Adarq.org
Performance Area => Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion => Topic started by: fast does lie on January 14, 2013, 05:29:22 am
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Having trouble with front squats:
a) how to hold weight on shoulders/collar bone so that it doesn't feel painful
b) can't stable weight on shoulder/collar bone
c) arms are not parallel to ground
d) how should the back be
the reason i need to learn front squat is that all this heavy high bar back squat is making my lordosis / anterior pelvic tilt worse.
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Here is a video lance posted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NRmdtSvmQQ&feature=player_detailpage
i hope this of some help
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It does help, but the main problem with my front squat is that i have kyphosis. It has to be tough to front squat when you have arch/rounded back.
I have kyphotic posture too. And i am also 6'' taller than you so i imagine that makes it even worse for squats ( more lean ).
I had problems front squatting, when reaching at the bottom , lean + kyphotic posture made the bar fall , even empty bar. When i got my lifting shoes , it auto fixed , suddently i could do perfect front squats.
But now i can also do them in flat shoes, so who knows, maybe it was mental. If you have enough mobility/flexibility to hold the bar like in a clean, you can afford some lean and have the bar safely locked.
Try to progress it slowly and see what happens, start with empty bar and keep adding small weights until form begins to break down.
Also you might want to do some thoracic/shoulder mobility work, it should help your posture.
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I'd love to front squat, but the highest I can get my elbow to be is basically pointing down... so the bar sits on the chest supported by the arms. Impossible to front squat that way.
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Then how about working on fixing that? I am no mobility expert but i am sure there are speific things to do to get there.
LBSS?
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If I knew how... yeah... I have no idea of upperbody stretches etc. If I am to pretend I keep a bar on my hands and point the elbows forward, my hands would end up somewhere in the middle neck/trapezius area. They just are very long and end up there. There's no way to hold a bar, I just don't get it.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LYNgODd7eQ
Watch the finger placement. Front squatting imo is all about relaxing the wrists, most olympic weightlifters have one or two fingers behind the bar when front squatting. The painful feeling on the clavicles will pass, stick with it, and stretch those wrists! And if that doesn't work you can still use straps using the poliquin method
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No, trust me... it's impossible. There's no way these elbows come up if I still want to have a neck, head, etc.
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Front squatting imo is all about relaxing the wrists, most olympic weightlifters have one or two fingers behind the bar when front squatting. The painful feeling on the clavicles will pass, stick with it, and stretch those wrists!
+100
No, trust me... it's impossible. There's no way these elbows come up if I still want to have a neck, head, etc.
Oh come on , give it a chance. We didn't suggest you to become Nadia Comaneci, just achieve a mediocre front squat locking position.
Also , how about the cross-arm grip?
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cross-arm = terrible, not possible.
Also, how the hell can you maintain the bar in a stable position? I wouldn't risk keeping the bar with just 2 fingers there... not safe enough.
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One thing i've very grateful about is how Lance was encouraging early on with my front squats when my form wasn't very good. I kept up with it and my flexibility and depth improved with time and eventually it became a very natural lift for me. It felt natural even from the start which is why I persisted with it but looking back initially my depth was high and I wasn't very upright. So my suggestion is to just do them, even if they're imperfect, as long as you're improving over time it will eventually come together. Just keep working at it.
When it comes to bar placement initially I took a wide grip, then in a few weeks time I could bring the grip in a lot (like an inch or so from the smooth). Flexibility improves as you do them regularly, so just start with what works for you and try to bring in the grip slightly over successive workouts.
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You didn't start with not being able to hold the bar on your shoulders. My best case scenario is holding the bar with the hands, on my chest, elbows pointed down.
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Either you are the most imobile/unflexible or the most stubborn human alive.
:personal-record: anyway, :wowthatwasnutswtf:
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Btw , this is the video of my first front squat session EVER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8I-P3mxFYI
As you can see, my hands are not parallel to the ground , about 45 degrees or even more. I did have some big discomfort on my wrists. On the following sessions i found it easier to use only 2 fingers, bar is still safe and you get much more wrist flexibility. There is pain , but it goes away set by set and session by session. Finally , keep in mind that my hands are probably longer than yours, 6'5'' wingspan , if i remember well yours is 6'3''. My elbow to fingertip length is 50cm ( ~19.7'' ).
Just give it a shot.
Or don't.
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Haha, you tempt me to film at home with my bar (not an olympic bar but it will get the point across) trying all kinds of bar grips to see just how bad it can be. I won't even attempt to squat, just to keep the bar "on the shoulders" (impossible). The bar can only be held on the chest in my case. I have tried again and again, couldn't do it. That's the biggest reason why I haven't increase my clean too - because I can't catch a bigger weight than I'm doing now on the chest/arms.
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Every healthy human being can achieve proper range of motion and positioning. You need to work on your mobility. www.mobilitywod.com has drills specifically for the front rack. Then move to drills for front squat. My friend is way more muscular than us and has the same problems but just a few minutes working on the triceps can improve positioning
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Hey thanks, that's definitely useful!
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Every healthy human being can achieve proper range of motion and positioning. You need to work on your mobility. www.mobilitywod.com has drills specifically for the front rack. Then move to drills for front squat. My friend is way more muscular than us and has the same problems but just a few minutes working on the triceps can improve positioning
Hey thanks, that's definitely useful!
What? NOOO, that's not true , it's IMPOSSIBLE for you to imrove your mobility, you had all the forum trying to convince you but you proved us all wrong in this thread:
I'd love to front squat, but the highest I can get my elbow to be is basically pointing down... so the bar sits on the chest supported by the arms. Impossible to front squat that way.
Then how about working on fixing that? I am no mobility expert but i am sure there are speific things to do to get there.
LBSS?
If I knew how... yeah... I have no idea of upperbody stretches etc. If I am to pretend I keep a bar on my hands and point the elbows forward, my hands would end up somewhere in the middle neck/trapezius area. They just are very long and end up there. There's no way to hold a bar, I just don't get it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LYNgODd7eQ
Watch the finger placement. Front squatting imo is all about relaxing the wrists, most olympic weightlifters have one or two fingers behind the bar when front squatting. The painful feeling on the clavicles will pass, stick with it, and stretch those wrists! And if that doesn't work you can still use straps using the poliquin method
No, trust me... it's impossible. There's no way these elbows come up if I still want to have a neck, head, etc.
Oh come on , give it a chance. We didn't suggest you to become Nadia Comaneci, just achieve a mediocre front squat locking position.
Also , how about the cross-arm grip?
cross-arm = terrible, not possible.
Also, how the hell can you maintain the bar in a stable position? I wouldn't risk keeping the bar with just 2 fingers there... not safe enough.
One thing i've very grateful about is how Lance was encouraging early on with my front squats when my form wasn't very good. I kept up with it and my flexibility and depth improved with time and eventually it became a very natural lift for me. It felt natural even from the start which is why I persisted with it but looking back initially my depth was high and I wasn't very upright. So my suggestion is to just do them, even if they're imperfect, as long as you're improving over time it will eventually come together. Just keep working at it.
When it comes to bar placement initially I took a wide grip, then in a few weeks time I could bring the grip in a lot (like an inch or so from the smooth). Flexibility improves as you do them regularly, so just start with what works for you and try to bring in the grip slightly over successive workouts.
You didn't start with not being able to hold the bar on your shoulders. My best case scenario is holding the bar with the hands, on my chest, elbows pointed down.
Haha, you tempt me to film at home with my bar (not an olympic bar but it will get the point across) trying all kinds of bar grips to see just how bad it can be. I won't even attempt to squat, just to keep the bar "on the shoulders" (impossible). The bar can only be held on the chest in my case. I have tried again and again, couldn't do it. That's the biggest reason why I haven't increase my clean too - because I can't catch a bigger weight than I'm doing now on the chest/arms.
Don't even dare to do mobility stuff and attempt front squatting , you are forbidden, you fucking troll!!!
:trolldance: :gtfo:
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Hahahaha I said these were useful, not that I will be able to front squat after doing them. I COULD be able, who knows. But as of right now it's impossible, although I did have a better rack position a few days ago when I was cleaning for some reason.
So maybe if I couple that with the o-lift shoes... who knows?