The squat is a quite common basic movement in strength training. It is relatively simple to carry it out, but depending on where you place the bar you will be exercising very significant changes. The million dollar question is, what kind of squat is better, Back Squat or Front Squat? What is more productive and healthy? It depends on the benefits we are looking for will be more advised one or the other, but in no way are they exclusive. Next, we are going to explain the differences, based on the ideal that we already have stability and mobility necessary to perform technique correctly.
Back Squat
The rear squat or back squat requires that the structures of the lower part of the body and the core Work synergily to achieve the exercise. The optimal performance requires an adequate range of movement in the ankles, hips and knees, force in the lower body, and a huge amount of central stability.
Muscles involved
- Involves the muscles of the posterior chain, such as hamstrings, buttocks and lower back
- Abdominal area
- Oblique muscle
Characteristics
- Greater anterior inclination of the column, which means greater load in the lower back.
- It requires good flexibility in hamstrings and mobility in pectorals.
- Greater activation of the major gluteal extensor.
- Accept greater load.
- It helps increase power in general.
- Technique simpler than Front Squat, demands less mobility.
Front Squat
The front squat or Front Squat It is based exactly on the mechanics of the aerial squat. Everything that is added is a load supported directly on the top of the chest and shoulders, and the elbows point forward so that the upper part of the arms is parallel to the ground. This position, fundamental for weightlifting, demands and improves the flexibility of the wrist and shoulder, while the load, sustained by the torso, demands and improves the stability of the midline.
Muscles involved
- It demands more to the previous chain, involving the quadriceps, the abdomen and the knees.
Characteristics
- Unlike Back Squat, the column is positioned more vertically, causing the load in the lumbar region.
- More mobility is needed in the ankles, so some people may seem more complicated.
- It rises less weight than in Back Squat, being approximately 70% of your RM.
- Compared to the back squat, relieve the tension of the buttocks and hip.
Differences between Back Squat and Front Squat
We see the big difference in the position of the bar. As we mentioned earlier, in the back Squat The bar is behind the body and in the Front Squat It is positioned ahead. The latter causes the column position to be much more vertical, which causes the hip to be less projected backwards, leading to a greater advancement of the knees and dorsiflexion of the ankle.
Specific muscle activation
The front and rear squatillas emphasize knee flexion. But the position of the bar, and your torso, will encourage slightly different muscle activation patterns throughout the movements. The quadriceps muscle is activated more with the front squats than with the rear. On the contrary, the hamstrings were more stimulated with the rear squat. Another characteristic in muscle activation is that the frontal squat requires more stability in the core. The Front Squat achieves a muscular activation similar to the Back Squat with less stress in the joints, which makes it more effective at lower risk.
Hypertrophy
As we have mentioned previously, if you want to emphasize the quadriceps it is better to use the front squat. If on the contrary a growth of the hamstrings are sought, the rear squat is a better option.
