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I know what Lance said but I disagree. If that was the case, then two different squat styles would not even exist and the difference in poundages between the high and the low bar squat wouldn't exist either.

The thing with the low bar squat is it really depends MUCH more on the posterior chain, and the tibias travel far less forward (and thus requires much less ankle dorsiflexion to be available) and thus the quads get a much less loading effect.

Which is bad if that's the only thing you do for the quads.

If you were able to front squat and also do low bar squats, maybe it would make sense. But for someone in my position who can't do front squats, then a high bar squat makes more sense in my opinion.

my default squat is low-bar but quad-heavy. not much hamstrings.

It's probably similar to mine's... but a high bar squat feels SO much more different to me than a low bar squat. So much more "leg" involvement if you will... I consider "leg" when I feel the quads fire well.

With the low bar squat I feel like I'm neglecting my quads just because the posterior chain has been overblown so much on the internet lately: low bar squat for the PC, RDLs for the PC, leg curls for the PC, glute ham raises for the PC, hip thrusts for the PC, reverse hypers for the PC, deadlifts for the PC... OK OK... but what about stuff for the QUADS? What about that?

I mean I would be fine with all the posterior chain work in the world if I knew I had a 2x+ high bar squat and that my quads were strong enough to amortizate any kind of plant or landing... but even when I play ball, I'm scared to penetrate because I know I would be able to pass my defender but I wouldn't be able to stop or control the plant or landing that would follow that penetration.

So I'm limited to just be a passer etc. That can't happen. You can't pretend to squat 160 kg low bar and then say you have too weak quads to do anything useful with them.

At least if I had a 2x high bar squat I could say it's not the quads - it's something else and address it. But in this case, I can't, because they really are too weak.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apb3jObAwfg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apb3jObAwfg</a>

Well I personally have never felt any quad strength improvement whatsoever in the months and years of low bar squatting. And this is a big thing because I always collapse at the knee, in both the one-leg and two-leg jump.

I might squat 160 kg low bar but my high bar squat is still at the same level as it ever was in the last 5 years or so (and I believe it's a strength issue, not a movement efficiency one).

http://coffeesgym.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/the-low-bar-squat-is-not-an-exercise/

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How are you doing your power cleans? From hang or from the ground? Since you didn't say "hang power cleans" I assume from the ground.

If you do them from the hanging position, then I found out that it's best to do singles instead of more reps. For me, whenever I do even two reps the amount of fatigue I get in my hands becomes a very limiting factor in actual power expression in the clean itself. The bar starts to feel heavier and heavier every second I stay with it in my hands and the arms start to wander around in bad, weird positions.

So today I did singles (3x1 instead of 1x3) with like 20 seconds or so breaks in between, and all my reps were explosive and powerful. Just something to think about.