Get Dem Big Quads with Front Squats

Hey Guys! Welcome back to one of the best fitness and supplement blogs around. Today we will be bringing you another exercise, the Front Squats. Our favourite exercise after the dead lift.Front squats are great for putting on size on the quads and it is also a form of a corrective exercise. Front squats improves posture, weaknesses and increase strength tremendously. 

Type: Strength
Main Muscle Worked: Core, Quadriceps 
Other Muscles: Calves, Forearms, Glutes, Hamstrings.
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound
Level: Advanced
Force: Push

How to do it?!
Here's an instructional video from Chris Jones representing PhysiquesOfGreatness
 

 The Basics:
1. Rack the bar on your power rack and set it at a height slightly lower then your shoulders.
2. Slam some weights on that bar or no weights if you are just starting out this exercise.
3. Rest the bar on your shoulders, more specifically between your delts and traps or on your clavicle.
4. Lift it off the rack with your hands only supporting the bar not holding it with your hands. Even if your hands are off the bar, the bar should stay in place. U can chose to use the Olympic style of supporting the bar or crossing your hands on the bar. I prefer the Olympic style.
5. Squat. You can do ass to the grass (optional). Focus on your quads, emulate a sitting movement and when you get low enough,, just stand back up.

Comment:
This is a great exercise but like the dead lift you'll be able to snap some shit up if you do this wrong.
Get your form down with just the bar. My team and I incorporate this exercise even in our warmups and we use this to improve out strength/power.

    We personally prefer the front squat to the regular back squat where the bar is on your spine. Reasons being you are forced to be in a thoracic extension( extension of the chess up and forward). Most athletes, including us,  have very tight or tonic biceps, pectorals, neck muscles due to sitting too much, overuse of the computer and pure laziness; thus we tend to hunch our back regularly. So, using this exercise, we are able to force thoracic extension and force our chest up. Improves posture!!
   
    Second reason why we prefer this as to back squats is the fact that we put a shit load of weights on our spine. Call this bro-science but we're definitely afraid that we're going to snap our spines and we wont be able to compete in our competitions, worst we'll be paralyzed. Enough Said! 

   Last reason would be that since we do a lot of clean and jerks, power cleans, snatches and dead lifts, we would use the front squats to strengthen the quads and core. This is so that we can excel in the clean and jerk and snatch.

Precautions
This exercise is not suitable for whoever with back problems. Even if you have a healthy back, you should practice the movements and get the form right with an empty bar because you might just snap some shit up.
Never ever slouch or arch your lower back. It puts a lot of unwanted stress on your back.
Keep your chest up or maintain thoracic extension at all times!   

Here are some additional videos regarding the front squats. 

 Both of these videos are from Elliott Hulse's Strength Camp

Video 1: Why front squats are better for athletes

Video 2:How to fix your front squat

These above are great videos that will help you in your front squats.


We at Get Dem Big love this exercise and we recommend this to any one who want to get big ans strong


GET DEM BIG with FRONT SQUATS!!

Good luck

Sincerely
Dom
#strength4good

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