Front Squats Vs. Back Squats
Have you ever wondered whether you should include front squats or back squats in your resistance training program? Today we will compare front squats vs. back squats so you can make an informed decision which of these exercises deserves a spot in your training routine.
Front Squats
During a front squat, you balance a barbell over your clavicles and shoulders while you perform a set of squats. You can support the bar in the front rack position in one of two ways. With the first method, you position the bar on your shoulders and cross your arms over the bar, resting your hands on top of the bar. With the other option, you use a clean grip on the bar. In the clean grip, you position your hands on the bar slightly outside your shoulders and the bar on your shoulders, then bend your elbows tightly around the bar and straight out so your elbows point forward to the wall in front of you.
Bodybuilders and recreational gym goers who lack the mobility or comfort to wrap their elbows around the bar often use the first option. Cross-fit athletes and Olympic weightlifters often use the clean grip in the front squat.
The first option provides more comfort for the elbows and wrists, while the second option provides more stability and ability to front squat heavier loads.
What are the Benefits of Front Squats?
Front squats are an excellent squat variation to strengthen the glutes, quads and core. While this exercise gets less attention than the back squat, it is still a great leg movement for even the most hard core bodybuilders and athletes. Let’s discuss some of the more specific benefits of front squats below.
Core Activation
Compared to back squats, front squats provide one hell of a core workout. Supporting a bar on your shoulders in front of your body requires a lot of core activation to keep you upright. The front squat strengthens your deep core muscles, without a lot of strain on your lower back.
Easy on your Spine
Compared to back squats, front squats are also pretty easy on your spine. The upright position and anterior loading pattern of the front squat movement pattern makes this exercise easier on your lower back than the back squat. Front squats involve greater compressive forces on your spine, but lower shear forces, than the back squat.
Your body is better equipped to buffer compressive forces on your spine rather than shear forces. For this reason, people with pre-existing back injuries may find that the front squat allows them to train the squat pattern without pain flare ups or injury.
Easy on your Knees
The front squat may also be easier on your knees than the back squat. Because you will be forced to use lighter loads in the front squat due to the front loading pattern, you lower the stress on your knees compared to the back squat.
One study suggests that people with knee injuries like meniscus tears should perform the front squat rather than the back squat because of the lower stress on the knees during the front squat movement.
Equal Quad and Glute Activation
Despite less stress on your spine and knees, the front squat is equally as good at activating your quads and glutes as the back squat. That means that even despite the use of lighter loads, the front squat is just as effective at building strong quads and glutes as the back squat.
Transfer to Sports
Another key benefit of the front squat is its transferability to sports like Olympic weightlifting and track and field. The front squat builds great lower body strength and power.
Learning the front squat is key to also learning the clean, power clean, and clean and jerk. All of these exercises are part of Olympic weightlifting. The front squat also helps weightlifters to develop core strength and the ability to squat with an upright torso, a skill they need to stand up a heavy clean.
In addition, these exercises help build power and strength for explosive sports like track and field. So learning and training the front squat can have powerful applications for just about any sport.
What are the Downsides of Front Squats?
Despite their powerful benefits, front squats might not be well suited to everyone. Here are some downsides of front squats.
Require Shoulder and Wrist Mobility
To rack a barbell in the clean position requires significant shoulder, wrist and elbow mobility and flexibility. Many people lack the mobility to rack the bar safely or without further injury.
While targeted stretching may help some people do a proper front rack position, others may have prior injuries that make the front squat impossible.
Proceed with caution on the front squat if you have had significant prior shoulder, wrist or elbow injuries or surgeries.
Discomfort in the Front Rack Position
Even relatively mobile athletes may still have discomfort in the front rack position. Thinner and leaner athletes might find the front rack position causes AC joint pain or impedes breathing somewhat.
After a while, practicing the movement repeatedly can help deaden the nerves in the shoulders that cause discomfort, leading to less pain.
Elevating and protracting your shoulder blades slightly can create more room for a more comfortable front rack position that allows you to breathe easier.
Still, some athletes may always have some discomfort during this movement and may do better with back squats.
Back Squats
Back squats are one of the simplest and most effective resistance training exercises.
To perform this exercise, you support a barbell on your upper traps or rear deltoids while keeping your hands on the bar and elbows underneath the bar. While keeping your shoulder blades squeezed together and your spine neutral, you squat straight down and stand straight up, activating nearly every muscle in your body.
What are the Benefits of Back Squats?
Back squats are often considered the king of all resistance training exercises, and for good reason. This exercise packs a powerful punch for overall strength, power and muscle development.
Best Overall Strength Builder
The back squat is still the best exercise for overall strength. This exercise will require you to recruit every muscle in your body, head to toe. It will help you build strength and mass in your upper back, lower back, glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves. I can’t think of an overall better movement for total body strength. You will improve your ability to brace your core, support a heavy load, and build your strongest and most powerful lower body.
Neural Development
The back squat allows you to lift very heavy loads. Using heavy loads helps you to recruit more motor units and to build the most strength, power and speed possible.
Necessary for Powerlifters and Weightlifters
If you want to compete as a powerlifter or weightlifter, you will need to train the back squat. Powerlifters must actually perform the back squat in competition. Weightlifters use the back squat to build the strongest legs possible for a strong snatch and clean and jerk. Neither of these athletes should neglect the back squat.
Vertical Jump and Sprint Speed
Some research suggests that building back squat strength can help improve your vertical jump and top sprinting speed for athletes. If you want to be able to jump high and run fast, building a strong and explosive back squat is a smart move. While the front squat also builds your vertical jump and sprint speed, the back squat might be a better choice for overall jumping and sprinting performance.
Comfortable Bar Position
The back squat allows a comfortable bar position on the top of your traps. This position requires limited technical skill or mobility compared to the front squat. This might make this an attractive lift for less mobile athletes, or for athletes with limited training time to learn more technical movements.
Even athletes with little weight training experience can learn the back squat in one or two training sessions, despite limited training time or coaching.
Requires Less Mobility
The back squat position requires very little wrist or thoracic mobility. This means that even the stiffest athletes, or athletes with so much muscle that they cannot properly use the clean grip, can still perform the back squat effectively.
What are the Downsides of Back Squats?
Despite numerous benefits, the back squat might not be the best lift for you, at least at this time.
More Stress on Spine and Knees
Compared to the front squat, the back squat is a bit harder on both the spine and the knees. Keeping a more upright posture and proper spinal alignment and learning how to brace properly can all help buffer the stressors on the spine in this movement. Using a high bar placement versus a low bar placement can also limit the stress on the spine during back squats.
Incorporating de-load or unloading phases can also help you alternate periods of high training stress with lower training stress so you reduce the risk of injury
If you have a back or knee injury right now, you may want to start with front squats or other front loaded squat exercises before trying the back squat.
Which One Should You Choose?
Most people can safely incorporate both front squats and back squats into their program. Still, your specific training needs may dictate that one suits your needs more right now than the other.
Are you rehabbing lower back pain or an injury? The front squat might work better for you right now.
Are you competing in powerlifting in a few weeks? You should be working on maximizing your strength in the back squat with greater training specificity and intensity.
Not sure which exercise works best for you? Seek the assistance of a qualified personal trainer/strength coach to help you devise a squat routine that takes your history, goals and limitations into consideration.
