argh...this is the only exercise in the entire S2B program that i seem to have a problem with. i just can't do them. how much weight do you guys go down from regular squats on your front squats? i mean i can usually do like 215 on regular squats but on front squats it just kills my shoulders to have that much weight on there. when i try to do the front squats i can only go down so far before it seems like the bar starts to slip...it's definitely no where near parallel..at least it doesn't feel like it (no mirror at my gym). but yeah...so i was just wondering if you guys have any front squat tips or some insight...alternative exercises or something...?
Regular back squats, I use 255... I did front squats for the first time this weekend, and I ended up using 110. Start light so you can work on your form, get your front delts/upper pecs used to the weight, and get your wrists used to being bent like that.
That reminds me...I wasn't doing them like in the picture where the model's elbows are pointed out in front of him and the wrists are up-turned with palms facing up. i tried and tried to get this form to work but my arms/wrists are not flexible enough. so instead i just used the "genie" form with my arms crossed and fingertips resting on opposite shoulders. but yeah...god i hate this exercise...
Do this to try and work some flexibility into your arms and wrists:
Bend one arm the way it should be on a front squat and use the other to hold it there for 30-60secs. The wrist is going to hurt. That's just the way it is. When I did fronts squats correctly the first time, it took me about 5 mins to twist myself into that prosition and until I put some weight on, I was choking myself against the bar.
I was also advised to use lifting straps to get a bit more grip on the bar. You just kind of let it slide down a bit. I'm undecided as to how effective they are.
I got a question though: Can your elbows angle outward?
I use the crossed arm technique. I don't squat anything near my regular squat weight on fronts yet. Don't let that bother you. Take som weight off the bar.
I keep the bar tight against my throat. (try to choke myself on the bar.) I have the bar as far against my throat as I can get it. That places the center of gravity closer to what you have on a back squat. That's why fronts are more difficult. The center of gravity is not exactly over your core when you lift. But if you "choke" yourself with the bar, it's a bit closer to centered and helps with the lift. My elbows are angled slightly up. This also helps keep the bar tight against my throat. This may not sound comfortable to some...but for me...it really helped with front squats.
I haven't heard anyone else describe doing these this way...so someone may chime in and tell you Jimbo is full of shite.
The main thing is to still keep a straight back. Don't lean back or forward for goodness sake. The bar needs to rise straight up and down any time you squat. That's a bit more challenging on front squats because you tend to want to lean forward because of the weights position. If you end up leaning forward at all...your toast. The bar starts slipping and your strength is drained just trying to "get through" the reps. But if you keep it wedged against your throat and take hre straight up and down with NO lean to it. You'll find it's not that bad.
Anyway...I dread these a bit less now adays. Just took me a while to get a comfortable form. Good luck.
for me, using the clean gripp is fine, if you have ever seen that, bar rests on delts, while you just barly hold it with your hands to just stabalize it. if you have seen a clean you know what i mean (rhymes:P) i found it helped just holding my elbows as high up as i could since less wrist flexibility is needed.. atleast it seemed so for me.
A lot of people lack the wrist flexibility to use the clean grip; I'd estimate that a good 75% of the people that walk into a gym won't be able to do a front squat this way - much less with an appreciable amount of loading.
I actually prefer the cross-face set-up myself; to me, forcing people to use the clean grip is just an ego trip for a lot of O-lifting influenced coaches. If you want to train wrist flexibility, you can do it without the clean grip; you front squat for a systemic effect, you know?
For the cross-face grip, cross the wrists, then make a thumbs-up with both hands and put the bar in the groove between the index finger and thumb on both sides. Then, just step forward and force your elbows to the sky, allowing the bar to sit in the groove in that you've created just above the bulk of the deltoid. It should be just short of choking you.
Here's a photo I give to my online consulting clients.
Thanks for all the responses...looking forward to trying these again on Monday now!
Appreciate the insight Eric and Jimbo...good to know others are using that same form. Since I don't wanna hold up my progress I'll probably just use the form you described (and that picture helps soo much) Eric. Thanks again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynic
Can your elbows angle outward?
no, not really. i am generally not a flexible person at all, so to even get my arm in the "clean" position with the elbows out and wrists-upturned I have to hold my arm in place with my free arm like you suggested. i read on the internet somewhere another thing you can do is the "behind the back prayer stretch" where you just try to place your hands in prayer position while they are behind your back.
Working on my flexibility is something I've really been wanting to do lately. I was taking some brazilian jiu-jitsu classes and I noticed my flexibility really sucked compared to most people which motivated me to want to improve upon it but for right now I want to get to a comfortable size and strength and then I figured I focus more on flexibility later.
i can bend my wrist so its a 90degree angil from the forearm, both ways.. is that alot of wrist flexibility? :S i thought that was pretty normal. and if you shoot your elbows in the air, not right infront of you, it becomes ALOT easier.
You should actually be able to front squat with the arms out straight, not holding the bar.
But, if I had my preference, I prefer the normal clean grip style. It gives you slightly better control of the bar as well.
I have talked with this with a couple other guys on here that when front squatting was akward for me I did all of my warmup sets with my arms straight out in front of me and once I figured out where to set the bar it made front squatting worlds more comfortable.
Now I use the kickass "bodybuilder" grip because my left shoulder gets sad when I try to use a clean grip.
Danny
__________________
Limitations are for people who have them.
I started with just the bar and arms straight out (actually, slight up angle). The bar is "racked" on the shoulders (and I DO NOT have any shoulder bulk). I worked on form and range of motion/depth of squat. After perhaps just two sessions of just that, I started adding weight, but still kept my arms straight out. I finally hit one workout/weight when I didn't feel completely comfortable with my arms out anymore, and when I reached back onto a clean grip, I could do it. Prior to that, even with just the bar, I could not do the clean grip. I think the arms straight out work (and using just the bar for a bit to get in the groove) helped me to get the bar in a good place on my shoulders, and to get proper form and postured locked in.
I started with the cross over but always felt uncomfortable with it. I then went with the clean grip with an empty bar and got comfortable with bar on my delts and the just my finger tips touching the bar. As I got more fleible and comfortable I added weight.
__________________
Peter
After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend…
The good thing about the arms straight out grip is that it teaches you to choke yourself and keep the bar deep on the delts. I've done 140 kilos (about 310) with no hands. If you get it deep, it's not too much of a problem.
The good thing about the arms straight out grip is that it teaches you to choke yourself and keep the bar deep on the delts. I've done 140 kilos (about 310) with no hands. If you get it deep, it's not too much of a problem.
I can do that. You are weak :p
__________________
"The strongest steel goes through the hottest fires."-Anonymous
"When you begin to believe nothing is heavy, all weights become light." -Rossbow
"Just remember, somewhere there is a little Chinese girl warming up with your max."-Jim Convroy
"It's a round hole, dammit. Everyone fits."--Anonymous Mod at Strengthmill
back squat. 80kg max, front squat 70kg max.. my form on the front squat could be discussable:P but im not that used to it.. and i had to use a pad on the bar because it hurt my shoulders.. but when i did 65kg clean (where the bar ends up on the same place as when i do front squats) it dident hurt and i had no pad :S maybe when i clean i automaticly place the bar at a natural place..
front squats...help
Linear Mode
