‘There are several different types of squat that are used with a barbell. The barbell squat is performed with the barbell across the back (back squat) slightly above the shoulder blades (high bar squat) or across the mid back and scapular (low bar squat) the level of the acromion (bone part or the anterior shoulder), or with the barbell held in front of the chest approximately at the level of the clavicles- the bony structure above your chest known as the collar bones (front squat). The back squat is usually preferred and performed by most athletes in sport, although the front squat is commonly performed by bodybuilders and Olympic weightlifters. The front squat is simulated during the clean and jerk exercise by Olympic weightlifters’ (1). For the purpose of this post we will be doing front squats vs high back squat, which I personally prefer, and explaining some of the science behind it. Lets begin with the squat in general. If you’re going to a gym and you aren’t working legs- you should be! Working such a large muscle group helps to increase metabolism and as it’s a big compound movement (a movement that includes more than one joint in its motion) it can help to increase testosterone. Increasing metabolism is good for burning calories and increasing testosterone is good for building some muscle, which has a knock on effect of burning more calories. I know what you’re thinking ladies, ‘I don’t want to get muscly with testosterone’. That’s not gunna happen! I’ll write a blog about it so just hold your horses! Back squat The squat is one of my personal favourite exercises, I really just like everything about it.’ The skill it takes to do it properly and the amount of positives it has to performance in any capacity, means I believe everybody should be doing it. These are guidelines that have been taken from the American College of Sports Medicine
Muscles worked by the back squat: The back squat is a compound movement which means that it works across two different joints! In this case it works across the knees and the hips. The muscles activated by the squat are: the quadriceps, the hamstrings and the glutes. There are a lot of stabilising muscles used while doing a barbell squat too, such as your erectus spinae in order to keep your back straight while performing the exercise. Front Squat I couldn’t find the American College of Sports Medicines protocols for the front squat so I’ll tell you in my words
Given the position of the bar with the front squat, it can be harder to balance for somebody that is lifting a lot of weight or somebody who is fairly new to the exercise.
This is also a compound exercise working across the same joints as the back squat (knee and hip joints) but this is slightly different in terms of muscle activation (muscles worked). To keep good posture in this exercise you really need to have a strong lower back. Other than that, the main muscles that it works are the quadriceps, the glutes and the hamstrings. Sounds the same right? Yeah it is, but this works a majority the quadriceps and the glutes and not so much the hamstrings. Something you want to make sure that you’re doing at the top of the squat is squeezing your glutes together, this will cause you to keep your hips straight. A lot of people don’t do this and it can cause their hips to be all over the place and this is one fast way to get injured. Which is better? They’re both squats and they’re both compound exercises so overall they’re both brilliant movements when done correctly. And are both better for different purposes Dangers and Benefits of Back Squats When doing back squats if you lift a heavy amount it has potential to distort the spine due to the load that goes through it. Your spine, as you probably know is very important because it protects the nerves that come down from the brain so it’s importance is crucial in keeping you central nervous system safe. Back squats can put a lot of pressure on the cartilage between the vertebras in the back which can cause them to prolapse (otherwise known as a slipped disk). If you think about the amount of force going through your spine with a squat and that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that means if you’re squatting 300lbs that’s going through the spine and on a solid base you’re getting that reaction coming back up through, meaning that your spine has a lot of pressure going through it. This can distort the spine That said if you decide to take a lower bar position with the bar while you lift, less compression comes through the spine but the stabilising muscles need to be stronger (lower back and requires you to hold the bar in place more than just resting it on your shoulders). The good thing about the back squat is that it works a very large muscle group and that it can be done with a lot of weight if able. Being able to complete the squat with good form and a heavy load is not only very impressive but is also has a lot of positive effects mentioned earlier, such as increased testosterone and increase of growth hormones. Dangers and Benefits of Front squats Bad things- with front squats you typically cannot lift as much due to the position of the lift. As you remain in an upright position, it puts a lot of stress on the lower back and from the grip it can be found to dig into the clavicle, which a lot of people find uncomfortable. Good things- the front squat is good because it doesn’t put too much load through the spine. There is more load on the lower back because the need for the lower back as a stabiliser. Something else that is a positive for sprinters, due to the angle of the front squat there is more of a correlation with sprinters contact when they run. Of course, it can be argued that front squats are better for the quadriceps than the hamstrings, they activate the quadriceps better than the hamstrings and that a hamstring - quadriceps imbalance can have a greater cause of hamstring injury. But that’s for another time. For all squats – Knees- knees are a big problem in squats if done incorrectly. When the knee comes past the toes the shearing force that is put through the cartilage in the knees (menisci) is far greater than normal. When there is a greater shearing force this can wear away the cartilage in the knees, causing bone to rub on bone. When bone rubs on bone it can chip and you will have bone fragments floating around in your knee capsule and this can be dangerous as it has potential to tear other structures such as the Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligaments. When bone rubs on bone it can inflame the area and be very very painful. That’s why it’s important that we look after the cartilage in our knees. Rubbing can also lead to osteoarthritis in later life. To conclude They’re both brilliant exercises, the back squat puts a lot of pressure through the spine and can cause big problems but you can lift more weight and it is will a very athletic movement and worth doing. The front squat is beter for sprinters and as it is part of a power techniques (clean and jerk), it can be good to use for power training. You cannot lift as much and puts a lot of load through the lower back, so if you have a weak lower back I wouldn’t recommend it. All squats have their positives and negatives but I believe that they should be done with weight as the benefits outweigh the negatives. The squat is such a brilliant and athletic movement and will really help you to grow. No matter what your goal is, the squat is a great exercise (unless obviously your goal is to never do squats). JUST MAKE SURE YOU DO IT RIGHT!!! If you don’t know quite how to do a squat I’d recommend that you start light, or with no weight at all. Because done wrong it can leave you with a lot of problems (back and knee) to learn to do it watch as many videos as possible. It is definitely worth getting somebody to assist you and show you how to do this exercise even if you have to pay for it. If you aren’t doing it with the proper form you can seriously injure yourself, which is bad because firstly you’re injured and secondly you won’t want to do squats again. Bibliography Pictures taken from http://www.bodybuilding.com/ 16/12/2015
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