By Tom Venuto
Author
of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
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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!
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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 10-12th
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
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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.
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In this candid and revealing
interview, David Grisaffi, an in-the-trenches fat loss and
abdominal training expert and author of the best-selling ebook
Firm and Flatten Your Abs, interviews fat loss expert and
best selling author Tom Venuto.
These fat loss pros discuss
what it really takes to uncover your abdominals, and the reasons
why it takes more than hundreds of situps and crunches to
succeed. Some of the facts Tom reveals will surprise you because
you won’t hear them from most other experts in the weight
loss and fitness industry.
Why? Because they either don’t
know or they have a vested interest in keeping the truth hidden
from you. In this revealing discussion you'll learn top secret
ab training techniques and the truth about diet scams and
rip offs!
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In this interview, Tom Nicoli,
a clinical hypnotherapist who was featured on Dateline NBC’s
Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge, meets with fat loss expert
and best selling author Tom Venuto.
The two Toms discuss what it
really takes to increase or even “skyrocket” your
fat loss success and they uncover the reasons why it takes
more than hard work and physical effort to succeed –
it also takes the right mindset. Some of the facts Tom reveals
you will surprise you because you won’t hear them from
most other experts in the weight loss and fitness industry.
Why? Because
they either don’t know or they have a vested interest
in keeping the truth hidden from you. !
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About
The Author
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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 clicking
here.
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