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Barbell Front vs Back Squat

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vegpedlr

vegpedlr

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Excepring those who can’t for some physical reason do one or the other, why would want to choose one over the other? For what purposes does one or the other work best?
 
Front is isolating quads more. Back recruits more of the posterior chain. Low bar version even more.

If you're looking to gain mass, low bar back squat will allow you to move more weight. If you're looking for more balance then it's good to know both and switch them up every cycle or 2. In the end it's like arguing between sumo or conventional DL. They're both good.

I thought Pavel had an article on here about his favorite squat. Hint it's not the back or front.
 
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I prefer back squats for many reasons:

  • They feel better (to me)
  • I can go heavier.
  • I have no intention in isolating the quads.
  • They involve more muscles
  • I don't need weightlifting shoes, which I dont have.
I can do front squats without weightlifting shoes, but my torso leans forward and the weight i can lift is insignificant. I dont think it's a lift suitable to do without weightlifting shoes.
 
I think this depends on many factors. What's the individual's needs/goals/body types/etc. Olympic lifters will front squat because it emulates the catch phase of a clean. Powerlifters back squat because it's the big 3. Both will do both to up their leg strength. A bodybuilder may back squat but find it doesn't build his quads as much as a front squat. A basketball player may do front squats because he is tall and it's easier to get deeper and stay upright, thus transferring more to jumping on the court. One is not necessarily better than the other, they're just different.
 
I think front squats can be difficult with poor hip, ankle, shoulder, and/or wrist mobility. I noticed my hip mobility improve when I started front squatting more just because I was able to get more between my feet with the forward center of gravity. The other mobility areas have kind of stayed the same though.

My stance is on the narrower side and I just tried heel lifted shoes and they make a significant difference in both squats for me. I back squat with a high bar and I don't really find much difference in quad/posterior domination for either front or back squats.

I think my front squats require more mindfulness which is good at times but bad at others; sometimes I need a training session to simply be hard physical work and not so mind-body connected.
 
I tend to favor front squats and snatch grip Romanian deadlifts over their conventional counterparts because they develop mobility superbly and work the upper back like crazy.

And their respective ratios are consistent with my other favorite lifts: incline bench, incline row, dips and pull ups.
 
I used to do front squats when my lower back was giving me grief. As mentioned above, develops mobility, both in hips, wrists and shoulders. Also forces more upright posture - therefore making the back less vulnerable.

FWIW, I've seen recommendation to finish front squats workout with one set of back squats with the same weight for higher reps.
 
Some argue front squats are superior to athletic performance, due to the full hip extension that it allows at the top - similar to deadlifts, but different from the good morning and back squat. Most "powerful" moves (eg a large proportion of team sport movements) are about this "hip snap" as Dan John would say. I would put myself down as having this belief as well.

Also - I see alot of people talk about upper back mobility restrictions in the FSQ, but I find it easier to get into position for this lift than the BSQ. Unless you have your hands basically on the weights, the BSQ takes some pretty darn good upper back/shoulder/wrist ROM .
 
I don't think that the type of squat is that important for the recreational trainee. The most important thing is to squat, squat more, and squat heavier. Do all kinds of squats. Pick a specific variation to concentrate on if you compete in some sport, but still do different variations.
 
Initially I started w/ front squats (fairly new to barbells, kb's in past) because I did not have a squat rack and did not feel up to buying one (yet). I immediately discovered that even though I thought I could squat just fine unloaded, as soon as a was holding some weight, my knees felt like they were literally going to explode if I went past parallel. I knew "that ain't right!"

So I saw local PT, no help there. Searched youtube for correctives and nothing helped until I found this from Dan John

Dan John Squat

Doing the first couple drills esp "big chest, Buddha belly", I had full depth awkwardly in about 10 minutes and easily in a few days. Now have been doing front squats from clean with about 75% or so RM1 for squat (yeah, my clean needs work!), sort of Easy Strength style of moderate weight and 10 reps/day. If you count the depth squat on the clean which I can now do comfortably, that's really 20 reps. AND my knees feel better than they have in many many years!
 
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