The Greatest Quad Builder... That Almost No
One Wants To Do
by Tom Venuto,
NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com
It’s axiomatic that the exercises which
give you the best results are always the hardest
ones to do. If you want a huge back… you
row and deadlift. If you want huge legs, you
squat… OR… you do THIS leg exercise
– that almost no one wants to do because
its one of the hardest of them all.
Which one am I talking about? FRONT SQUATS!
In my opinion, front squats are one of the
absolute best quad builders. Back squats are
a tremendous mass builder as well, but front
squats introduce an additional level of challenge
because they require flexibility, technique,
and core strength because the bar must be held
and balanced on the front of the shoulders.
As such, the front squat does everything the
back squat does and more.
One great advantage of the front squat, especially
for someone like me, having previously suffered
a low back injury (herniated L4), is that the
torso can be held in a more upright (vertical
position). Since there is less forward trunk
inclination, this removes some of the stress
and shear forces from the lower back. At the
same time, this upright position is closer to
a bodybuilding squat and throws much more emphasis
on the quads and less on the hips. It is truly
a superb bodybuilding exercise.
There are two styles of front squatting, the
Olympic lifting style and the crossed arm style.
I find that most athletes, and of course Olympic
lifters, use the former, while most bodybuilders
seem to prefer the latter. The barbell should
generally be your weapon of choice, but for
bodybuilders, front squats on the smith machine
are an outstanding alternative. The Smith machine
front squat takes some of the balance issues
out of the picture, which allows the physique
athlete to really focus on working the muscle
rather than worrying about balance and stabilization.
Be sure to rotate between both versions, however–
barbell and smith machine – because long
term overuse or dependency on machines may lead
to stabilizer weakness or muscle imbalances
and variety is never a bad idea in the physique
game. Incidentally, the barbell front squat
is an outstanding “core” exercise.
A third version of the front squat worth considering
is the dumbbell front squat (especially the
sumo or wide stance version). These can be performed
holding a single dumbbell with both hands on
the front of the shoulders, cupped between both
hands (goblet squat) or with two dumbbells,
one in each hand, resting on top of each shoulder.
The limiting factor on these front squat variations
is often the poundage, as holding heavy dumbbells
can become unwieldy. This can be partially overcome
by performing the dumbbell front squat last
in a leg workout or second in a superset, or
by manipulating tempo and range of motion so
the exercise is made more difficult. The dumbbell
variations are also a great choice for women
who usually don’t require as much weight
as men for stimulation.
I find that the front squat is particularly
effective at developing the tear drop shaped
vastus medialis portion of the (“lower”)
quads, and you can emphasize this effect even
more by elevating your heels on a board or a
wedge. Elevating your heels is considered controversial
and some say that this is damaging to the knees.
I’m not convinced that this is the case
with a slight elevation and very strict form
and controlled tempo, although I would not recommend
this method to anyone with existing knee problems.
There is certainly a risk to benefit ratio of
every technique variation, and you have to decide
if the added potential benefit is worth the
potential risk, depending on your particular
situation (consult the appropriate medical or
training professional if you’re not sure)
You can also emphasize the medialis and increase
overall effectiveness by working FULL squats
(breaking parallel) and only coming up three
quarters (no locking out). Have you ever seen
Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman’s workout videos?
I realize that Mr Olympia’s bodybuilding
video tapes are not “workout instruction”
nor do they really have anything to do with
us mere mortals, but I pay attention to everything
in the world of bodybuilding, and I did find
it very interesting to watch Ronnie front squatting
500+ pounds. I also found it interesting that
he went rock bottom and he did ¾ reps
without releasing tension for even a single
rep. Although he certainly has some advantages
over other bodybuilders, everything is relative
and he has some ridiculous quads, even compared
to other IFBB pros. Indeed, continuous tension
¾ reps are a tremendous technique to
employ with the front squat exercise, regardless
of whether you’re a novice or a pro. Be
prepared to leave your ego at home, however.
In addition to the ¾ reps, try manipulating
your tempo. It will limit your poundage even
further, but what you sacrifice in strength
you will make up in hypertrophy. Whereas a regular
rep might be 2011 or 3011 tempo, or even a full-out
explosive concentric with a controlled eccentric,
bodybuilders may want to try utilizing a tempo
of 3020, or (even harder) 4030. With sets of
10 -12 reps, this will give you a minimum of
50-70 seconds of continuous time under tension.
The lactic acid burn around the 10-12thth rep
has to be felt to be “appreciated.”
The only thing more difficult than continuous
tension/non-lockout ¾ reps are continuous
tension, non-lockout reps with a slow tempo.
Truly a quad killer!
Note: 4-point tempo prescriptions are as follows:
3020 tempo =
3 = negative/eccentric action
0 = pause in stretch/bottom position
2 = positive/concentric action
0 = pause in contracted/top position
So if front squats are so good, why don’t
more people do them? Simple – because
they’re damn hard. Here is what I usually
see happen: Someone will start front squatting
(or try to), and they inevitably put on way
too much weight. Their form is horrible, it
feels totally uncomfortable and unbalanced,
so our novice front squatter quits and writes
off front squats for good after only one try,
and heads back over to the leg press machine.
I usually advise them to unload the bar and
master the form first with very light weights,
but invariably, ego gets in the way, and 315-405
squatters and 1000+ pound leg pressers don’t
want to be seen with a single “wheel”
(45 pound plate) on each side of an Olympic
bar while they patiently master the technique
for a new exercise. Alas, they never learn to
front squat, they go back to what is easy and
familiar and they never gain all the benefits
of this awesome exercise.
Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com
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About the Author:
Tom Venuto
is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal
trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is
the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,”
which teaches you how to get lean without drugs
or supplements using secrets of the world's
best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn
how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase
your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com
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