Muscles Worked: Legs, Quadriceps
Spotter Required: Yes
Minimum Equipment required: Standard barbell with weight plates
The Best Equipment to Use: Olympic bar, bumper grip olympic weights, smith machine and a safety pad
Warming up: To warm up, perform 1 set of 10 – 15 repetitions without any weight or with just the bar.
How often should I perform this exercise: The front squat can be used in every leg workout but it is probably better to alternate with other squatting exercises such as Barbell Squats.
When should I perform this exercise: The front squat is usually executed with much less weight than the ordinary barbell squat, for this reason it can be performed later on in your legs routine, probably after front squats.
How to do the exercise: The grip/positioning for this exercise is the key. Get this wrong and the exercise won’t work correctly and you will probably find yourself having to stop the set early to re-balance the bar.
If you are working without a partner (and not in with a Smith machine,) get them to hand you the barbell. Rest the barbell in front of your shoulders, arms crossed and your hands over the top to add stability. Before you execute the exercise, make sure the bar is stable and you are happy with your grip.
Have your feet approximately shoulder width apart. As you lower yourself down, keep your back straight and head looking forward. Anything other than this means weight can be distributed on incorrect areas and cause damage. Lower until your thighs reach about 90 degrees. Hold for a second or two. Then, rise back up, driving from the heels until you are full extended once more. Wait for two seconds and repeat.
Mentality: Really focus on the exercise and feel the contraction at the bottom. Always make sure you perform squats supervised and with the appropriate equipment. Squatting is a compound exercise, improper technique could cause serious injury, never sacrifice technique by overloading weights.
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