Thanks for all the advice everyone!
[quote]tedro wrote:
mr strength wrote:
tedro wrote:
Pipes06 wrote:
deff quads. no doubt front squats are pretty much all quad.
I did front squats yesterday. Today, my hamstrings are sore. My quads feel fine.
The quads are definitely more involved in a front squat than a back squat, but the hamstrings are still a major part of both.
when u say that ur hams were sore, did u use a wide stance front squat? and did u use a box too? cos i hear that westside do front squats off a box but then i keep reading that front sq are just quads. i just don’t know if i should keep doing them now.
No and no. Just regular front squats, clean grip. Oddly enough, my quads get sore more often than my hams when doing back squats.
My theory as to why the hams are involved so much more than commonly thought is because with the weight on the front, the upper and middle back is obviously working much harder to keep from rounding forward. In turn, rounding of the upper back and thus leaning forward while squatting will cause the pelvis to tilt forward. The hamstrings then have to work much harder to keep the pelvis anchored and keep the torso in an upright position.
Front squats have never been a major part of my programs, and I just recently started going real heavy with them. I was going heavy enough that I would be most inclined to say some muscle had to reach near failure and my hamstrings being sore wasn’t necessarily a sign of a weakness, per se. Of course I could be wrong, and if I had to guess, I would say that the weakness and limiting factor was indeed my upper back.[/quote]
When you are a powerlifter in the competitive sense I woudnt expect your hams/glutes to get sore before your quads. Chances are that a majority of your assistance/structural work goes into giving you an arse that can withstand top workloads.
I think most in season comp power lifters would have to do something wacky to get their hamstrings/glutes “sore” in the DOMS sense. Something like 100 reverse hypers in one set with a weight vest might do it. But your regular back squats are likely well with the soreness range unless you do some weird 20 reps sets etc.
Good reason to add the front squats to make sure that your quads arent the piano tied to your ass next meet.
-chris
funny, i have always thought of the front squat as an assistance move for a variety of other lifts, not the other way around.
I found front squats the best for fixing a “Good Morning Out of the Hole” problem, they gave me strong isometric strength in my back.
I just use the arms folded method, not enough shoulder mobility to clean grip.
Give machine hack squats a try they are all leg