front squats - the mass king and your No.1 assistance lift

Front squats seem to be getting back some popularity. Rightly so. They used to be forgotten somewhat due to the Westside bandwagon where they said you did not need quads for squatting. Well, that maybe true for heavy-equipment lifting. Definitely not true when it comes to raw squatting.




Raw squatters use medium to narrow stance and they sit back AND down at the same time so quads are used big time. After the back squat, the king of powerlifts, the front squat takes a very close second place.

Front squats will give you many things: huge quads, steel core, strong upper back, confidence in the hole.

huge quads:
Because your torso is pretty much upright and you sit down more than you sit back, you have a pretty solid compound lift to hit your quads. Front squats will take some stress of your hips and lower back and overload your quads way more. This is very important for strong conventional pullers who tend to have stronger backs than legs. I strongly advise front squats as the No.1 assistance lift to deadlifts. Especially, if you are weak off the floor. Do some heavy ass to grass front squats and watch your deadlift rise.

You could do many protocols for front squats: 5 sets of 5, 4 sets of 8, 6 sets of 3 with heavier weight. Play with the frequency too: maybe once a week 5 heavy sets of 3 and then 4 medium heavy sets of 8. Yes, additionally to back squats. "But then I'd be squatting three times a week!!!" So what ?! Many huge squatters from the Eastern Bloc countries have been doing that for decades.



steel core:
Do some big volume heavy front squats, like 8 sets of 3 and let me know the next day. If you keep proper form, upright torso and no belt, your abs will be sore as fuck. For a good couple of days. Front squats will give you the best lifting belt you can imagine. Painful, though. Eventually, this should improve your form on back squats as well. As a bonus, deep heavy front squats build pretty strong glutes as well.

strong upper back:
What happens sometimes when lifters back squat is that they tend to round upper back slightly when in the hole. This can be cured with heavy front squats as well. Your upper back fights heavily to keep the bar in place and after several months of heavy front squats your upper back erectors should get pretty huge and strong.



confidence in the hole:
When front squatting you usually go pretty deep and sometimes you can practice a good re-bound. You can also pause in the hole briefly. All this builds tension and confidence in the hole which should translate to back squats as well. Because you sink all your front squats pretty deep, you will not be afraid to do the same with your back squats as well.


Hmmm, so many benefits ... then why so many people ditch front squats?

Front squats are painful and not easy. Large volume heavy front squats will give you pretty sore shoulders, troubles breathing, you will be shaky on some last reps and your whole lower body will hurt. But you get strong quads, abs and upper back as a reward. Front squats are not sexy, they require no machine and no fancy equipment, just old barbell, plates and squat stands.


What is strong? Sets of 5 with 100k (225 lb) are fine for some mass building, 140k (315 lb) is strong. Sets of 5 with 180k (405 lb) are pretty damn strong and should give you some massive wheels.



... and as Dan Green nails it summarizing his training: "I just do the powerlifts and for assistance I push the front squat, shoulder press and rows"