FRONT
SQUAT
 MPEG:
Squat -side view
MPEG:
Squat-knees correct
MPEG:
Squat-knees incorrect
CORRECT FORM
The front squat is similar
in every respect to the standard squat with the exception of the placement
of the bar. 1)
Grasp the olympic bar in front of you by crossing your arms and
facing your palms down as shown.
Step under the bar and
position your feet parallel to each other. Bring your hips under
the bar. Position the bar in a balanced position above the posterior
deltoids on the upper trapezius at the base of the neck.
Lift and hold your chest
up and out. Pull your shoulder blades toward each other and keep
your tilt your head slightly up.
Straighten both legs
to push the bar out of the rack and take 1-2 steps backward. Keep
your feet positioned shoulder width apart and your toes pointed
slightly outwards.
2) Focus your eyes ahead
of you on the wall or in the mirror. Slowly and under control, lower
the bar by bending first at the hips. Your knees will begin
to bend after this. Keep your spine very straight and erect.
Keep your over the middle
of the foot, not your toes or heels.
Keep your knees aligned
over your feet.
3) Slowly lower
the bar until your thighs are parallel to the floor. At this point,
your knees should not be in front of your toes. Your head, knees
and feet should be in line with one another.
4) As you explode upward,
push through and straighten the hips. Push straight upward and keep
your back/lower spine straight the entire time. Do not lock your
knees at the top. Keep them unlocked.
5) Inhale as you descend,
exhale as you push back up.
6) At the conclusion of
the exercise, step forward, aligning the bar with the rack. Squat
down slightly to replace the bar in the rack.
MUSCLES USED
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
The most prevailing
myth surrounding squats are the notion that they are bad for the knees
and the lower back. Performed incorrectly, squats can be very damaging
to the lower back and knees.
There is one
very common flaw with most people's technique - an inability to
effectively use the hips. The squat should start and end with
the hip joint. This means that the muscles around your hip joint
(gluteals and hamstrings) need to be strong and flexible enough
to handle bending to almost a 120 degree angle.
If you are unable
to bend the hip to this level, then one of two things will commonly
happen:
1) The knee
will bend further and more importantly, translate forward. This
forward translation will cause a significant increase in forces
produced in and around the knee (in the menisci and the patellofemoral
joint).
2) Bending at
the lower back. Flexing the lumbar spine will cause increased pressure
in the lower lumbar discs and facet joints, as well as the small
muscles of the lower back, which may result in lumbar strain.
Both of these
compensatory mechanisms for not bending at the hips will occur to
prevent you from falling backwards.
The front squat
makes it much easier to counteract the body's natural inclination
to fall backwards. Placing the bar in front of you rather than behind
your neck shifts your center of mass forward and help offset the
backward pull.
It is essential that
you have two spotters when performing this exercise. Each spotter
should stand outside the squat rack with their hands on the out
portion of the Olympic bar. The spotters should keep the hands contacting
the bar throughout the entire lift.
EFFECTIVENESS
The squat is the cornerstone
of all leg exercises. No single exercise is as effective as a squat
for total body development. Not only is leg strength, size and power
enhanced, but the trunk muscles are worked as well while stabilizing
the body. This will have excellent functional carryover into other
activities, more so than the leg press or hack squat.
While other forms of squatting (i.e. leg
press, hack squat) are safer for the lower
back because it is much easier to keep it straight, those exercises
are no safer for the knees than standard squats. If you watch someone
performing a leg press or hack squat and flip their body position
around as if their feet were on the floor, you would have a very
unsafe looking squat.
HELPFUL
WITH TRAINING FOR
Vitually every
sport can be enhanced by performing a squat since nearly all sports
require good leg strength. |
