[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
I am of the belief that better separation is due to a lower bf %, not switching exercises. [/quote]
I am of the same belief.
Stu’s on a slow cut. Assuming his bf% was low at the time of switching to front squats, maybe more mass in the individual quad muscles LOOKS like more separation.
I’m reminded of when I was a ripped and skinny beginner. I wasn’t all that big after a year of lifting, but damn if every muscle wasn’t separated in bold relief! lol
I gotta agree. I think real seperation is the result of low body fat. Think about it, how many guys boast about their huge arms, but in actuality, while they may have built an apreciable amount of muscle, they have an equal amount of fat obscuring the seperation (sure, they’re “Huge”, but they’re also SMOOTH -lol). Again, the reason I started doing front squats is due to two pretty back lower back injuries in the past year and a half. I’m still somewhat limited in my leg training, so the fact that I can FEEL my quads working damn hard from this exercise, with no agrivation of my spine or soreness in my glutes… well, it’s a no brainer for me.
S
Is there anything that would be lost by doing ONLY front squats (no back squats)?
Sissy Squats are a killer burn for the quads…
Front squat with a twist, shaken not stirred…
[quote]shizen wrote:
…
I believe they are one of the least beneficial squats you can do. Front squats serve same purpose-which is hitting the core and front of legs a lot more- while being much more safe and the fact you can add quite a bit more weight once you get used to it something you can’t do with overhead squats.
Also setting up overhead squats means you have to behind the head jerk it which once you start going up means you have to behind the head jerk quite a bit of weight.
Olympic weightlifters feel it helps with your snatch which is not true either, as most Olympic lifters do not overhead squat aside form freaky Chinese who only do it from the down position up. Back squat and front squat are the primarily most used. [/quote]
Nothing personal, and I know you are limited by the gym, but I call B.S on u talking smack about the Overhead Squat. (my favorite variation of the squat)
Overhead squats, and drop snatch/snatch balance ( 90Kg x 3reps Snatch Balance/ Drop Snatch - YouTube ) are extremely useful. The amount of usage in a weightlifters training depends on the needs/weak-spots of THAT lifter. Without them its extremely hard to Snatch well. (don’t believe me, try it)
–to add some icing… I found, FOR ME, doing some Overhead Squats with a clean grip taught my brain were the bar needed to be and how to engage my upper back effectively.
U don’t have to MAX out on overhead squats, nor do u need to hit “fatige” on the last rep. And, never fight the weight, just let it drop. I know about the gym, but just drop it if it is not stable. (I hurt my right elbow once about 8months ago for fighting the weight. It would hurt to lock the arm for 3 weeks after that.)
sorry about the highjack… back to front squatting 
[quote]Tumbles wrote:
Is there anything that would be lost by doing ONLY front squats (no back squats)?[/quote]
do both.
One thing I’ve noticed among the few people who actually squat at my Uni gym, is that when they do a Front Squat they do it right. Deep, big chest, boom solid. But when they back squat, they NEVER pass parallel, the chest caves in, its a mess.
If by lower quad you guys mean the mass around the knee, that comes from DEPTH in the squat. The depth make ur knees travel out.
(overhead squat) http://www.flickr.com/photos/dehwang/464982780/
(front squat) http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/sportivny/images/shoes/Deep_squat_position_3.jpg
(back squat, not me) Back squat session testing 2RM - YouTube
[quote]NeoSpartan wrote:
shizen wrote:
…
I believe they are one of the least beneficial squats you can do. Front squats serve same purpose-which is hitting the core and front of legs a lot more- while being much more safe and the fact you can add quite a bit more weight once you get used to it something you can’t do with overhead squats.
Also setting up overhead squats means you have to behind the head jerk it which once you start going up means you have to behind the head jerk quite a bit of weight.
Olympic weightlifters feel it helps with your snatch which is not true either, as most Olympic lifters do not overhead squat aside form freaky Chinese who only do it from the down position up. Back squat and front squat are the primarily most used.
Nothing personal, and I know you are limited by the gym, but I call B.S on u talking smack about the Overhead Squat. (my favorite variation of the squat)
Overhead squats, and drop snatch/snatch balance ( 90Kg x 3reps Snatch Balance/ Drop Snatch - YouTube ) are extremely useful. The amount of usage in a weightlifters training depends on the needs/weak-spots of THAT lifter. Without them its extremely hard to Snatch well. (don’t believe me, try it)
–to add some icing… I found, FOR ME, doing some Overhead Squats with a clean grip taught my brain were the bar needed to be and how to engage my upper back effectively.
U don’t have to MAX out on overhead squats, nor do u need to hit “fatige” on the last rep. And, never fight the weight, just let it drop. I know about the gym, but just drop it if it is not stable. (I hurt my right elbow once about 8months ago for fighting the weight. It would hurt to lock the arm for 3 weeks after that.)
sorry about the highjack… back to front squatting :)[/quote]
Yes drop snatch are much more useful and safer since you don’t do quite as much weight as you would just overhead squatting-and its much more beneficial since you get used to catching in bottom position-.
When you watch Olympic lifters train you will hardly see them ever doing just overhead squats. I know what you mean about fighting the weight, I had to once since I do train in commercial gym and I felt some pain luckily I didn’t hurt myself. I could see how you could injure yourself badly with them which is why I don’t like them.
Siódme poty cz.1 - YouTube watch the polish national team train you will see them all do front and back squatting yet not overhead squatting.
When I was training with a friend who had knowledge in Olympic lifting I never did Overhead squats, I did do drop snatches though. Really they just don’t seem that great when you compare them to front and back squat. Now everyone is different though so you might find them fun or helpful.
[quote]Tumbles wrote:
Is there anything that would be lost by doing ONLY front squats (no back squats)?[/quote]
This is big debate among Olympic lifters, http://www.fortified-iron.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=39787 at fortified-iron their is a long thread debating it.
Overall for bodybuilding with front squats you would not be able to load as much weight, so with back squat you might get more mass-also you use glutes more- It’s easy to do both though, however I have not been back squatting in awhile and I don’t miss them ;).
[quote]shizen wrote:
Tumbles wrote:
Is there anything that would be lost by doing ONLY front squats (no back squats)?
This is big debate among Olympic lifters, http://www.fortified-iron.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=39787 at fortified-iron their is a long thread debating it.
Overall for bodybuilding with front squats you would not be able to load as much weight, so with back squat you might get more mass-also you use glutes more- It’s easy to do both though, however I have not been back squatting in awhile and I don’t miss them ;). [/quote]
That’s a great link, thank you very much!
I like front squats a lot more than back squats as well - I feel my form is better and a2g feels a lot more natural. I’m still a beginner though, so I wouldn’t actually seriously consider stopping the back squats any time soon
I do both.
I noticed a lot of the top guys do both back squats and front squats. i also noticed my strength gains are the greatest when i do both.
If i didn’t do front squats, i would probably do another quad dominant leg movement that i could go extremely heavy on.
By the way, I prefer to olympic rack position to the arms crossed because it feels more secure.
[quote]NeoSpartan wrote:
shizen wrote:
…
I believe they are one of the least beneficial squats you can do. Front squats serve same purpose-which is hitting the core and front of legs a lot more- while being much more safe and the fact you can add quite a bit more weight once you get used to it something you can’t do with overhead squats.
Also setting up overhead squats means you have to behind the head jerk it which once you start going up means you have to behind the head jerk quite a bit of weight.
Olympic weightlifters feel it helps with your snatch which is not true either, as most Olympic lifters do not overhead squat aside form freaky Chinese who only do it from the down position up. Back squat and front squat are the primarily most used.
Nothing personal, and I know you are limited by the gym, but I call B.S on u talking smack about the Overhead Squat. (my favorite variation of the squat)
Overhead squats, and drop snatch/snatch balance ( 90Kg x 3reps Snatch Balance/ Drop Snatch - YouTube ) are extremely useful. The amount of usage in a weightlifters training depends on the needs/weak-spots of THAT lifter. Without them its extremely hard to Snatch well. (don’t believe me, try it)
–to add some icing… I found, FOR ME, doing some Overhead Squats with a clean grip taught my brain were the bar needed to be and how to engage my upper back effectively.
U don’t have to MAX out on overhead squats, nor do u need to hit “fatige” on the last rep. And, never fight the weight, just let it drop. I know about the gym, but just drop it if it is not stable. (I hurt my right elbow once about 8months ago for fighting the weight. It would hurt to lock the arm for 3 weeks after that.)
sorry about the highjack… back to front squatting :)[/quote]
OH Squats are the shizzle for rizzle! Seriously though, they are one of my favorite lifts and I find it really useful for emphasizing/transferring proper back squat technique. I dont have access to bumper plates so my ability to train with more Oly Lifts in my training is self-limited but OH squats are a staple.
I loves me the front squats. I can feel it all over (upper back, obliques, quads of course, etc) the next day. Thanks for the info Joe!
I have been doing just front squats for my legs for the past 4 weeks. My main goal was just to get stronger, but I noticed better quad development and seperation too. So it was a cool bonus.
