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Front squats should be in every athletes exercise program, at least intermittently throughout the course of the year. There may be problems for some people who lack the requisite flexibility to properly hold the bar, but a few stretches and some practice will eventually help them attain the required flexibility to get the most out of the exercise. You can see by the photo to the left that to maintain proper positioning for the front squat, you must have decent full body flexibility. The lifter have a vertical torso, feet flat, knees tracking parallel with the toes, elbows up high and bar resting naturally on his rack, deep into his throat. There must be great ankle mobility or the lifter won't be able to sink straight down and his butt would shoot back, making it impossible to maintain an upright torso to hold the barbell with the body correctly. When a lifter has poor ankle mobility, it looks as if he is squatting in ski boots. Adequate mobility in the knee is important, so you can get as low as possible. This absolute depth is imperative if you are interested in Olympic lifting so you can get under the heaviest weights possible, as you will not be able to pull max loads from the ground as high as you would a power clean. Strong and flexible hamstrings, quadriceps, and trunk muscles are necessary to support large loads. Flexible shoulders and triceps are necessary to keep the bar in place. We need to bend fast without breaking, which requires strength, speed, power, agility, coordination and mobility. The combination of all these qualities are what makes a dominant athlete. Performed light, front squats are an outstanding loaded stretch. Performed heavy, they are one of the best strength building exercises an athlete can perform. Check out Jackie's front squats below. If you are lacking any of the above qualities, here are some ways to enhance your mobility, increase your strength, and improve your performance.
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2 Comments
7/11/2012 11:31:48 pm
Excellent overview of the Front Squat. One of the best movements in the arsenal - and one of the most abused for the undermobilized population as well. The work involved with getting ROM prior to using heavy loads on this lift can be long and tedious spanning months. But once attained, this one is bread and butter.
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8/19/2012 05:29:20 pm
Excellent overview of the Front Squat. One of the best movements in the arsenal - and one of the most abused for the undermobilized population as well. The work involved with getting ROM prior to using heavy loads on this lift can be long and tedious spanning months. But once attained, this one is bread and butter.
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