BFS PROGRAM

Squat BFS POSITION PAPER Variations

The front is a great squat variation and is a key for Olympic lifters. Shown here with great form is Lusia Angilau, a volleyball player from Hunter High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lucia has cleaned 150 pounds and vertical jumped 27.1 inches.

Th e BFS perspective on these valuable lower body

he back squat forms the core of the front squat and several multi-joint working with athletes who have a base of leg training in the BFS program leg exercises such as the leg press. training with the back squat. Tand is performed once a week, One drawback to the front squat year-round, off-season and in-season. FRONT SQUAT is it’s difficult to perform higher repeti- But throughout the year we also encour- Many strength coaches consider the tions because holding the weight on age the performance of what we call a front squat superior to the back squat the shoulders compresses the chest and “squat variation” exercise to supplement, as a leg exercise for athletes. In the front makes it harder to breathe. Performing not replace, the back squat. By adding squat the quads work harder because the more than five repetitions, or even three such variety, coaches can customize the barbell is positioned on the front of the repetitions for some individuals, often workouts to make them more sport shoulders. In a survey of top European leads to a breakdown in form and even specific, help prevent injury and keep coaches the consensus was that the three blacking out. motivation high. best exercises for sports The best way to hold a barbell in We have already discussed the box are the power snatch, the incline press a front squat is to use the same grip as squat in a separate position paper, so we and the front squat. However, consider you would in a power clean, which is will focus here on the pros and cons of that often coaches who are surveyed are with your hands supinated (palms down)

20 | BIGGER FASTER STRONGER MAY/JUNE 2010 hands, the press reduces stress on the lower back by better). From approximately 80 percent. This offers this position, several advantages. simply lift the First, athletes with lower back weight off the injuries or medical conditions that make squat racks squatting painful or even impossible Front squat assistant devices such as the two shown here often and begin (such as with certain cases of scoliosis) place the body in unnatural postures. front squat- can often perform the leg press without and elbows held high. Unfortunately, ting. The only drawback is it can be any discomfort. Second, the position holding the bar in this manner can cause difficult to replace the bar onto the racks, assumed when performing the leg press pain in the wrists and elbows if you have so you should always have a spotter assist is similar to that used in the start posi- relatively long forearms or tightness in you. Eventually, by using straps you tion for sprinting and in sports such as the wrists or – the primary problem – should be able to smoothly transition speed skating and ice hockey. The sprint tightness in the upper back or shoulders. into regular front squats. position is definitely worth spending The BFS Flexibility Manual offers several How much can you lift in the front time on because a lot of work takes place exercises that will help improve the range squat? Generally, the ratio of back squat in sports where the trunk is inclined. of motion in these exercises. Often, to front squat should be about 70-80 Therefore, the leg press can be consid- however, just relaxing your grip as you percent if you are going to equal depth ered a sport-specific exercise for many hold the barbell and simply performing in both exercises. athletic activities. the exercise regularly will quickly resolve Injuries are rare when performing any flexibility problems associated with LEG PRESS the leg press, but the major point is to this exercise. The leg press is performed on a “lock in” the lower back and not allow Another front squat technique horizontal or angled machine designed the weight to be lowered to a point at is to cross your arms in front of you. for this exercise. It emphasizes the which the lower back is rounded at the This method works, but balance can be quadriceps, especially the outer quadri- bottom. Also, by starting at the top, the especially difficult to manage – often you ceps muscle called the vastus lateralus. user can determine exactly how low to have to focus so much on balancing that It also works the and glutes, go and also can avoid injury from jerking it can be hard to use significant weights. although not at the same intensity as the the weight on the first rep to get the The issue with harnesses that support the squat. movement started. weight in front of the body, such as the With the leg press, because the When shopping for a leg press, E-Z Squat and the Front Squat Harness, back is stabilized on the backrest there it’s best to select one that has a large is that they often force the back into is minimal stress on the lower back. In footplate so you can place your feet in a rounded posture, placing unnatural fact, EMG studies show that the leg an “athletic” stance, a wider foot stance stresses on the back and making it even more difficult to breathe. The best alternative we’ve found to the traditional front squat involves the use of lifting straps, preferably a pair that has about a foot of length after being tied to the bar – note that the “quick release” straps Olympic lifters use usually don’t work well for this technique. To perform this variation, place your shoulders under the bar and grasp the straps with a neutral grip (i.e., palms facing each other). How high up to grab the straps depends upon the athlete’s flexibility LEG PRESS (the less space between the bar and your www.biggerfasterstronger.com 1-800-628-9737 | 21 BFS PROGRAM that has greater carryover to many form (e.g., when they are excessively sporting positions. Also, being able ANGLED rounding their spine). to place the feet higher up on the BACK footplate increases the involvement SQUAT HIP THRUST of the glutes and The hip thrust is similar to the hamstrings, thus angled back squat and is performed reducing the stress on a special machine designed for this on the knees. exercise. Because the athlete is facing the machine, it makes the exercise more biomechanically specific to many sports. This exercise is very popular among football players, especially linemen and running backs. It’s also a great exercise for sprinters to improve their start. The same safety precaution applies as with the angled back squat: The lower back when an athlete who has suffered from should be kept “locked in” throughout ANGLED BACK SQUAT a back injury is cleared to perform back the exercise, and use of a weight belt is The angled back squat is performed squats, a logical progression might be to recommended. on a specially designed machine – many start with a training cycle using the leg After acquiring the basic equipment such machines are designed to allow you press, followed by the angled back squat, needed for a balanced strength train- to perform both of these exercises on and finally the back squat. ing program (such as barbells, bumper the same unit, such as the BFS 3-Way Although we strongly encour- plates, power racks, lifting platforms and Hip Sled. With this exercise the weight age all athletes to squat, some athletes benches), a wise investment would be in is supported on the shoulders. Some are uncomfortable supporting heavy a multipurpose machine that allows the machines are designed so that the exer- weights on their shoulders. Athletes with athlete to perform the leg press, angled cise is performed with the athlete hold- shoulder injuries or back problems are back squat and the hip thrust. Except ing the weight at hip level (and are called in this group. Also, young athletes who in the case of an injury that prevents hack squats), but this design often limits don’t have the emotional maturity to be an athlete from back squatting, these the amount of weight that can be used trusted to squat properly with spotters exercises should used to complement the because greater grip strength is required. should not perform the squat and could back squat, not replace it. The exercise closely resembles the be better off using the angled back squat. motion of a back squat, so for most ath- As with the leg press, injuries are letes the strength gained from this exer- rare in this exercise, and the major cise will have a greater carryover to the precaution is to keep the lower HIP back squats. Also, the range of motion back “locked in” throughout the THRUST of this exercise is greater than that in exercise. A weight training the leg press. One EMG study on this belt will help in this regard, exercise showed that compared with the as it provides the user with squat, this movement had similar effects feedback on improper on the vastus lateralus, and even more strongly worked the glutes and femoris (the lower muscle that is involved in knee flexion). This exercise also produced less involvement of the lower back muscles (erector spinae) com- pared with the squat, but more involve- ment than with the leg press. As such,

22 | BIGGER FASTER STRONGER MAY/JUNE 2010 IS YOUR PROGRAM READY FOR THE TOUGHEST RACKS

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