the intrathoracic pressure built up to stablilize the trunk.
- Maintain muscle tension during the descent and as you make the change to rise up. This will prevent bouncing in the bottom position which can be injurious. Also, it will insure more effective muscle development through the full range of motion.
- Vary the speed of execution, especially on the up phase. On the down phase, always lower the body at a slow to moderate rate of speed. Do not lower the body quickly.
- Be sure to keep the feet under the hips, so that all the force that is generated is able to drive you back upward. Having a wide stand creates sideward forces that lessen your ability to push the bar back up.
- Keep looking in front at all times. Do not look up at the ceiling or down at the floor. Doing this will change the curvature of the spine and can cause injury.
- Do not contract the abdominal muscles. Doing so will cause the spine to flex which will create a rounded back prone to injury.
- To maintain proper spinal curvature, hold your breath during the down and up phases. The breath holding also helps to stabilize the upper body which allows the force from the legs to transfer through the body and push the bar upward. Keep the erector spinae muscles contracted throughout the movement to help maintain the lumbar back arch.
Major Muscles Involved
The major muscle involved is the quadriceps situated on the front of the thigh. The quadriceps includes the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and the rectus femoris muscles. The vastus lateralis and medialis are located close to the knee on both sides on the thigh and are known as the teardrop muscles. They are stressed slightly more in this exercise because of the front of the body positioning of the bar. If you squat sufficiently deep, the gluteus maximus and hamstrings become strongly involved. The hamstring, located on the back of the thigh, is composed of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosis. The gluteus maximus comprises the buttocks muscle. Muscle/Joint Actions As you rise up out of the squat your thighs move away from the shin as the knee and hip joints undergo extension. The knee moves backward somewhat, until the leg is straightened and you are in an erect standing position. The erector spinae muscles of the lower back remain under isometric contraction throughout the exercise.
Sports Uses
The front squat is a great adjunct bodybuilding exercise to develop and define the front of the thigh, and the posterior hip and thigh when executed through a full range of motion. The key actions of knee and hip extension are needed not only to lift weights off the floor but to exectute some very important lifts in powerlifting and weightlifting. This includes the deadlift and squat events in powerlifting and the snatch and clean and jerk in weightlifting. The combined and sequential action of hip and knee extension is strongly used in jumping for height and distance, in all forms of running and kicking and in all pushing actions. Thus, the front squat is important in sports such as the high jump, volleyball, basketball, long jump, soccer, diving, track, football and baseball.